Chefchaouen, Morocco

Chefchaouen's blue-painted buildings cover essentially the entire old town, a tradition whose exact origin is genuinely debated — some trace it to Jewish refugees who settled here in the 1930s, others to older local customs — and we'd rather say that honestly than pick a single tidy explanation.

Set in the Rif Mountains, Chefchaouen runs noticeably cooler than our Marrakech guide's desert-adjacent setting, and its medina is smaller and quieter than Marrakech's souks — a real contrast for families who want a second, calmer Morocco stop rather than more of the same energy.

Most itineraries connect through Europe to Fez or Tangier, followed by a two-to-three-hour drive into the mountains. March through May and September through November bring the most comfortable weather; the town rewards a slow one- or two-night stay over a rushed day trip.

Chefchaouen's old town is painted almost entirely in shades of blue, a tradition with disputed origins (some trace it to Jewish refugees in the 1930s, others to older symbolic or practical reasons) that's made the town one of the most photographed in North Africa. Set in the Rif Mountains, the town has a noticeably cooler, more relaxed pace than Morocco's larger imperial cities, and its winding blue streets reward slow, unplanned wandering.

One to two nights, typically as part of a longer Morocco loop rather than a standalone stay. It suits photographers and travelers wanting a quieter, slower-paced Moroccan town distinct from Marrakech or Fez, and the town's small size means it's easily covered without a rigid schedule.

Getting there: About 14-16h total, connecting through Europe to Fez or Tangier, then a 2-3h drive to Chefchaouen. We check routing and fare-class options across that itinerary and weigh them against March to May, or September to November, rather than booking on price alone.

Chefchaouen's distinctive blue-painted buildings are a relatively recent tradition by the town's standards, generally traced to Jewish refugees who settled here in the 1930s fleeing persecution in Europe, bringing with them a custom of painting buildings blue as a symbol connected to the sky and to Jewish religious tradition — the practice was later maintained and expanded by the wider town, in part, locals say, because the color also helps repel mosquitoes. The town was founded in 1471 specifically as a fortress to help repel Portuguese incursions into northern Morocco, and it remained largely closed to non-Muslim outsiders for the following centuries, only opened to European visitors after Spanish forces took control of the region in 1920 — a late and limited outside contact that helped preserve a distinct local character. Chefchaouen sits in the Rif Mountains, a region with its own Berber cultural identity and dialect distinct from Morocco's Arabic-speaking lowland cities, and the surrounding hills have long been a significant (if officially unacknowledged) source of Morocco's kif, a local cannabis preparation with a long regional cultivation history predating modern drug policy. Local cuisine reflects mountain Berber tradition more than the tagine-and-couscous image associated with Marrakech — goat cheese, honey and bread cooked in wood-fired communal ovens are genuine everyday staples in a town still relatively removed from Morocco's larger tourist circuit.