After having such a stressful time in Essaouira, I was drained from the hassle involved in travelling solo around Morocco. The men were incessant and followed me everywhere, the touts were out in full force and wouldn’t leave me alone, and stares had me on my constant guard.
Honestly, guys, I wanted to leave the country. I was so tired that all I wanted to do was book a flight out of Morocco and back to Europe. I had been in the country for four weeks and that felt like my limit.
Before I would allow myself to buy a one-way ticket out of there, however, there was one more city I had to see. It was the city that had drawn me to Morocco in the first place. The city that’s meant to be the most relaxing in the entire country. The city where every single building is painted the most gorgeous shade of blue.
It was time for me to check out beautiful Chefchaouen.
And you know what? I’m so glad I went.
Chefchaouen felt unlike any other place I visited in Morocco. For starters, there was no hassle and no aggressive touts to be seen. When I first arrived at the entrance to the old town, I ended up lost and nervous in the maze-like medina, worried I wasn’t going to be able to find my hostel. A local guy approached me when he saw I was lost and helped me find my guesthouse — he led me from hotel to hotel, asking all of his friends if they’d heard of the place I was staying at. He walked with me for over half an hour and yet, once we found the place, he didn’t ask for any money afterwards! This did not happen anywhere else in the country that I visited and I was shocked.
In Chefchaouen, I was able to walk down the streets and not have touts running up to me and grabbing me, not have men shouting insults, not have people staring — everybody just left me in peace.
I could see why people say it’s the most relaxing place in Morocco, and it certainly was for me. I warmed to this pretty blue old town so much that I ended up extending my stay over and over, eventually staying there for well over a week!
Oh, and I haven’t even started talking about the colours of the old town! Because Chefchaouen was also the most beautiful place I’ve ever been on my travels so far. I must have taken over 500 photos during my time there as every single square inch of the city was so photogenic.
This was the view of the streets outside my guesthouse. Every morning, after breakfast, I’d wander along here, taking the exact same photos, because the colours were blowing my mind every time I saw them.
The doors in Chefchaouen were something special, too. The walls, the doors, the doorbells, the house numbers — everything was painted in a different shade of blue.
More gorgeous shades of blue…
One thing you’ll notice from my photos is the lack of people in them!
I adored my time in Chefchaouen. It was the most relaxing and peaceful place I visited in Morocco, and it’s one of the few places I most want to return to. I even felt like it gave me the energy and determination to stick it out in Morocco until the end of the month.
It would be a huge understatement to say that I struggled while travelling in Morocco but, like most countries in the world, there were both good and bad parts, Chefchaouen was definitely one of the best.
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Supposedly the reason for the blue is to keep them cool in summer and wards off insects but also due to the Jewish spiritual history from what I understand and have read. Very cool village though, I think this is the same village in Morocco that my sister in law traveled to a few years ago by looking at her pics hehe
Yes, it sounds like there’s many theories as to why the town is painted this colour, but whatever the reason, it sure makes for some beautiful photographs!
So many people i know have had the same problems that you experienced in Morocco. Male, Female and mixed groups.
But for some reason Sacha and I have never had any of it happen to us and we’ve been there 3 times now and got married there too. Its strange.
Bet it wouldn’t stop you going back to the sahara though. We got the most amazing photo of the stars over the desert while we were there. So magical.
That’s so true! I definitely struggled with the harassment in Morocco, but all of those beautiful landscapes made it worth it — especially the desert! I’d return in the future, as now I feel better prepared for what I’m likely to encounter, and I know I can always flee back to Chefchaouen if things get too stressful.
Lovely. I just posted about Chef today, too! When were you there? We were there at the end of Ramadan.
I was there in July.
I am putting this on my list it is so very pretty, however your reviews of Morocco concerns me, I am all for traveling alone, but I think I will put Morocco on my travel with someone list.
Isn’t it such a shame that there are countries where we feel like we need to travel with a man in order to feel safe?
SO much blue! And SO pretty! I can understand why you loved this place best.
It was just as calm as it looks in the photos :-)
Ah, look at the colors!! Can’t believe they are real!
It was so beautiful :-)
Beautiful! I feel like I could definitely spend days wandering around and taking pictures!
It’s the best way to spend a day in Chefchaouen! :-)
That actually looks a lot like Jodhpur in India (the blue city) minus the cows and the filth. I’ve probably written this after all of your posts from Morocco, but I REALLY wish I’d had more time to spend there.
I agree! Chefchaouen is a lot quieter and more laidback than Jodhpur, though. And a little cleaner :-)
Having been to several of the places you went to in Morocco, i can empathise with you! I loved my trek out into the desert and sleeping under the stars, but disliked our guide who kept hitting on me the moment my partner left the tent. I loved Zagora which was so relaxed and where we got no hassle and people helped us without asking for anything.
I also know the feeling of men trying to grope you! Whilst in Marakech and whilst stood with my boyfriend, men would try and rub themselves up against me and pinch my bum! I had to get him to stand behind me! Needless to say, i am definitely taking him with me when travelling to Jordan in November:-)
That looks like a lovely place you visited.
Wow, that’s pretty bold of your tour guide! Sorry to hear you had to deal with that, though. Morocco is such a beautiful country, but the harassment really dulls its shine.
I must say yes this is the most photogenic city in the world… I would put Venice at #2. I loved Chef. so damn much… it’s so beautiful. Great photos!
I’d put Guanajuato, Mexico in position two, I think!
gorgeous photos Lauren!
Sucks that you had a bad time in Morocco though, I loved that place…although admittedly I avoided the big cities in favour for some sleepy surfer villages in search of waves!
I think the further you get from the tourist trail in Morocco, the calmer things get, so it makes sense that those sleepy surfer villages would be so peaceful. If there aren’t many tourists, you don’t get locals developing scams, etc to take advantage of them.
Chefchaouen looks and sounds amazing. The blue colours are really beautiful!
Aren’t they? I loved the shades of blue they chose for Chefchaouen.
It’s a shame you had such a hard time with the people.. usually the people are what make places great. On the other hand you are right.. those are some great photos! I’m surprised the entire place looks so uncrowded?
I tend to head out early to take my photos so I can avoid getting crowds of people in my photos, but even so, it was laidback for Morocco and there wasn’t tons of tourists.
Great captures and write up. I just moved to Morocco and am anticipating being able to get some shots in at Chefchouen. Looks awesome!
Thanks, Kurt! If you love your photography, Chefchaouen should be very high on your list of places to check out :-)
This place and the desert, those are the two things I loved most about my travels in Morocco as well! Superb pictures!
Two very different parts of the country, but also two very peaceful spots. That’s probably not a coincidence :-)
Beautiful city, you took some really great photos, well done. I believe that traveling anywhere alone in Africa can be quite dangerous, especially as a girl. No wonder you were done with this place. I have been in Egypt for 5 months and I can’t stand the hassle in most of the country, although I am lucky as I live in a amazing place (Dahab, South Sinai, Egypt), nice and chilled by the Red Sea. Its nothing like the rest of Egypt and every traveler should visit here at least once in their life.
Cheers for the blog
There are definitely safe countries in Africa for solo women, but also plenty of areas where it’s probably not advised to go alone.
oooOoo girl, I am a Peace Corps volunteer here in Morocco and to say the harassment is rough is a huge understatement, but still a beautiful and culturally rich place. I’m glad you found it in yourself to recognize the good, not just the bad :)
There are some fantastic sides to Morocco, and it ended up being one of my favorite countries… now, if only they could sort out their harassment that would be perfect! :-)
Hi Lauren,
I am a Moroccan who lives in the Netherlands, and I read your story with admiration. it’s very annoying that you have experienced such bad things in my country. on behalf of the Moroccan people, I offer my apologies.
after all you are a good looking woman and moroccan men have a weakness for that :).. of course it doesn’t mean they can harass you. :) Sorry again for that..
I hope I can visit chefchaoun once too.
greetings Hicham
Thank you so much, Hicham :-)
I was there a few months ago and it really is like the pictures and like your pictures. It’s such a adorable town and far from any other hassle in Morocco. Although I didn’t have the worst time in Morocco, I have to agree that this town was awesome!
It makes such a nice change from the rest of Morocco :-)
These are stunning– I’m aching to go now! Traveling as a woman, alone, can be really stressful and degrading in many parts of the world, which is sad.
I’m still determined to see Morocco, and I’m looking forward to reading more about it on your blog!
You definitely should, Claire! :-)
While going through the internet browse/ today, I came across your story about Morocco which I personally find interesting.It is true,that The government has made a conscious effort to make tourism the number one industry in the country under the guidance of king Mohamed the sixth.
The government is planning and executing good projects that are aimed at improving the rail and road links. The open skies policy has also allowed more airlines to come in into the country. The airports are being upgraded or new ones build to match the international standard and support larger number of air traffic. There are popular ports like Casablanca and Tangier that often have cruise ships visiting. The road link as well as the rail link is also good between the major cities and tourist destinations making it the most popular mode of transport.
The Moroccan economy has been growing steadily for the last few years. It has been one of the most politically stable countries and has been working hard to boost the tourism industry, which has a high potential for growth. Morocco is called the land of mystery and a place worth a visit. The sun shines bright nearly 300 days of the years and makes for a good setting for some great vacations visiting deserts, beaches and snow capped mountains. There is such diversity you can hardly want to miss anything. The strong culture lures one and all to explore the colorful lives of the Moroccans.
Unfortunately such reported problems by tourists like the issue of harassment can give a negative reputation about the destination.So,the government and the responsible of tourism are required to do more efforts for the visitor safety.
Thank you Lauren for your nice compliment on Chefchaouen city,,I live in a small city near Chefchaouen city,,,I do really feel happy when I head good things on my own area
Yep, this was definitely my highlight of Morocco!
I stumbled upon this story while doing research for a solo adventure in Morocco thinking it would be somewhat easy to navigate and enjoy but your story nagged at the little voice in the back of my head of all the things that I was worried about could go wrong… I still have this romantic vision of Morocco and will still plan to go but maybe I will rethink the solo part. thanks for sharing all of your stories…what a wonderful life! :)
You’re welcome, Iris. Hope you make it to Morocco :-)
Hey Lauren!
I’m headed to Morocco for two weeks and thanks to your blog have decided that we do want to take a trip up to Chefchaouen! We weren’t originally planning on visiting there because of how far it is from Marrakesh and the other areas we’re planning on visiting… But it just looks too beautiful to miss!
How did you get up to Chefchaouen? We were thinking night train – any recommendations? Do you think going for just 2 nights is worth the long trip?
Would really appreciate your advice!
Thanks!
Alice
Hi Alice,
I actually didn’t head directly from Marrakech to Chefchaouen — I went via Essaouira and Casablanca. I travelled by bus in Morocco, so haven’t experienced train travel there. I think it’s worth going there for two nights. It was my favourite place in Morocco and is very different to the rest of the country :-)
I am very sorry you experienced that. I live in the US and my wife is American and lived in Morocco for 6 years. The last four years have been hard in Morocco when it comes to harassment. I aam visiting this February and I will take a taser with me just in case. Ait benhadou is also a good destination
Yikes to the comment about the taser, haha! Can you take them on a plane with you?
The touts in Chaouen are really annoying there. Spent a lot of time in the Medina before finding my hostel by myself. Didn`t want to ask anyone, cause everybody expects some payment for a simple thing as saying the directions. People constantly trying to speak to me in English, French, Spanish, chasing me down the streets… That`s the biggest disadvantage there. Apart of that – the view from the mosque on the hill over the town was magnificent, worth trying Moroccan breakfast (did you try it Lauren?) and basically – Chaouen is a fresh air after the hassle in Tanger.
Ah, that’s a shame that you’re experiencing the touts! I had someone show me to my hostel and *not* ask for money afterwards. I was shocked!
Dunno, I thought Chaouen was beautiful, but I did not find this place as relaxing as other people did. Actually,I thought it was not relaxing at all! First of all: from start to end (I stayed there 2 days) I got people trying to sell me hash, weed, opium etc. Some of them got pissed off if I said no. Shop owners were rude: I heard that in Morocco all you need is to smile, to be polite, even when you are refusing something: I got a couple of people telling me they “did not like my smile” just because they had nothing I wanted to buy. Countless people tried to get me to their farm in the mountains and got quite offended when I told them I was not there for that. And, if it was not enough, I got robbed 50 euros by a random junkie as soon as I grabbed a seat on the coach to Rabat: he threatened first to call the police because he thought we had hash; then he eventually got tougher and told me that those 50 euros (25 each for me and my mate) were just to ensure that we had a safe journey; since there were other 3 “accomplices” who were just ensuring the transaction was going good (one of them was the baggage guy who stayed on all the way to Rabat), I decided that maybe it was a good idea to hand over the 50 euros.
I mean, I also found wonderful people there, saw great things, but I surely did not relax. I don’t like the way they think Tourist = Stoner or Tourist = Cash Machine. And I saw it more in Chaouen than in Marra.
I liked the Blue Town but I would definitely never go back, since it completely ruined my experience of Moroccoan people
Joe, I’m so sorry to hear about your terrible experiences in Morocco, and in Chefchaouen in particular. Thanks for sharing your story with my readers, though, so they have one more experience to read about travel in this country. It’s so frustrating that such a beautiful place can be ruined by the incessant harassment and scams, etc.
Hi, I just read your post on Chefchaouen and I can’t help but ask, why are the walls of the buildings here painted in blue and all shades of blue? Is there anything significant about the colour? No doubt it is amazing (my favourite colour is blue!) but it just got me wondering, why blue?
I don’t think there’s a definitive answer — some people say it’s to keep the temperature in the town cooler.
How would you pronounce the name of this town?
chef-chow-en – first ch pronounced like the ch in church.
Some truly stunning pictures here Lauren, I first went to Chefoufen 5 years ago after hitching from the UK; it doesn’t appear to have changed a bit!! :)
Great! Pleased to hear it’s still as you remember it :-)
I’m from chefchawen, and I pass my childhood there, I confirm what you said in the post and I’m glade to hear such words from you about this blue peaceful city
Glad you agree! ;-)
Thanks for sharing your experience… I had to say that it’s very sad that they don’t promote the beautiful cities of north Morocco we were always marginalized and absent from marketing spots and agencies …However cities like Tanger, Tetouan (Tetawen) , Chefchaouen (Chaouen), Alhoceima (Alhucemas – Villa San jurjo) are a good places to visit and also the people are very welcoming and peaceful …Here i try always to write about my city Alhoceima known as the perl of the Mediterranean having a great beaches surrounded by mountains with delicious and fresh fish
Sounds wonderful! Will have to check it out when I return.
hi!
guys, hope everything is good there :D
I am a Moroccan who lives in the Martil city, and i read those stories ( interesting and annoying) hhhh
just to be clear Morocco is like others countries you can find good people as you can find bad people !
so sorry for who had a bad story here and welcome anybody and anytime million welcome
Best Regards
Abody Hicham
Agree — good and bad happens in every place in the world. In Morocco, there just seemed to be a bit more bad than I’m used to.
Hey Lauren,
I loved Chefchauoen too, such a stunning place and very different from every other part of Morocco! I could wander the streets for day!
Sorry you had such a crazy experience in the other parts of the country! I really enjoyed my time in Morocco but most of my travels there was on a tour with a local guide which made a big difference!
Your photos are stunning, what camera do you use?
Georgia :)
I mostly just use the photos from my iPhone and edit them in Lightroom.
And yes, taking a tour is a great idea if you’re keen to experience Morocco without the harassment that independent travellers receive.
I have not been to Chefchauoen yet, but your post just really made me want to go
Glad to hear it! :-)
i was seen this place many time in my night dream i realy want to vist hare. nice to read u
Hope you get to visit one day!
Lovely photos Lauren, Thanks for sharing.
Chefchaouen named as well the “Blue pearl of north”. one of my favorite as well.
Happy travel always Lauren,
Peace out,
Glad you enjoyed the photos! :-)
I was in Morocco just a few weeks ago. I am 67 yrs old and was alone. It was Ramadan. This was basically a side trip as I had spent two wonderful weeks in Spain prior. I planned 8 days and cut it short by 2 days. I spent 2 days in Chefchauen, 3 days in Fes and 1 in Rabat.
My issue was the constant effort to separate me from any money I had. The only place where I had a good time was Chefchauen. Fes was hard core. However, I always was able to find a restaurant. That was not the case in Rabat. The only restaurant I found was in my hotel which did not open until 8. At 8:30, I was told it would be one hour before I had food. And all they had was meat couscous or vegetarian. At 10:30, I left without any food and went back to my room to buy a ticket back to Madrid. I could have stayed in Chefchauen the entire time.
Hi Vickie. It’s certainly the case that Chefchaouen is one of the best places to visit in the country as a tourist. But I do agree: there’s plenty of locals trying to extract money from you, no matter where you are in the country!
wow, these blue street is good to see. were you taken those images? anyway, those are making me so much tempted to visit Chefchauen atleast once in my life.
Yep! All of the photos are mine.
Did anyone offer you hashish in Chefchaouen or Morocco for that matter?
Nope! I know it’s common in Chefchaouen, but it’s nothing I personally encountered.