Chefchaouen Travel Guide, Chefchaouen, Morocco (B)

Chefchaouen; the blue city. Rich in history and buzzing with culture, Chefchaouen is carving out it’s own chunk of the tourist Dirham with good reason. Gorgeous blue rinsed buildings are set against the towering mountains which give the city its name; nestled amongst the clouds of the northern tip of the Atlas mountain range.

There’s a laid back mood, likely attributed to by the booming cannabis industry in the Rif Mountains behind the city, and it’s that atmosphere which endears tourists. The Chefchaouen buzz is quickly spreading throughout the chill seekers in Europe.

Heading to Chefchaouen from Tangier as we were, there are two realistic options; bus and Grand Taxi. Due to time constraints and a desire for immediate relaxation, we chose the taxi option.

Bus – There will be numerous buses departing from Tangier bus station (Gare Routiére), most of which are privately run (quality not guaranteed). You can turn up on the day to buy tickets if you like the risk factor, but if you prefer to pre-book you can buy tickets online through national bus service CTM. CTM buses depart from Tangier to Chefchaouen 1-2 times per day, cost around 45MAD (£3) per person and take 3-4 hours, including a stop in Tetouan. CTM busses are of a fair quality and will run not too far from their advertised times, however they do run on Morocco time, ‘god willing’ (Insha’Allah), which is very relaxed so expect to depart anywhere from 20 minutes to an hour after the scheduled time. ...... (follow the instructions below for accessing the rest of this article).