What is Chefchaouen like in April?

April is, for my money, close to the perfect month in Chefchaouen, and it is one I steer people toward whenever their dates allow. The weather has settled into proper spring warmth — daytime highs comfortably in the high teens to low 20s°C, usually around 18 to 23 — warm enough to wander the steep blue lanes for hours in a t-shirt, while the mornings and evenings stay cool and crisp in that lovely mountain way that makes a sunset climb a joy rather than a sweat. The wet, raw edge of winter is gone, though a passing April shower is still possible and keeps everything fresh.

The setting in April is simply gorgeous. The Rif slopes are at their greenest and most flower-strewn, the terraced olive groves luminous, and the famous indigo medina sits against that emerald backdrop exactly as the best photographs promise. The light is soft and clear, the blues are saturated, and the green hills give the town a setting the dusty summer months cannot match. I think it is the most beautiful the blue city ever looks, and April is when I tell keen photographers to come.

It is also prime hiking season, which is half of why I love it here in April. The Talassemtane park above town has dried out enough to be reliable, and the river walk to the Akchour waterfalls and God's Bridge is at its absolute best — running full and clear, the canyon cool and green, wildflowers lining the trail and the herb-scented air warm in the sun. For travellers who want to pair the blue medina with genuine mountain walking, April delivers both in ideal conditions, and the cafés in Plaza Uta el-Hammam spill out into the sunshine.

My one honest flag is Easter. When the holiday falls in April, the medina can briefly fill with Moroccan and Spanish day-trippers for a week or so, and the most famous blue corners get busy — so I check the calendar and, where possible, build the visit around the Easter rush rather than into it. Weekends in general draw more visitors than midweek now too. But these are small caveats against a near-ideal month: for green hills, wildflowers, perfect walking weather and the postcard glow, April is one of my top recommendations for Chefchaouen.