Chefchaouen

Understand

It's no wonder that tourists flock here — this humble town is the embodiment of almost every Moroccan cliché. The picturesque medina, set against the dramatic backdrop of the Rif Mountains, is filled with white-washed homes with distinctive, powder-blue accents, and the call to prayer rings out of several mosques around the town in chorus. If you've got a few days to relax from the rigors of travel, this is a good place to do it.

Tourism in Chaouen is also driven by its reputation as centre of the marijuana plantations region in North Morocco. Drugs are widespread and somehow tolerated, but touts trying to sell to tourists are also very annoying.

Spanish and French are most popular foreign languages.

See

thumb|Kasbah thumb|El Haouta square

Buy

thumb|Chefchaouen street All the usuals are on offer in the medina — carpets, leatherwares, spices, metal wares, etc. If you're a seasoned bargainer you can probably get better prices in Fes or Marrakech, but Chefchaouen is undoubtedly a more pleasant place to shop. You'll also find plenty of hippie-wear aimed at budget travelers and marijuana tourists.

Eat

thumb|Moroccan Tajine The local speciality is baissara, but you'll also find the usual staples such as tajine (vegetable stew with goat or sheep), harira (tomato soup), kofte (meatballs) and tagras (fish). The Moroccan salad is a salad of cucumber and tomatoes, while salada variada includes eggs. The region is also well known for olives and olive oil, and for goat cheese, which is sold on display in various shops.

Always busy restaurants near the Kasbah (Outa Hamman square) offer tajines starting from 40 dirham of somewhat subpar quality.

Local breakfast includes fried eggs, cheese, olives, Moroccan mortadella, bread and tea/coffee, all for 20-25 dirham. Pretty much any cafe will be happy to serve it.

Some stalls cook pancakes (baghrir) with honey and olive oil or butter, for 10-15 dirham.

Drink

Alcohol is not readily available but can be found in Restaurant Oum Rabie. The latter charges some exorbitant prices for alcohol and requires ordering accompanying food. Mint tea is prevalent, 7-10 dirham per cup/pot.

Sleep

thumb|An alleyway in the medina thumb|A typical doorway Accommodation can be tight in the peak periods (mid-Jul to Sep) so arrive early or book ahead in these periods. A stroll through the medina will reveal dozens of cheap hotels, starting from 40 dirham per night for a single. Many of these hotels have roof terraces.

Hotels that are fully booked will sometimes deliberately over-book and try to move you to another hotel (for a commission), as always avoid touts who may tell you your hotel is closed, not good, hard to find, etc.

Stay safe

As Chefchaouen is on the edge of Morocco's marijuana growing region, touts desperate to extract money from travelers can be a serious problem. They can often be quite persistent, however, smiling, remaining calm, and politely refusing (repeatedly) will usually work.

Travelers hiking in the Rif Mountain area close to the town can run into the areas of marijuana production. While most of the growers may ignore you, some may offer to sell to you as well. While many travelers partake in or even come here specifically for the abundance of marijuana (hashish), understand that it is definitely illegal and there is nothing stopping you being proscecuted for buying, transporting, or smoking it.

On arriving in Chefchaouen, you may be met by touts at the bus station. They will claim the hotel you're looking for is closed or under restoration. Don't trust these at all and insist on going to your planned destination. They will probably try to take you to some cheap and low-quality hostel in the medina - but it is better to find the place by yourself, because if you arrive with touts, you'll be charged extra so they can get their commission. Touts will then insist that you follow them to their house in the medina, and there try to sell you a stash of dope for 300-500 dirham. Refusing to buy is not contemplated, nor safe, if you end up in such a situation, so just say no from the beginning and don't accept their "help".

The tap water in Chefchaouen is fed from local springs, so it's way …

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