(M’Diq port) The entire port was being rebuilt at the time of research, and a marina added. No
doubt the private yacht club will reopen its classy seafood restaurant once the development is
complete.
Getting There & Away
Grands taxis and buses travelling between Tetouan and Fnideq (3km short of the border with
Ceuta) pass through M’Diq. Grands taxis to Tetouan (Dh5, 15 minutes) depart from a stand
near the Narijiss Hotel. Those for the border (Dh10) gather on the north side of town beside the
Banque Populaire.
Chefchaouen
POP 45,000
Beautifully sited beneath the raw peaks of the Rif, Chefchaouen is one of the prettiest towns in
Morocco, an artsy, blue-washed mountain village that feels like its own world. While tourism
has definitely taken hold, the balance between ease and authenticity is just right. The old
medina is a delight of Moroccan and Andalucian influence with red-tiled roofs, bright-blue
buildings and narrow lanes converging on busy Plaza Uta el-Hammam and its restored kasbah.
Long known to backpackers for the easy availability of kif (marijuana), the town has rapidly
gentrified and offers a range of quality accommodation, good food, lots to do and no hassles to
speak of, making it a strong alternative to a hectic multi-city tour. This is a great place to relax,
explore and take day trips in the cool green hills. Families take note.
Chefchaouen is split into an eastern half (the medina), and a western half (the ciudad nueva,
or new city). The heart of the medina is Plaza Uta el-Hammam, with its unmistakeable kasbah.
The medina walls have recently been repaired, with Spanish funding. The principal route of the
new city is Ave Hassan II, which stretches from Plaza Mohammed V, a leafy square designed
by artist Juan Miró, past the western gate of Bab el-Ain, around the southern medina wall, and
into the medina itself. Here it dead-ends at Place el-Majzen, the main drop-off point. The bus
station is a steep 1.5km hike southwest of the town centre. The falls of Ras-el-Maa lie just
beyond the medina walls to the northeast.