Chefchaouen

Chefchaouen, or Chaouen, is a city in the Rif Mountains of northwest Morocco. It’s known for the striking, blue-washed buildings of its old town. Leather and weaving workshops line its steep cobbled lanes. In the shady main square of Place Outa el Hammam is the red-walled Kasbah, a 15th-century fortress and dungeon, and Chefchouen Ethnographic Museum. The octagonal minaret of the Great Mosque rises nearby.

The small waterfall of Ras El Ma lies on the old town’s northeast edge. Spring water flows down from here to drinking fountains and public laundry huts. A rocky path leads up to the abandoned Spanish Mosque on a hilltop outside of town, which has views over the city and Rif Mountains. Northeast of the city, a rough trail leads to the Cascade d'Akchour (Akchour Waterfall) with its natural rock bridge, the Pont de Dieu (God's Bridge). Chefchaouen is a base for hiking in the Talassemtane National Park to the east.