Things to do in Chefchaouen
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Trekking
The Rif Mountains, bordering the Moroccan coast for about 200km, rarely reach more than 1800m, but these are the highest peaks in northern Morocco. The hillsides are green and magnificent. Cedars dominate the hillsides close to Chefchaouen, while forests of pine and holm oak grow on the higher slopes. Trekking opportunities here are good enough to draw even the most sloth-like backpacker away from the cafés and roof terraces of Chefchaouen, if only for a few hours.
Looming over Chefchaouen at 1616m, Jebel el-Kelaâ might initially appear a daunting peak but, with an early start and a packed lunch, it can easily be climbed in a day if you're in reasonably good shape.
The h…
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Chaouen Rural
Chaouen Rural is a local company sponsored by the government of Catalonia that is developing the rural tourism potential of the region. This well-run operation specialises in package trips into Talassemtane National Park that include staying in rural houses and interacting with the local culture. Prices are a very reasonable Dh150 to Dh180 per person per day, including transport, guide and half-board. The website is French/Spanish, but some English is spoken, and brochures are available in English.
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Bar Oum-Rabiá
While it’s easy to find kif in Chefchaouen, it’s hard to find a beer. One freestanding, and very masculine, option is Bar Oum-Rabiá.
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Medina
Chefchaouen's medina is one of the loveliest in Morocco. Small and uncrowded, it's easy to explore, with enough winding paths to keep you diverted, but compact enough that you'll never quite get lost. Most of the buildings are painted a blinding blue-white, giving the whole place a clean, fresh look, while the terracotta pantiles on many buildings added an Andalucian flavour.
Centred on Plaza Uta el-Hammam, the medina occupies the eastern half of the town centre, with its main entrance on its western side at Bab el-Ain. The majority of hotels and restaurants are found here.
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Plaza Uta el-Hammam
The heart of Chefchaouen's medina is the shady, cobbled Plaza Uta el-Hammam, dominated by the red-hued walls of the kasbah and the striking Grande Mosquée. The square is lined with cafés, which are blissfully relaxing places from which to watch the world go by, or for recuperating after a hard day's trekking (or shopping). Just off the northeast corner of the square is the Funduq Chfichu, an ancient accommodation and stabling block, long used by pilgrims and travellers and still full on market days.
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Ensemble Artisinal
Chefchaouen remains an artisan centre and, as such, an excellent place to shop - especially for woven rugs and blankets in bright primary colours. Many shops have looms in situ, so you can see the blankets being made. Previously silk was the material of choice: the mulberry trees in Plaza Uta el-Hammam are a legacy of these times. Most of the weaving nowadays is with wool, one of the area's biggest products.
It's worth stopping at the Ensemble Artisinal, if only for the sake of comparison.
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Market
The Market is excellent for fresh fish, meat, fruit and vegetables, and particularly throngs on Monday and Thursday, when people come from outside Chefchaouen to sell produce.
Several local specialities are worth checking out, particularly the fragrant mountain honey and soft ewe's cheese - both served up at breakfast. Add fresh dial makla (a type of bread) and you have all the ingredients for a heavenly picnic.
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Restaurant Tissemlal
The restaurant inside the Casa Hassan is another sure-fire bet for a fine meal in enchanting surroundings. Always hospitable, this place is especially welcoming on a chilly evening, when a fire roars and warms the bones. The open kitchen is another draw, allowing guests to see the chefs at work. The menu includes the Moroccan standards with a few twists. Don't miss the fresh goat-cheese salad, a local Rif speciality.
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Ruined Mosque
From the eastern medina gate, Bab al-Ansar, it's a 2km walk to a Ruined Mosque overlooking the town. It was built by the Spanish, but abandoned during the Rif War in the 1920s. The views of Chefchaouen from here are truly gorgeous. The mosque is popular with picnicking locals on Fridays, and lads smoking kif at other times - they're friendly enough, but solo females might not appreciate the attention.
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La Lampe Magique
This magical place overlooking Plaza Uta el-Hammam serves delicious Moroccan staples in a grand setting. Three bright-blue floors include a laid-back lounge, a more formal dining area and a roof-top terrace. The menu – featuring favourites like lamb tajine with prunes and some great cooked salads – is better than average, but this place is really about atmosphere.
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Al-Kasbah Restaurant
This place has a great flavour, with its central dining area and series of secluded booths decked out as Berber tents. Well-cooked Moroccan standards are the order of the day (individual courses can also be ordered), plus a paella that's worth the extra wait. Eat quickly though, as dishes tend to appear while you're still finishing the previous course.
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Auberge Dardara Restaurant
This is the best kitchen in the area, and worth the 10-minute drive from town (to Bab Taza, Dh5). The Tangerine owner forgoes the tajine and couscous routine for cosmopolitan spice and the freshest ingredients, most grown on site, and others, like the anchovies, imported from the coast that day. The succulent goat cooked with sweet figs is a marvel.
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Cafés
Unsurprisingly, it's hard to get past the Cafés on Plaza Uta el-Hammam for a long juice or a relaxing mint tea. From mid-afternoon, hawkers do the rounds of the cafés carrying trays laden with sticky pastries for sale. In the back rooms, local men play cards and smoke kif - worth a look, although women won't feel particularly welcome.
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Plaza Café-Restaurants
A popular eating option in Chefchaouen is to choose one of about a dozen Plaza Café-Restaurants on the main square. Menus are virtually identical – continental breakfasts, soups and salads, tajines and seafood – but the food is generally pretty good and the ambience lively.
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Assaada
This reliable cheapie tries hard to please. Located on both sides of the alley just prior to Bab el-Ain, it offers the usual menu complet, but also great fruit shakes, and a funky graffiti rooftop terrace that exudes an urban charm. The staircase is not for the faint-hearted.
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Garozim
This is an inexpensive spot that manages to combine its setting above a medina alley, its rustic decor, and Edith Piaf crooning in the background into a single charming experience. The usual local fare is offered, but you may need to wake the waitress. Located next to Hostal Guernika.
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Restaurant al-Azhar
Tucked in by the steps down from the post office, this local place does a roaring trade, attracting workers and families in equal measure. Tajines and the like are all on offer; a better option is to check out the fish counter out front and order a huge seafood platter.
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Grande Mosquée
Noteworthy for its unusual octagonal tower, the Grande Mosquée was built in the 15th century by the son of the town's founder, Ali ben Rachid. It is closed to non-Muslims. The mosque also has a striking terracotta-tiled roof, best seen from the tower of the kasbah.
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Ras el-Maa River
Heading northeast from Place el-Majzen, all roads lead to Bab al-Ansar, the eastern medina gate. Just below the gate, you'll see women gathering to do their washing in the fast running Ras el-Maa River , which pours of out of the mountains above the town.
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Bab el-Ansar Café
Just outside the medina, this café has a great location overlooking the falls of Ras el Maa, with three terraces tumbling down the hill. Views are particularly nice in the late afternoon, with the sun catching the mountains opposite.
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Centre Viva Form
The Centre Viva Form is a sophisticated, full-service spa located at the Atlas Riad Chaouen hotel. Prices range from a foot massage (Dh50) to the 50-minute slimming massage, which will trim your wallet of Dh400.
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Restaurant Les Raisins
A bit out of the way, this family-run place is a perennial favourite with locals and tourists alike, and known for its couscous royal. Late, lazy lunches are the best, with the front terrace catching the afternoon sun.
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Snack Sandwich Dahlia
The tiny square near Hotel Andaluz is a delightful spot for a quick lunch, and this snack bar fits the bill. Dahlia will prepare you a hamburger or omelette with salad and warm bread to munch under the shady vines.
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Kasbah
The kasbah is a heavily restored walled fortress that now contains a lovely garden, a small Ethnographic Museum, and an even smaller Art Gallery.
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Librairie Al-Nahj
Small, but with a decent selection of international periodicals, and a few English translations of local authors. English dailies available after 11.30am.
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