The famous blue town of Chefchaoeun in Morocco is a place that should not be missed by anyone who loves original, magical, cozy little towns. For those who have done the Sahara trip, the surroundings here may seem completely different. The typical scenery you can associate with Morocco - golden sands of the endless desert, green oases rich in date palms, "biblical" villages made entirely out of mud and rugged peaks of Atlas Mountains move out of the way in order to bring a landscape you may find somewhere in Tuscany or Spain - lush fields, more gentle hills, olive groves and orange as well as lemon trees. Among all that natural charm, in a beautiful valley lies fascinating Chefchaoeun - the blue town which will make you feel as if you have entered an entirely different, wonderful fairy-tale like world.

How to get to Chefchaoeun

It's easy and cheap to get to Chefachoeun using public transport from the big cities nearby, like Fez, Tangier, Ceuta or Rabat. The bus fare shouldn't be more expensive than 10 USD. You can check the timetables and prices here. It's also not that costly, if you travel with a group, to take a local grand taxi. I reached Chefchaoeun by an extremely long taxi ride from Sahara to the coastal city of Tangier! The distance was over 700 km (430 miles)! Me and my friends joined other tourists in Merzouga in Sahara and we got to Fez on the first day. Then, after visiting Fez we continued on to Tangier stopping in Chefchaoeun. The whole journey was extremely crazy and adventurous - 7 people managed to squeeze in an ordinary small taxi! I will write a separate post about it soon.

Chefchaoeun viewed from the hills nearby

Visiting Chefchaoeun

Chefchaoeun (also called The Blue Pearl) was founded in 15th century. Later on, many people of different religion came to the town and settled there. Until quite recently (as late as 1950s) it was still under Spanish rules.

One day is more than enough to roam around the winding, narrow streets of the old town (medina), however if you are planning to hike in the area, it's nice to spend some more time. Chefchaoeun seems completely outlandish, especially viewed from the surrounding hills when approaching it from Fez. The little square houses blend into a blue stain stuck onto the side of a green mountain.

Chefchaoeun is a bit similar to Essaouira, nevertheless, more modern, cleaner, cozier and definitely a lot more quiet than Fez or hectic, messy Marrakesh. It has a typical vibe of a small, beautiful European town. Just like Santorini or Mykonos in Greece. It was one of my favorite places in Morocco. Also, the local people seemed much friendlier and there were fewer touts and con artists of all sort there than in the south of the country.

All the houses in medina are whitewashed and painted blue which gives Chefchaoeun a truly unique touch. The shape of the buildings is typical of other North African/Middle Eastern towns but the color makes the town so different. It's a pure pleasure to roam around the extremely colorful alleys dotted with local souvenir shops and restaurants. If you ever visit Morocco, don't limit yourself only to the southern areas where Sahara is - also travel to the north! It's absolutely stunning.