Picking the Pictures Out of the Blue: Chefchaouen in Photos You hop off the bus. You look up the hill where the Old Town is supposed to be and everything is blue. You cab it up to the medina, get off the car and walk into blueness. Everything you see is painted blue. A blue city under blue skies. Is it heaven on earth?Well, maybe. Welcome to Chefchaouen, Morocco, also known as Chaouen. Why exactly is Chefchaouen blue? It made me think of a sky that is not a limit, of dreaming, flying, chasing the spiritual. It still makes me think of these things, even after I learnt that indigo was used as a dye because it keeps the mosquitoes and flies away. Nothing too romantic, eh. You have to give it to the indigo though. There is no single mosquito in the entire city.The blue makes Chefchaouen a perfect place to daydream, especially if you visit the city in a low season when you have a chance to wander empty streets and spend time with yourself.Let me take you for a dreamy walk.Practical Tips Accommodation: Chefchaouen is tiny but it has around two hundred hotels providing accommodation to tourists coming to the city to indulge in the blue. We stayed at a little family hotel Koutubia and we recommend the place to everyone. It’s cozy and decorated with good taste and local handicrafts. It’s also a great value for money.How to get to Chefchaouen: There are several bus lines that go to Chefchaouen. We came there from Fes with a CTM bus. The ride took approx. four hours. On the way out, we spent almost fifteen hours on the road. Our next stop was Essaouira. We had to change our bus in Casablanca but it was rather smooth. A taxi from the bus station up to the medina costs 5 MAD.Shopping: I’m not a big lover of shopping. I don’t really care if the souvenirs or handicrafts have good prices because I hardly ever buy them. Moreover, the vendors culture in Morocco made me decide to not buy anything in the country at the very moment when I encountered them for the first time. But, well, Moroccan artisanal handicrafts are beautiful and they may catch eyes of many. If you want to buy something while on the Moroccan road, Chefchaouen is a great place to do it. Prices are low, vendors are laid back and the products actually come from Chefchaouen. It’s an opportunity to get stuff that is not available in other tourist hubs of Morocco. Check it out if you feel like spending some money. What to do in Chefchaouen: Walk around, take strolls, wander and let yourself get lost.
