Trippin' for a Year!: Blue City, Chefchaouen

Chefchaouen - Blue City in Morocco......

Our original itinerary didn't include Chefchaouen but we were glad we stopped by this little town on our way to Tangier (Thanks Aric!). Chefchaouen is kind of half way between Fes and Tangier. There is no train station so we caught the CTM bus from Fes - it's only about 200km north of Fes but took us 5 hours (the bus takes numerous stops and really long toilet breaks). As soon as we arrived in the Medina, we were so excited! It is such a pretty place - everything painted in blue, even the plant pots outside people's houses.

This has to be our favorite place in Morocco. The people are friendly and helpful. The medina isn’t massive, so even we didn’t get lost in it! Oh, and the petite taxis are also blue to match the town—and much cheaper than in other Moroccan cities. (Although you don’t really need a taxi around the Blue City, except to/from the main bus station—approx. 10 DH.)

Also, because of its proximity to Spain, many people here speak Spanish (as well as French, English, and Arabic). They usually start in French, then switch to Spanish if you look confused… and when you still look lost, they finally ask, “Inglés?” It really makes you feel inferior! So I said, “Japonés?” (Ha! Bet you can’t speak this!)

And the restaurant owner replied:
“あー日本人の方ですか？いらっしゃいませ。今日は地中海の新鮮なマグロがありますよ。”
…Fine! “Tusen takk!” (The only word I know in Norwegian.)

Anyway, needless to say—I took many, many, many photos. Here are some… enjoy!

Walking around Medina.....

On our first full day in Chefchaouen, since our riad doesn’t serve breakfast, we headed to a nearby café in the main square. The food was good, but the place was swarming with bees. It was hard to relax and enjoy the meal with so many buzzing around. Strangely, other guests didn’t seem bothered at all. A French couple even said, “No problem, they’re harmless,” and nearly patted one!

Our friend in Chefchaouen

After breakfast, we strolled around and explored the charming little Blue City. We visited a museum, but unfortunately, all the exhibits were in French, Spanish, or Arabic—so we couldn’t understand much. There was a photography exhibit though, which was nice to look at.

One of my favorite stops was a small shop selling natural soaps and spices. The products were lovely, but I especially adored the interior—it was beautifully done.

For lunch, we stumbled upon a tiny restaurant run by an incredibly multilingual owner who spoke fluent Japanese (along with Spanish, English, French, Arabic, and possibly more). There was no menu; he simply asked what we wanted, and we requested lentils and eggplant. Everything was absolutely delicious. After the meal, he served us melon, and wow—it was amazing! Probably the best food I’ve had in Morocco. The total? Just 42 dirhams. Unreal.

In the afternoon, we headed back to the riad to book hotels for our upcoming stays in Tangier and Granada. Later in the evening, we decided to try the top-rated Italian restaurant in town, listed as #1 on TripAdvisor. We even called ahead to confirm it was open. But when we arrived, they turned us away, claiming, “No pasta.” Since that was the main reason we went, we left. Honestly, they seemed annoyed we showed up at all—zero customer service. We left them a well-deserved 1-star review.

We ended up eating at another place called Aladdin. While waiting for food, we checked the reviews—some were fine, but others mentioned finding plastic or even metal in dishes, which didn’t exactly inspire confidence. Thankfully, we kept it simple: Moroccan salad and eggplant with garlic. The food was okay—having low expectations helped.

To wrap up the day, we picked up some ice cream and enjoyed it back at the riad. Despite the ups and downs, it was a fun and memorable day in the Blue City!