How do I get to Chefchaouen from Fes or Tangier?

First, the thing to know: Chefchaouen has no airport and no train station, so however you come, the last stretch is by road through the Rif mountains. That's not a hardship — the drive up into the hills is beautiful — but it shapes your options. The two usual gateways are Fes (the more common pairing on a Morocco loop) and Tangier (handy if you're arriving from Spain via the ferry or a budget flight). From Fes, budget around four hours and roughly 200 kilometres; from Tangier it's shorter and easier, about two hours and 115 kilometres on a decent road.

The budget-friendly public option is the bus, and it's perfectly good. CTM and Supratours are the two reputable national coach companies — comfortable, air-conditioned, with assigned seats — and both run services to Chefchaouen from Fes and Tangier. Book a day or two ahead in high season, as the popular departures sell out, and aim for a morning bus so you arrive in daylight. The bus station in Chefchaouen sits a little below the medina, a cheap ten-minute petit taxi or a steepish walk up to the blue old town and most riads. There are also cheaper, scruffier local buses, but for a few extra dirhams CTM/Supratours are worth it.

Grand taxis are the other public route and very Moroccan. These are shared long-distance cars (usually old Mercedes) that leave when full — typically six passengers crammed in — running fixed routes for a set per-seat fare. They're faster and more frequent than buses on the Tangier–Chefchaouen and Fes–Chefchaouen runs, but cosy is putting it kindly. You can also 'buy out' the whole taxi (pay for all the seats) to leave immediately and have it to yourself, which is a reasonable middle option if the bus times don't suit and you want to split the cost with a couple of travel companions.

For most of our clients, though, I arrange a private driver, and honestly it transforms the journey from transit into part of the trip. A private transfer means door-to-door from your Fes riad to your Chefchaouen riad, departure exactly when you want, air-conditioned comfort, and — the real value — stops along the way. From Fes you can break the drive at Volubilis and Meknes, turning a transfer into a sightseeing day; from Tangier you can detour to Tetouan or the coast. It costs more than the bus, but for the flexibility, the photo stops, and arriving relaxed rather than frazzled, it's the option I most often recommend, especially for couples, families or anyone short on time.