Are you going to travel to Morocco and do you plan to visit Xauen? Do you plan to travel one or two days and you don’t know what to see in Chefchaouen? In this post I will try to answer all your questions so that you can fully enjoy this small city that so often captivates travelers and is known as the blue town. Welcome to Chefchaouen!
If you are planning your first trip to morocco and you are a little worried about security or preparations I recommend that you take a look at our Guide to travel to Morocco. In it we talk about ferries, the cities you can fly to, how to get around its roads, passport, food, haggling, etc. In any case, if it is your first trip to Morocco and you think that you are not going to feel safe in the souk or in the medina of Chefchaouen, the best thing you can do is be accompanied by a guide by hiring this private guided tour of Chefchaouen.
That being said, and before starting with the places to see in Chefchaouen, tell you that the word Chefchauen is French. Therefore, the correct thing to do for the historic town of Xauen is to continue calling it Xauen (or Chauen), just as we Riffians and Spaniards have always called it.
1. Medina, an essential thing to see in Chefchaouen
The main places to see in Chefchaouen are located in the medina. It is for this reason that, as we have previously mentioned, you can get to know Xauen in a full day. The Chefchaouen medina is like a living museum. Its houses are dyed blue with hundreds of little shops translated into a spectacle of colors in which a little bit of everything is sold. And all of them immersed in narrow streets with an amazing vitality. Watch the following video:
Chefchaouen is a small city, and in my opinion, beautiful. In Chefchaouen, my greatest recommendation is to get lost in each of its streets and alleys, and thus enjoy each of the secrets that this city, founded in the 15th century, contains in its bowels.
get lost in the streets of Xauen is to enter a fairy tale. What most attracts the attention of the place are its walls, doors and windows tinted in blue, a fact that has made it one of the most touristic cities in northern Morocco. Its overwhelming hustle and bustle manages to seduce any traveler.
2. Chefchaouen souk
Inside the Chefchaouen medina are a handful of labyrinthine streets with thousands of shops selling traditional Moroccan clothing, teapots, slippers, silver, spices, objects carved in wood, leather and metal… This is the Chefchaouen souk.
There is nothing that you can think of that is not in a store in the souk of the medina of Chefchaouen. Surely you will not be tempted to buy something, even if it is a small detail.
3. Plaza Uta el Hammam
The Uta el Hamman Square It is the nerve center of Chefchaouen, the quintessential place for a walk and a meeting point for locals and hundreds of tourists every day.
Several restaurants, the mosque and the kasbah are located here, among other interesting places to see in Chefchaouen.
4. Chefchaouen Mosque
The great Chefchaouen Mosque is located in the Uta el Hamman Square. Since only Muslims can enter, we will have to settle for seeing it from the outside. It was built in the 15th century with an octagonal minaret.
5. Kasbah de Xauen, another essential to see in Xauen
Right next to the Chauen Mosque is the Kasbah of Chefchaouen, without a doubt, an essential thing to see in Chefchaouen. In it, the garden with its central pond, the towers and other elements surrounding and flanking the wall attract attention.
It also has a gallery that houses temporary art exhibitions. Admission costs €3.
6. Chefchaouen laundries, one of the most pleasant places to see in Chefchaouen
The Ras-el-Ma laundries are located at one end of the city of Chefchaouen, specifically at the descent of the waterfalls of the same name. As soon as you cross the easternmost gate, Bab el Onsar, you will see the beautiful course of the spring and some small waterfalls.
7. Chefchaouen waterfalls
Next to the washing places there are some waterfalls that are worth approaching. It is a very nice place to walk around. There are some bars/restaurants ideal to rest a bit and refresh yourself.
8. Orange stalls next to the laundry room
In addition to the laundry itself, restaurants and oranges are unquestionably the stars here. Drinking a good natural orange juice in any of the dozens of stalls where they are served is a true pleasure for our senses. The price is usually 0.8 dirhams.
9. Chaouen viewpoint (Bouzafar)
About 15-20 minutes from the laundries of Chefchaouen is the viewpoint of Chefchaouen (or viewpoint of Bouzafar). From here it is said to have some very beautiful panoramic views of Chaouen. We did not go due to lack of time, but I will review the place in case you feel like going.
10. Bouzafar Mosque
Right at the Mirador is the Bouzafar Mosque, known as the Spanish Mosque having been built by the Spanish. Its octagonal design is inspired by the Torre de Oro in Seville.
Map with places to see in Chefchaouen
I mark the places on a map what to see in Chefchaouen which I quote in this article.
How to get to Chefchaouen from Spain in the cheapest way
Getting to Morocco by plane is much easier and cheaper than by ferry. Ryanair has recently offered cheap flights from various Spanish cities to Tangier and Tetouan, both very close to Chefchaouen.
On my last trip to Chefchaouen I flew to Tetouan for €7.99 (taxes included). You can search for your best flight option at this Skyscanner link.
How to go from Tetouan airport to Chefchaouen?
At Tetouan airport there is private taxis that can take you to Chefchaouen for 400 dirhams (€40). Price not negotiable. Maybe you can share a trip with a tourist who also wants to go to Chefchaouen. It’s what we did.
Something cheaper is to go to Chefchaouen in shared taxi for 35 dirhams (€3.50) per person (total 6 people + driver) from Tetouan. To do this you will have to wait for the taxi to fill up (it does not usually take long). The problem is that there are no shared taxis at the Tetouan airport, so you must first go to the Tetouan shared taxi rank.
The journey from the Tetouan airport to the shared taxi rank in Tetouan takes less than 5 minutes (you can pay 20 dirhams at the most). From the city of Tetouan to Chefchaouen there are about 50 minutes.
Where to eat in Chefchaouen?
After consulting information on the internet and asking the receptionists of our riad and on the internet to find out where to eat in Chefchaouen, we decided to select the following.
- Galito´s restaurant. 100% recommendable.
- Sofia Restaurant. 100% recommendable.
- lala mesouda restaurant. 100% recommended, although I notice that it has much more expensive prices (similar to those in Spain).
You can get more information about them in our post where to eat in Chefchaouen. If you like the idea of ​​doing a gastronomic tour of Chaouen to eat traditional Moroccan food, do not hesitate to hire this gastronomic tour of Xauen.
Where to sleep in Chefchaouen?
I recommend that you stay in the medina itself. Given that I have visited the city on several occasions, I recommend the Dar Mounir if you are looking for something very flirtatious (I liked it a lot). If you are looking for something cheap, you may be interested Dar Solaiman It has a simply spectacular breakfast and its staff is very friendly. If you are not convinced take a look at this booking hotels link.
The currency in Xauen
Although the official currency is the dirham, the euro is accepted everywhere. We pay for taxis, meals, shopping, etc. both in dirhams and in euros. Remember that 10 dirhams are approximately equivalent to €1.
How many days do I need to see Chefchaouen
Chefchaouen can be seen in a full day, since basically the most interesting is inside its blue-tinted medina. Believe me, when you cross the access door to the medina you will think you are in a fantasy world.
Now, if in addition to seeing Chefchaouen you feel like visiting the nearby Talassemtan National Parkthe only fir forest (Abies moroccana) from Morocco, you will need another day. Inside are the famous akchour waterfalls. you can hire your Akchour waterfalls tour from Chefchaouen in the link.
Travel insurance to travel to Morocco
Do not forget to take out travel insurance before leaving for Morocco. we always hire World. If you hire it from the following link you will get a 5% discount for being a reader of naturalezayviajes.com.
What do you think of these places? what to see in Chefchaouen? If you liked it, take a look at these other places what to see in Morocco. In the post we tell you what to visit in marrakech and in other incredible cities of Morocco. That way you will know for example what to see in rabat (the capital), what to see in fes or as visit the desert of Merzougathree of the best destinations in Morocco.
Source: https://naturalezayviajes.com/que-ver-en-xauen-chauen-marruecos/
