Chefchaouen Day Trip from Fes: A Local's Itinerary

Chefchaouen sits about four hours north of Fes in the Rif mountains, and the drive itself is beautiful — olive groves, hill villages and mountain switchbacks in the final hour.

Start in Plaza Uta el-Hammam under the kasbah walls, then wander uphill through the blue lanes. Mornings have the softest light and the fewest crowds for photographs.

Walk to Ras el-Maa waterfall where locals wash rugs in the stream, then climb 20 minutes to the Spanish Mosque for the classic view over the whole blue medina.

Lunch on a terrace — goat cheese from the Rif, bissara soup and mint tea — then head back to Fes for sunset. Our private day trips include pickup, driver, and a local guide in the medina.