Get Lost

Chefchaouen – the Blue City of Morocco. Tens of thousands of tourists make the tedious trip to Chefchaouen each year, hoping to see those beautiful blue scenes that have become so popular on social media.

When most prospective travelers and wanderlusters imagine Morocco, it likely comes with ideas of sand dunes, camels and labyrinthine cities of mud-brick buildings. In some sense, this is accurate. And seeing images of a picturesque and clean blue city, cutely nestled in the mountains, piques a lot of interest.

But is it real? Is that pretty city actually in Morocco? Well, sort of…

The Blue City Tourist Trap

It’s true that Chefchaouen is a real city in Morocco with a lot of blue buildings. It’s also true that Chefchaouen is a tourist trap.

Chefchaouen is pretty. In photos. That’s it.

In person, the blue city of Chefchaouen doesn’t even look authentic. I mean, it’s not authentic Morocco. It looks completely phony and cheaply painted in person. It’s hard to understand how someone can visit Chefchaouen, walk through the tourist trap and still believe that this city is authentically blue.

The Blue City of Morocco is Obviously Fake

As I mentioned above, the blue is clearly not real. There’s no doubt Chefchaouen is photogenic, but the blue is merely an attraction for tourists.

Some people say the blue has to do with Jewish immigrants, heat or mosquitoes. The fact is there are very few, if any, Jewish people in Chefchaouen today. As for the weather, Chefchaouen only has a couple of Summer months with warm temperatures. And there are still tons of mosquitoes, so the paint job isn’t working in that respect, either. If these claims were true, why aren’t any nearby towns also blue?

The Chefchaouen of Instagram

Chefchaouen has been a popular place for tourists for years. The blueness has been an attraction for a while, and many people also travel here to see the massive marijuana fields in the mountains outside the city.

With social media, dreamy photos of the magical blue city of Chefchaouen began popping up online. With the rise of Instagram, so came the “models” who pose like idiots, take a million photos of themselves gazing into nothing, missing the world around them. 

Chefchaouen has fallen victim to this world. There are paid Instagram tours in Chefchaouen. For an absurd sum, a local will take you around the city to all the best blue nooks and crannies. Attention-starved travelers will get the photos of their insta-dreams. The tours even provide props – yes, exotic-looking Moroccan props – for the photoshoot. If this isn’t a warning about Chefchaouen (or ANY place with such a tour), I don’t know what else to say.

Cities Near Chefchaouen

What about other towns and villages near Chefchaouen? Are they popular and photogenic, too?

No, they’re not. There are no other blue cities, towns or villages near Chefchaouen. Nearby settlements are normal and traditional Moroccan places. Nearby cities may not be as glamorous as Chefchaouen, but they are more likely to provide insight into authentic Morocco.

I Didn’t Set Out to Hate Chefchaouen

I didn’t travel to Chefchaouen with the intention to leave disappointed and feeling cheated. In fact, my excitement prior to traveling to Chefchaouen was higher than most other places in Morocco. Visiting the blue mountain city in Morocco was not the practical choice – I went far out of my way to see this place. 

Getting to Chefchaouen, Morocco

I came to the blue city from Essaouira. That was a long, long journey – nearly 24 hours via buses, train, taxi and a couple miles on foot. I don’t recommend this route.

The easiest ways to get to Chefchaouen are from Tangier or Fez. However, the bus from these cities to the blue city is a long one. Personally, I thoroughly enjoyed the scenery along the way. For those with anxiety or a weak stomach on mountain roads, think twice before making this trip.

The bus ride to Chefchaouen was not comfortable. Aside from the 30-minute stop in the middle, a curious event where police stopped the bus then collected and scrutinized identification from every passenger (except myself and the only two other tourists), the trip was interesting. Ultimately, unfortunately, the destination proved that this bus ride was a waste of time.

The Moment I Realized it was All Fake

As I wandered around Chefchaouen, I thought something was off. Nevertheless, I had an amused feeling inside. The city was nice. My first impressions were that it was indeed pretty, but it wasn’t quite what I expected. 

Then, as I was walking around with a friend, he looked at me and said, “I might as well go to Disneyland!”

As he said this, the tourist trap of Chefchaouen came into focus. He was right. I knew it was a facade, but I was subconsciously not admitting that I fell for it, especially since I was the one who convinced two other travelers to make the tedious journey with me. It was clear that only the lower levels of the buildings were painted. Looking up, it could be any other city in Morocco. The rest of the buildings are normal tan, white or sandy colors. Then I began to notice more fraudulent details. There were even doors that were horribly spray painted to fit the theme of the exotic blue city of Morocco. 

I stayed in Chefchaouen for another day. My intended stay of a few days was cut short. After realizing that the blue city of Chefchaouen was a big tourist trap, I just couldn’t see anything else. 

Chefchaouen is Beautiful, Sort of…

Chefchaouen is a nice (albeit fake) town. Unlike much of Morocco and most of the surrounding smaller towns that I saw, Chefchaouen is pretty clean. The surrounding Rif Mountains are absolutely beautiful. If there is a valid reason to visit this part of Morocco, it would be to see the beautiful landscapes. That’s where it ends.

The problem with Chefchaouen is that it is a tourist trap. It’s fake. It’s supposedly this strange little blue city in the mountains of Morocco. Oh, and officially, nobody knows why it’s blue – wow, what a mystery! (note sarcasm, please).

There’s no mystery here. I literally saw buckets of blue paint outside a freshly-painted blue house. To add to my disappointment, I asked a waiter in the main square (by the kasbah) why everything was blue. He didn’t sugarcoat it. He said, “It is pretty… for touristic business.”

If someone says, “Hey, there’s this city in Morocco where they encourage the residents to paint everything blue to attract tourists,” would you go? Probably not.

Food & Drink in Chefchaouen

Food is more-or-less the same in Morocco’s blue mountain city than the rest of the country. It’s pretty good. There are several options in the main square of the old town for a decent meal. For something far cheaper, find a restaurant away from the blue part of town.

Goat cheese is apparently a thing in Chefchaouen, as well. It is said to be a local goat cheese unique to the area. I managed to find some Moroccan goat cheese here, and it was decent enough. 

Is the food in Chefchaouen good? Yes. Is the food in Chefchaouen good enough to warrant a trip in its own right? No.

Finding alcohol in Chefchaouen is an experience. The only place to find booze is a spot called OumRabie. This little bar/restaurant also functions as a liquor store. It should be noted that this was, without a doubt, one of the sketchiest alcohol-buying experiences of my life. From start to finish, it felt like being on the buying-end of a bootlegging operation.

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More Morocco from The Hangry Backpacker:

• Marrakech Travel Guide
• The Marrakech Snake Scam
• Essaouira Travel Guide

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My main problem with the blue city of Morocco is the false narrative. Somehow, tourists miss that Chefchaouen is a tourist trap and believe these nonsensical tales. When tourists knowingly travel to a fake place, that’s fine. I would like to encourage travelers to seek out more authentic destinations, but it’s not always going to happen. That’s okay, as long as the touristy place isn’t masquerading as a long-lost hub of authentic culture. 

When we visit the Eiffel Tower, the Colosseum or some other popular tourist site, we expect crowds and touristy things in the area. When we’re fooled into a destination, it’s no fun. It’s embarrassing and frustrating.

Morocco has done a fine job of promoting the blue city of Chefchaouen. Somehow, between the lax marijuana regulations and a few buckets of blue paint, social media has taken notice. The reality is, however, that Chefchaouen is a tourist trap. Travelers searching for some sort of isolated culture within a pretty blue city in the mountains are mistaken. I repeat, Chefchaouen is a tourist trap. And, by the way, it’s not just me – the true nature of tourism in modern Chefchaouen is getting out.

Morocco’s blue mountain city is undeniably in a beautiful setting. The Rif Mountains are worth a visit in their own right.  While Chefchaouen is certainly nicer than many nearby towns, that’s a poor excuse to travel somewhere.  Before spending hours on winding mountain roads to get there, temper expectations and know that Chefchaouen is a giant facade for tourists.