Exploring And Relaxing In Chefchaouen With The Kids

Our time in Morocco is almost over! We are in Casablanca now and from here we head to Malta, where we’ll be spending two months soaking up some amazing nature and beautiful sights.

The kids, ahem, the ninjas, posing for a photo in Chefchaouen
The kids, ahem, the ninjas, posing for a photo in Chefchaouen

After our time in Fez, we headed to the mountain town of Chefchaouen, also known as the Blue Pearl or Blue City.We absolutely loved this city! It’s one of the most magical places we’ve ever visited! We took a nice CTM bus from Fez to Chefchaouen and arrived there after a very comfortable four-hour ride. The blue city is perched on a hillside in the middle of the Rif Mountains and it’s one of the prettiest towns in Morocco. Chefchaouen is not as touristed as Marrakech or Fez, so it was a very nice place to slow down and take it easy. We stayed in a cute and cozy Airbnb apartment inside the medina, making it very easy for us to explore the blue streets of this unique city!

The kids in front of one of the most photographed streets in Chefchaouen
The kids in front of one of the most photographed streets in Chefchaouen

If you want to learn more about the different theories explaining why the city was painted blue, check out this article here.

Watching the local kids play with marbles
Watching the local kids play with marbles

We has a wonderful and relaxing time in Chefchaouen, and we managed to really explore the town and the area even though it rained during most of our time there. But, as they say, there’s no bad weather, just bad gear, so on rainy days we just suited up in our rain gear and went outside to explore and walk around. We are thankful both our kids love the rain and not deterred by it at all. Hugo’s time in outdoor school also cemented his love for the rainy outdoors, which is so great! (In fact, the kids were disappointed on the day it didn’t rain because they didn’t have puddles to splash in!)

Cats, cats and more cats in this city!
Cats, cats and more cats in this city!

During our time in Chefchaouen, we mostly walked all around the town. The town’s medina is a very manageable size so you can comfortably explore it without really getting lost. We walked to overlooks, up narrow streets, into cute blue courtyards, and all over the place. It was super fun to explore and the kids really loved it. I think we can confidently say Valentina knows the color blue!

We also hiked up to the Spanish mosque to get the best views of Chefchaouen surrounded by the Rif Mountains. The mosque was built by the Spanish in the 1920s but never used, which could be due to the fact that it’s a 30-minute walk uphill from the town’s center. The view of the town is beautiful and totally worth the hike up. Our kids loved walking up the path, taking in the views, and sighting some farm animals along the way.

Family portrait at the top of the Spanish Mosque
Family portrait at the top of the Spanish Mosque

From Chefchaouen we jumped on another bus, this time for just 3 hours to the coastal city of Tangier. More on that in our next week’s update.

Eating some delicious french bread while out exploring!
Eating some delicious french bread while out exploring!

To read more about our family’s adventures, go here.

Hiking up to the Spanish Mosque
Hiking up to the Spanish Mosque
Valentina-sized door
Valentina-sized door
Valentina in front of one of the beautiful public fountains in town
Valentina in front of one of the beautiful public fountains in town
Hiking up to the Spanish Mosque. We used this hut to change Valentina's diaper and were joined by 2 very curious dogs!
Hiking up to the Spanish Mosque. We used this hut to change Valentina’s diaper and were joined by 2 very curious dogs!
Taking it all in!
Taking it all in!

One Reply to “Exploring And Relaxing In Chefchaouen With The Kids”

  1. Christine & Tom says:

    Wow, Blue is my favorite color. I have heard of the Blue City and it truly lives up to its name. How wonderful it is that your family can share such adventures. Thank you for sharing them with us.

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