Why Chefchaouen Is the Perfect Blue Escape

But driving to get very photogenic blue city, was the most dangerous and scariest event of my life.

I really wanted to start this post off by writing about how pretty and blue it is. But, the first thought that comes to mind is the hazardous drive up a mountain in the dark. I can’t even write about it without feeling anxious and jittery! It was the bad!

I went to Morocco with a good friend of mine a few years ago (hey Todd)! I planned out a very detailed itinerary for a road trip through Morocco and Spain. After spending the day in the beach town of Tangier, the plan was to spend the night in Chefchaouen and explore the gorgeous blue city the next morning. The two cities were only two hours away, easy peasy.

I drove so incredibly slow up the mountain to Chefchaouen, it took me double the time to make it there. Did I mention at all the curvy drive was up a mountain? It was pitch black dark with no street lights. Majority of the road was not paved and covered in potholes. Many areas of the road had no guardrails. It was sheep and cows and dogs crossing the road. There were locals walking alongside the road in dark colors. Huge rocks in middle of the road, I want to call them boulders because they were around that size. It’s no gas station nor any restaurants to pull over in the parking lot and cry. No cellphone reception what so ever. There was no turning around because that would have been even worst. I just kept driving in hopes of being on flat land again and seeing city lights.

But, I made it down alive and I would never do again. Not in the daytime. Not on a chaperoned tour bus. If you only take one thing away from this entire website, don’t drive up that mountain. Just take an alternative route no matter how long. I don’t know.

Let’s just move on, I’m stressed out now.

I would like to say the drive was worth making it to Chefchaouen, but at the time it was not. Although, the little blue town is extremely beautiful and I’m glad that I was able to visit during my time in Morocco. We stayed inside the city at a small boutique property, Hotel Paradour. It was fifty dollars a night and I honestly don’t even remember much about it, I was just happy to be able to close my eyes and forget the nightmare drive.

The following morning everything that tension had eased up a bit. I had a few cups of coffee and I was back to my normal self. We set off on foot just exploring the city. No tour guide or map, just circling around a sea of blue. We came across so many residents of the city who were extremely welcoming. One of my favorite parts of Morocco is the tea and how everyone invites you to share a glass with them. Even so, I tried to be mindful of taking pictures of people’s home. The locals that I did come across would nod and smile, so I’m guessing they are used to it. It’s just so hard not to go overload on snapping pictures, it just so blue!

Along my journey around the city, I learned that there are several theories of why the city has been painted blue. One is that the Jewish community who settled there painted it blue to remind them of the sky, heaven and God. Another theory is that it was painted blue to keep the area cool and fend off mosquitos. Whatever the reason, it was my favorite city during my roadtrip in Morocco.

It’s so crazy because I couldn’t tell you one thing I did there besides walk around and eat lunch. I didn’t do any excursions or cultural activities. I just strolled around a blue city that was just so unique and unlike any place that I ever traveled to. In a country that’s so vibrant and alive, it had a more genuine feel to it. There were no aggressive hagglers, no scammers, just a laid back little town covered in blue. My only regret is that I didn’t plan for my time there.

If Morocco is on your travel list, I definitely recommend staying there for at least days. It’s a refreshing stop after the craziness of Fes and Marrakech. It’s not a lot to do, but if you enjoy seeing on a terrace enjoy a blue city surrounding by mountains while sipping Moroccan mint tea, it is a little piece of heaven.