Northern Morocco, Tangier, Chefchaouen and Fez, 8 days

From the Strait to the Fez medina

This trip runs from the north coast inland, and each stop changes scale. Tangier is a port city facing Spain, seen from a palace on the hill. Chefchaouen is a small mountain town you cover on foot, with Talassemtane National Park on its doorstep. Fez is a medieval city that is still lived in, and takes three days to get to know.

You fly into Tangier-Ibn Battouta and out of Fez, which has flights to several European cities, including Paris, London, Rome and Barcelona, so you never double back. The two road legs are short: 112 km to Chefchaouen, a little over two hours, then 194 km to Fez, about 3 h 24.

Tangier: two days on the Strait

Day 1. The Fairmont Tazi Palace is about twenty minutes from the airport, on the wooded Boubana hill. The 1926 palace and its 3.6-hectare park make for a quiet first evening. Ask for a panoramic room: the view takes in the white rooftops of the city.

Day 2. In the morning, drive down into town, less than ten minutes away. Tangier is seen level by level: the Grand Socco and the Mendoubia gardens, the medina and the Petit Socco, then the kasbah, where the former sultan's palace, Dar el-Makhzen, houses a museum of Moroccan arts. The American Legation, given to the United States by the sultan in 1821, is also open to visitors.

In the afternoon, the trip listed in this itinerary heads west: Cape Spartel, facing the Atlantic, the Caves of Hercules, then Asilah, 45 km south, a small white medina inside 15th-century Portuguese walls, covered in murals by the artists of its summer cultural moussem (festival). The trip lasts 6 hours: depending on your arrival time on day 1, you can also do it in the morning and keep the medina for late afternoon.

Chefchaouen: the blue city and the Akchour gorges

Day 3. The road leaves the coast and climbs into the Rif. Chefchaouen, founded in 1471, rises in tiers at around 600 m. Cars cannot reach Lina Ryad & Spa, in the Andalusian quarter, and there are steps to climb: let the house know your arrival time so they can collect your bags at the edge of the medina.

In the afternoon, the two-hour guided tour gives you your bearings: Bab el Ain, Outa el Hammam square, two minutes from the riad, the Great Mosque and the kasbah, with its garden and museum. At the end of the day, walk up to the Spanish Mosque on the hill to the east to watch the blue city at sunset, or stay on the riad's 300 m² of roof terraces.

Day 4. Leave early for Akchour, about 50 minutes by road, at the entrance to Talassemtane National Park. Created in 2004, the park protects Morocco's last fir forests. The trail follows the Farda river to God's Bridge, a natural rock arch about 30 m high, in roughly two hours; the Akchour waterfalls are the other walk from the village. The path is rocky and runs along the water: proper walking shoes are a must.

Back in town, the riad's spa takes over: hammam, a heated indoor pool you book for yourselves by the hour, massages. It is open from 12:00 to 21:00 local time and is charged on top of the room; book your slot when you arrive. In the evening, the day-trippers from Tangier and Tetouan leave: with early morning, this is the best time to wander the medina.

Fez: three days in the medina

Day 5. The road to Fez crosses the Rif southwards. A car with driver is the simplest option, and the one Sabaro recommends in the region: the Rif is an area of hashish production and trafficking, where it is best to avoid secondary roads at night and not stop during the day. Cars stop at Batha square, which has a guarded car park; Riad Fès is a few minutes' walk away, in the Zerbtana quarter.

The riad has 30 rooms and suites across five houses, around four courtyards in different styles. It has a 14 m pool, a spa and a proper restaurant, Gayza: you can dine in on the first evening, after the drive. Smart dress is required, and shorts are not allowed after 19:00 local time.

Day 6. Fes el-Bali, founded between 789 and 808 and inscribed on the World Heritage List of UNESCO (the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization) in 1981, has some 9,000 alleys. The 3-hour guided tour listed in this itinerary gives you the keys: Bab Boujloud, the Talaa Kebira, the Bou Inania madrasa, the Qarawiyyin mosque, which non-Muslims see from outside, the Nejjarine museum of wooden arts and the Chouara tanneries, best in the morning when the workers are busy. Head back to the riad at midday: the medina is easier in two halves.

Day 7. In the morning, Fes el-Jdid, the Marinid city of 1276, with the Mellah, the former Jewish quarter, and the gates of the royal palace; then the Jnan Sbil garden. Save the Marinid tombs, on the hill outside the walls, for sunset. In the evening, go up to the riad's roof, which the house describes as the highest point of the medina.

Day 8. Fez airport is about 25 minutes from the riad.

On Friday, the day of the main weekly prayer, many Fez souks close in the morning, sometimes all day. If your time in Fez includes a Friday, give it to Fes el-Jdid and the tombs, and keep shopping for another day.

When to go

Spring is the best season for this trip: the Rif is green, the walk to God's Bridge is cool, and Fez is mild. According to the 1991–2020 normals of the WMO (World Meteorological Organization) for the Fès-Saïss station, the average maximum is 22.0 °C in April and 26.4 °C in May. Autumn works too, at 26.1 °C in October.

Summer is the busiest season in the north, and the hottest in Fez: in July and August, the average maximum reaches 35.1 °C and goes above 35 °C on about fifteen days a month. Sightseeing then happens early and late, with the riad's pool in the middle of the day. Winter is cool and damp in the Rif and in Fez, where the January average minimum is 3.7 °C: check that rooms are heated.

Variations

• A stop in Tetouan. On the way to Chefchaouen, the Tetouan medina, a World Heritage Site since 1997, and the old Spanish town fill a morning. Tangier to Tetouan takes about 1 h 20, Tetouan to Chefchaouen about 1 h 30.
• Volubilis and Meknes instead of the third day in Fez: the riad's concierge arranges the day by road, with Moulay Idriss.
• Arrive by train. From Casablanca or Rabat, the Al Boraq high-speed train reaches Tangier in 2 h 17 and 1 h 20: the trip can start in a capital.
• Come from Spain. Ferries link Tarifa with Tangier Ville port in about an hour.