Chefchaouen With Kids – Our Ultimate Family Guide
Is Chefchaouen worth visiting?
This place is simply stunning, you’ve got to go! Around a 4-hour drive from Rabat, Chefchaouen a city in the Rif Mountains of Morocco is ranked for us as one of the top places we’ve ever been. It is a beautiful place, uwsing with charm and ambiance, a photographer’s dream. Chefchaouen has a distinctly different feel to other parts of Morocco, having a much more relaxed chilled-out vibe, where you don’t get the intense pressure from sellers to buy things, and you can wonder at your own pace.
How many days in Chefchaouen?
We spent 3 nights in Morocco’s blue city, and although our road trip with kids didn’t permit us to stay any longer, due to only spending 2 weeks in Morocco and needing to fit in seeing other places within the country, we really wished we had been able to stay for longer. Visitors could easily spend a week or more, if time allowed, soaking up the beauty of this captivating place.
Chefchaouen weather
The best time to visit Chefchaouen is during Spring, from March to May, and during Autumn, from September to October, when temperatures are slightly cooler than in the summer months of June, July, and August. Due to Chefchaouen being located in the mountains, even the summer months are considerably cooler, at 32 degrees, compared to those across lower levels of Morocco, which become sweltering. The coldest months are January, February, and November, which also bring more wet weather.
Also worth noting, is when the holy month of Ramadan falls, as this will affect the opening hours of most restaurants, shops, and attractions, with many shutting all altogether. Remember, the specific dates of Ramadan change slightly every year, so make sure to distinguish when they are before planning your trip to Morocco.
How to get around Chefchaouen
We’d recommend ditching the car if like us you are planning on doing a self-drive in Morocco. Obviously, it may come in handy if you wish to drive out to the surrounding area or get to the start of a hiking trail, but for your time in Chefchaouen specifically, your car will not be needed due to the old medina (where we urge you to stay) being a traffic-free zone. It’s best to contact your accommodation before arriving and check to see if they can recommend where to park your car. Often, they will introduce you to a local who guards the vehicles on a certain street, for a small tip. This is what we did in Chefchaouen and Fez and it worked well.
Inside the old medina, everything is accessed on foot, or by mule. You only have to step out of your accommodation and the views are to die for. Explore down the blue alleys and pathways, all of them leading gradually downhill to open up onto the main square ‘Plaza aura El Hammam’. This area is charming, lined with restaurants, coffee shops, and stalls. It’s a lovely place to sit, grab some food, get your mendi done, and watch the world go by.
Where to stay in Chefchaouen
You’ve just got to stay within the old medina that’s for sure, right in the middle of all the action – from a beauty and interest perspective, not to mention there are no cars allowed, so traffic won’t be a problem. We’d suggest booking a room at Dar Gabriel, which is where we stayed, set down a neat alleyway which helped to reduce street noise. Five minutes walk from the accommodation you emerge from the medina where you can find parking.
Dar Gabriel offers simple clean and well-maintained rooms over 3 floors in riad style. Lower rooms are enclosed within the building and the rooms on the third floor open up to the roof terrace, which has wonderful views overlooking the town and a seating area to relax. Due to the riad being an intimate style of accommodation light sleepers like us may find the first and second floors affected by slight noise disturbance in the evening and morning, with the sounds of clanging crockery coming from the kitchen. My parents on the other hand stayed on the top floor, where rooms open out onto the roof terrace and they had silent nights sleep.
Breakfast was simple yet tasty, with fresh bread, pastries, cereal, tea/ coffee and juice. Staff were welcoming and helpful with recommending places of interest, and cooked for us a delicious three-course meal on our final night.
Click here to view accommodation.
Where to eat in Chefchaouen
Layla Mesouda
This place was recommended to us by the owner at Dar Gabriel, and at a three-minute walk away from the accommodation it was convenient to get to and served a range of simple yet very tasty traditional Moroccan dishes. We’d recommend booking a table if you know you plan to eat there as it is a small cosy establishment with limited capacity.
Dar Gabriel
Our accommodation offered dinner if booked in advance, and it was a great shout. We had a fantastic three-course meal on the roof terrace, and it was perfect to not have to go out to find dinner after a full day exploring and eating out for lunch.
Cafe Clock Chefchaouen
This chain restaurant, found in Chefchaouen, Fez, and Marrakech is a popular place to eat breakfast, lunch, and dinner. They offer a mix of traditional Moroccan and international cuisine, with a good range of fresh ice creams, delicious desserts, and fresh juices. They also offer cooking classes and cultural and art workshops.
Alladins Restaurant
This was a personal favourite spot for us, sitting in the rooftop restaurant taking in wonderful views across Chefchaouen and the surrounding mountains, and tucking into tasty Moroccan and Western dishes. Hearing the call to prayer echo across the city from at least 7 different mosques was a memorable sound, both enchanting yet eerie all at the same time.
Things to do in Chefchaouen
Stroll through the old town and medina, every turn is worthy of a photo. Shopping is abundant with local shops selling arts and crafts, food produce (the spices were our favorite), and very interesting fabric shops selling beautiful handmade items and carpets. You can literally see them being made by hand, a great insight for children and adults.
Take a Chefchaouen tour
Having a guide to assist you in navigating your way around the old medina can be really useful, and can help to take the pressure off getting to points of interest. We took a 3-hour private tour and it was really interesting to learn more about Chefchaouen.
Click here for an example tour.
Chefchaouens local farmers market
On Mondays, Thursdays, and Saturdays the streets come alive with vibrant fresh produce being sold by the women who live in the surrounding Riff Valley. The kids will love to pick their 5 a day from mountains of fruit and vegetables and will be intrigued to see the women’s traditional attire with brightly colourful pom poms hanging around the edges of their straw hats. Don’t forget, when you get to the bottom of the main market road, don’t forget to turn round and look up at the incredible view – the market backed by the riff mountains rising up out of the town, as after all ‘Chefchaouen’ translates as ‘look for the peaks.
People watch in Plaza Outa El Hammam
Let the kids play in the town’s main square which can be found at the heart of the old medina, while you sip on a mint tea or tuck into some delicious food from the number of restaurants that line the square.
Cool off in Ras El Maa Spring
Make your way to Chefchaouens spring, which can be found just outside the walls of the medina. Here locals wash their laundry in the water, and children can play in the shallows. Lining the stream are tiered restaurants and cafes, making for a very scenic rest stop, and you can actually take your chair and sit in the spring to cool off while sipping on fresh juice.
Swim in Akchour Waterfall
About 30 minutes drive outside the town lies the stunning Akchour waterfalls. Visitors can swim in the clear blue water or explore the many tiny rock pools, a perfect activity for older kids. Just bear in mind that it’s a moderate trek to get there, so young children may find it difficult unless a determined grown-up is prepared to carry them in a baby carrier.
Akchour – Gods Bridge Gorge Adventure Tour
If hiking in Chefchaouen, up to Akchour by yourself is unnerving, why not hire a guide and let them show you the way to the waterfall and Gods Bridge (a towering arch over the gorge, where you can swim.)
Click here for an example tour.
Hike up to the Spanish Mosque Chefchaouen
Get to the best viewpoint overlooking Chefchaouen. A simple 30-minute walk up and the same backdown, its route offers plenty of opportunities to rest and take in the impressive views.
Take A Moroccan Cooking Class
Learn with your children how to cook traditional Moroccan cuisine, with a local chef. Make the experience really personal by being taken by your guide to buy your ingredients fresh from the local market.
Click here for an example cooking class.
Click here for an example cooking class
