Field note · Morocco · Tanger-Tetouan-Al Hoceima

Chefchaouen

Everything arrives at one gare routière on the low western edge of town – CTM and Nejme Chamal coaches from Tangier, Tetouan and Fes, cheaper local buses, and the grand taxi ranks right beside it – and from there it is a 15-minute uphill walk or a 10-dirham petit taxi into the blue medina; the Akchour waterfalls, the Talassemtane trailheads, Oued Laou and Ouezzane all run on shared grands taxis that leave when six seats are sold, and Tangier Med and Ceuta are reached by changing at Tetouan or Fnideq.

Researched: 22 September 2026
Reviewed: not yet
Ways of moving: 8, 30 sources
Not confirmed: 6
Fares seen: 2017–2026

The place

Chefchaouen is a city in northwest Morocco. It is the chief town of the province of the same name and is noted for its buildings in shades of blue, for which it is nicknamed the "Blue City". It is situated in a mountainous region in northern Morocco, between Tétouan and Ouazzane.

Adapted from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0. The place page has what to see, do and eat, and every way there from the planner.

How transport works here

8 ways of moving, each with its rule

We confirmed eight ways of moving to, from or around Chefchaouen, from 30 sources. Three of them run only on demand or when the seats are full, so there is no timetable to show; the rule is written where the timetable would be.

The fares were seen in 2017 to 2026; a fare from an older year is a floor, not a price. We rate 4 of the 8 high confidence, our own judgement of the sources. The entry was checked on 22 September 2026, and ends with six things we could not confirm.

8 ways

By road

minibus

CTM coach to the gare routière

Tangier, Tetouan, Fes, Meknes, Rabat, Casablanca and Nador to Chefchaouen gare routière

Every intercity coach, CTM included, terminates at the single gare routière at 35.16771, -5.27484, about 1.5 km and 15 minutes downhill from the medina on Av. Mohamed V. Ticket offices, a small shop, toilets and a snack café are inside, and the station is open 06:00–22:00. Buy at the window inside, not from the touts who approach you on the way in – at Fes in particular they work the Chefchaouen route. Putting a bag in the hold costs 5 dirham and no more. Fes–Chefchaouen CTM departures are often sold out days ahead, so book as soon as you know your date.

When: From Tetouan, five CTM departures a day (04:00, 14:15, 15:15, 18:30, 20:30 as recorded in 2017); from Fes five CTM a day; from Tangier four a day, all via Tetouan. Across all operators on the Tangier run, departures spread from 06:45 to 20:37.
Takes: Tetouan 45m–1h33; Tangier 2–2h45 for 83 km; Fes 4–4h21 for 130 km
Fare 2026: Tangier–Chefchaouen US$6–13 and Chefchaouen–Tetouan US$2–9 across operators, with CTM averaging US$7–9 on the Tetouan leg; Fes–Chefchaouen from US$11 by bus (2026). Luggage in the hold 5 dirham (2023).

SeasonYear-round. Spring and autumn are the comfortable months; the town sits in the Rif and runs cooler than the rest of Morocco. Bookingbooking.ctm.ma, or at the ticket window in the gare routière. CTM's own marketing site ctm.ma was serving a broken certificate when checked in September 2026, so use the booking subdomain. Run byCTM, plus Nejme Chamal and smaller companies from the same building.

minibus

Cheaper local buses from the same station

Tetouan, Tangier, Ouezzane, Rabat, Casablanca, Meknes, Fes, Ketama and Bab Berred to Chefchaouen gare routière

The non-CTM companies sell from windows in the same gare routière building, and there are far more of them than there are CTM runs – twelve local departures a day to Tetouan against five CTM ones. Nejme Chamal is the main local name on the northern routes and lists Chefchaouen among its cities. Prices and timetables are usually posted at the windows; buy inside. These buses are older, have no air conditioning and stop for anyone along the road, and vendors board at the bigger halts while the bus waits to fill. Some Meknes services do not enter Chefchaouen at all but drop you at Dardara on the main road, 8 km short.

When: Tetouan roughly twelve local departures between 06:45 and 17:30; Rabat five; Casablanca three; Meknes three; Fes five non-CTM departures between 07:00 and 12:30 (all as recorded in 2017). Buses from Ouezzane are frequent.
Takes: Tetouan about 90 minutes; Tangier about 2½–3 hours; Fes about 4¼ hours; Rabat 5–5½ hours; Casablanca 6–6½ hours
Fare 2024: Morocco's local intercity buses cost 25–50% of the air-conditioned tourist coaches on the same route (2024). No dirham figure for individual Chefchaouen departures was confirmed.

SeasonYear-round; the Rif road from Tetouan and the Ketama road east are winding and slow in winter rain. BookingNone needed. Buy at the ticket window in the station, usually on the day. Run byNejme Chamal and several smaller companies.

share taxi

Petit taxi or the walk from the bus station up to the medina

Gare routière to Bab el-Ain and the medina gates, about 1.5 km uphill

A couple of petits taxis wait at the station entrance for every arrival; the marked petit taxi rank is at 35.16762, -5.26704 in the lower town. The fare to the medina is 10 dirham. If you would rather walk it is 15 minutes uphill along Av. Mohamed V, which is fine with a daypack and unpleasant with a suitcase. Petits taxis are metered by law and the meter is often off – ask for the fare before you get in, and expect a minimum fare of about 7 dirham by day and 10 at night in a town this size. They may not leave the town boundary, so they are no use for Akchour or Tetouan.

When: Continuous through the day; thinner late at night
Takes: 5 minutes by taxi, 15 minutes on foot
Fare 2023: 10 dirham from the bus station to the medina (2023); around 7 dirham minimum by day and 10 at night for short hops in townSeen in 2023: a floor, not a price.

SeasonYear-round. BookingNone, flag one or use the rank. Run bylicensed petit taxi drivers.

share taxi

Grand taxi rank for Tetouan and Tangier

Chefchaouen to Tetouan and Tangier, from the rank beside the gare routière

The rank sits immediately next to the main bus station, mapped at 35.16886, -5.26936 and again at 35.16756, -5.27559 right at the station forecourt. Cars are old Mercedes saloons and newer Peugeot vans; they leave when six passengers are aboard, two sharing the front seat and four across the back. The per-seat fare is semi-fixed and split equally, so the whole car costs six seats whatever your group size – if you want to leave now, buy the empty seats. Watch what the locals hand over and ask other passengers what the normal fare is before you board; late at night you will usually have to pay for the full car.

When: All day, leaving when full; much thinner after dark
Takes: Tangier about 2½ hours; Tetouan about 1 hour
Fare 2023: Tangier about 70 dirham per seat, so roughly 420 dirham for the whole car (2023). A private grand taxi doing Tangier–Chefchaouen and back as a day trip, with the driver waiting, is €50–100, and a packaged private day trip about €100. No confirmed per-seat figure for Tetouan.Seen in 2023: a floor, not a price.

SeasonYear-round. BookingNone, turn up at the rank and pay the driver. Run bylicensed grand taxi owner-drivers.

share taxi

Grand taxis to Akchour and the Talassemtane trailheads

Chefchaouen to Akchour village, Oued Laou and Dar Akouba

This is a separate rank from the Tetouan and Tangier one. Two stands are mapped under the name Grands taxis Akchour, Oued Laou, Dar Akouba: one at 35.17017, -5.26872 on the north side of town and one at 35.17756, -5.27537 by the bus station. Ask for Akchour and wait for the six seats to fill, or pay for the car. You are dropped at the Akchour taxi stand at 35.24345, -5.18183, where the walks to the Pont de Dieu and the cascades start. Coming back is the hard part – few grands taxis wait at Akchour in the evening, so agree a return time with your driver or be ready to hitch with locals, which is realistic at weekends.

When: Leave when full through the morning and early afternoon; return traffic dries up in the evening
Takes: About 30 minutes to Akchour; about 1 hour to Oued Laou
Fare 2023: Akchour 30 dirham per passenger or 150 dirham for the whole car; Oued Laou 30 dirham per passenger or 200 dirham for the car (2023)Seen in 2023: a floor, not a price.

SeasonBest spring to autumn. The riverside route to the Pont de Dieu can be impassable in spring after snowmelt or rain, one of the springs on the Talassemtane trek dries up in summer, and there can be snow on the 1,800 m camp above Chefchaouen until April. BookingNone. If you want a lift back, fix it with the driver before he leaves you. Run bygrand taxi owner-drivers.

share taxi

Grand taxi rank for Bab Taza and Ouezzane

Chefchaouen south to Bab Taza and west to Ouezzane, and on towards Meknes

A third rank, on the eastern side of town at 35.16532, -5.26280, handles the southbound and westbound routes. Ouezzane is the usual relay if you are heading for Meknes overland without going via Fes: Chefchaouen–Ouezzane, then a second car Ouezzane–Meknes from outside the Meknes gare routière. Drivers on this route have a reputation for charging visitors the same posted fare as everyone else without haggling. You can travel with fewer than six, but you pay for six seats.

When: Leaves when six seats are sold; steady through the day
Takes: About 2 hours Chefchaouen to Ouezzane, and about another 2 hours Ouezzane to Meknes
Fare 2018: Ouezzane–Chefchaouen 35 dirham per person in a full car; Meknes–Ouezzane 50 dirham per person (2018)Seen in 2018: a floor, not a price.

SeasonYear-round. Run bygrand taxi owner-drivers.

share taxi

Dardara junction pick-up when the through bus will not enter town

Fes–Tetouan and Fes–Tangier through buses to Dardara on the N2, then grand taxi 8 km into Chefchaouen

If the direct Chefchaouen departures are full, take any local bus running Fes to Tetouan or Tangier and get off at Dardara, also spelt Derdara, on the main road 8 km south of town. Grands taxis shuttle constantly between the junction and Chefchaouen for 5 dirham a seat. Two of the three Meknes buses use this junction rather than the town, so you may end up doing this whether you planned to or not. It also saves the long uphill from the gare routière if your taxi carries on into the medina.

When: Frequent, tied to the through buses on the N2
Takes: About 15 minutes for the 8 km
Fare 2017: 5 dirham per seat (recorded 2017)Seen in 2017: a floor, not a price.

SeasonYear-round. Run bygrand taxi owner-drivers.

minibus

Tangier Med port and Ceuta connections

Tangier Med ferry port or the Ceuta land border at Fnideq to Chefchaouen, via Tangier or Tetouan

Nothing runs direct from either crossing. From Tangier Med the cheap way out of the port is the blue Alsa bus I-3 from the stop at 35.882487, -5.499537 – a white shelter with no signs at the roundabout by the passenger terminal – to Tanger Ville station for 8 dirham; taxi drivers in the port will tell you no bus exists. Grands taxis from the main road outside charge about 30 dirham a seat. Then pick up a Chefchaouen coach or grand taxi in Tangier. From Ceuta, walk the border at Fnideq, take a grand taxi or city bus into Tetouan, and change there; going the other way, Tetouan city bus 35 leaves from outside the CTM terminal for Fnideq and takes about an hour, then it is a 30-minute walk to the border. Bookaway lists a Tangier Med to Chefchaouen combination with three bus operators at US$7–13.

When: Alsa I-3 roughly hourly, first outbound about 06:30 and last inbound from Tangier Med about 22:00, with no published timetable and nothing late at night; ten daily Tangier–Fnideq intercity buses also pass Tangier Med
Takes: Tangier Med to Tangier 45–60 minutes, then 2–2h45 to Chefchaouen; via Tetouan from Ceuta, about 1 hour to Tetouan plus 45m–1h33 onward
Fare 2026: Alsa bus I-3 from Tangier Med 8 dirham and grand taxi up to 30 dirham (2026); the shared cab from Fnideq to the Ceuta border 5 dirham (2026); Tangier Med to Chefchaouen by bus US$7–13 (2026)

SeasonYear-round; the ferry crossings and the border both get very busy in the Operation Marhaba weeks of July and August. BookingNone for the port bus or the border taxis. Book the Chefchaouen coach leg ahead in summer. Run byAlsa for the port shuttle, then CTM and local companies; grand taxi drivers at the border.

Not confirmed

What we could not find out

6 things the researcher looked for and did not find, in their own words, with where to ask instead. None of this goes into the planner; it stays here until someone confirms it.

01
Correction to the brief and to Wikivoyage: Supratours is listed in the Wikivoyage article as not serving Chefchaouen, and the operator's own booking system agrees in practice. Chefchaouen is in the Supratours station table as code 888, but the availability API returned no journeys at all for Chefchaouen to Tetouan, Tangier, Fes, Ouezzane or Casablanca, or in the reverse direction, on the dates tested in September 2026. Treat Chefchaouen as CTM plus local companies only. https://www.supratours.ma/api/stations
02
No current dirham fare was confirmed for the Chefchaouen to Tetouan grand taxi, which is the single most-used shared ride out of town. Wikivoyage gives Tangier at 70 dirham a seat but leaves Tetouan blank. Ask at the rank beside the gare routière, or at the Tetouan end at the grand taxi station next to the main bus station.
03
CTM's own site, ctm.ma, was serving a certificate for an unrelated hosting domain when checked in September 2026 and could not be read, so no CTM departure times or dirham fares came from the operator directly. The CTM figures here are 2017 Wikivoyage timings and 2026 Bookaway price bands in US dollars. Check booking.ctm.ma for live times.
04
The detailed Chefchaouen bus timetable in Wikivoyage is explicitly dated January 2017. The pattern – CTM five a day to Tetouan and Fes, twelve local runs to Tetouan – is probably still roughly right, but no individual departure time here should be relied on without checking at the station.
05
The Ouezzane and Bab Taza grand taxi fares date from a 2018 edit. No newer figure was found.
06
Nejme Chamal publishes a timetable search at nejmechamal.ma/horaire but it returned no results for any Chefchaouen query tested, so the company's own departure times and fares could not be captured.

In the planner

What the planner can route today

The options above live on the place page, not in the departure board: a boat that comes when you phone has no time to show. What the board can do for Chefchaouen is this.

Y: Scheduled flightsTétouan (TTU), 47 km
Y: Trains and coachesTransitous carries 1 timetable feed for this country, 0 with real-time
N: Ferriesno crossing within 25 km
Y: Driving and taxiOpenStreetMap roads; cab fare from the country band
N: Bike and scooter shareno share feed known
N: Cruisesno open itinerary source anywhere

Y routable now · F found, not yet implemented · N no source known.