What is Chefchaouen like in May?

May is spring at its most generous in Chefchaouen, and along with April it tops my list for the blue city. The weather has firmed up into reliable, settled warmth — daytime highs typically in the low-to-mid-20s°C, around 22 to 27, dry and sunny far more often than not, while the altitude keeps the evenings cool and fresh enough for a light layer on the rooftop at night. The showery unpredictability of March and early April has largely passed, so you can plan around the weather with real confidence, which is not something I can say for much of the year here.

The hills are still green in May, though shading toward the golden tones of early summer by month's end, and the terraces are lush with olives and late wildflowers. The medina is at its loveliest in this light — long warm days, saturated blue walls, and that comfortable temperature that lets you wander the steep lanes from morning coffee to sunset without ever feeling beaten by heat or chill. The climb to the Spanish Mosque for golden hour is pure pleasure, and the cafés on the plaza are at their most inviting, tables out in the sun.

It is a brilliant hiking month, arguably the best. The Talassemtane park is dry, warm and reliable, and the Akchour waterfalls walk is in superb shape — the river still running well, the canyon cool and green, the natural pools tempting on a warm afternoon. For travellers who want to combine the blue medina with real mountain walking in ideal conditions, May is hard to beat, and the warm-dry-stable trio means you rarely lose a day to weather. I send a lot of active travellers here in May for exactly this reason.

On crowds, May sits in a sweet spot — busier than the quiet shoulders of March, but not yet at the day-tripper saturation of July and August. Weekends and any late-spring Moroccan or Spanish holidays bring more visitors, so midweek is calmer and I still recommend staying overnight to enjoy the empty early mornings. Riad prices are moderate rather than peak. My honest verdict: May gives you warm, reliable weather, green-to-golden hills, the best hiking and the blue city at its photogenic best, with manageable crowds — one of the two or three months I most happily recommend.