Explore the white and blue washed walls of the Medina  with its winding lanes and narrow alleys which are home to numerous souks offering cuisine and artisan works, such as woolen items, intricate embroidery, and goats cheese; all native to the North and not found anywhere else in Morocco.

Winding alleyways, cute doorways and charming plazas all in many shades of blue – this is what has attracted millions to this tiny village in the Rif Mountains, and there’s no sign tourism will let up. Despite overcrowding, Chefchaouen’s medina is still well worth the visit.

The heart of the medina is the shady, cobbled Plaza Uta El Hammam, dominated by the red-hued walls of the kasbah and the adjacent Grande Mosquée.

The Berber mountain people offer hand-woven earth-tone blankets, rugs, and even lamp shades are seen displayed at the small shops within the city’s medina walls. They will welcome you in, ask you to look around, and even offer you some mint tea without hassling you to buy.

Also, dotted throughout the medina, you’ll find wood workers who are so engrossed in their craft, they might not look up from what they are doing until they hear the muezzin calling all the faithful to prayer as the sun is setting.

Chefchaouen is also the center of hashish production. You will see locals puffing away in public, however dangerous for non-locals to partake.

‘Chaouen’ as it is known to local Moroccans, is a great place to explore one of the country’s most interesting, yet small medinas.