Chefchaouen is a small mountain town of blue-washed lanes at 600 metres in the Rif, founded in 1471 and painted its famous colour over centuries. It photographs so well that plenty of New Zealanders plan around it, and then find the logistics are the most awkward in the country.
No railway comes near it. Tangier and Fes are the nearest stations, two and four hours away respectively, and intercity buses run to timetables that consume most of a day at either end. The town itself is compact and entirely walkable once you arrive - it is the arriving that a car solves.
On a fortnight's itinerary it fits comfortably, which is one advantage of travelling this far for this long. The best version is a staged leg rather than a return day trip: Tangier in the morning, Chefchaouen for the afternoon and night, Fes the following day. Every booking is private and the rate is fixed before you travel.
Why hire a driver here
- There is no station; the road is the only workable way in or out
- Through the Rif it is continuous mountain road with real hairpins
- Two hours from Tangier, four out of Fes, five out of Casablanca
- Steep and closed to cars, the medina makes the drop-off point important
- It works far better as a staged overnight than as a return day trip
Included in every booking
- Fuel, tolls and the driver's fee for the agreed route
- Pickup in Tangier, Fes, Casablanca or Rabat
- English-speaking drivers as standard on the New Zealand site
- Photo stops on the Rif descent into the valley
- Bottled water and phone charging in the vehicle
