Fes to Chefchaouen by car: route, driving time and tips

In brief: distance and driving time

Depending on the route planner you use, the distance ranges from 194 to 206 km and the driving time from 3 h 10 to 3 h 40: count on 3 h 30 of actual driving, plus your breaks. The whole trip is on paved roads, with no motorway and no tolls.

The route step by step

Stage	Cumulative distance	Cumulative time	Notes
Departure from Fes (Ville Nouvelle or airport)	0 km	0 h	Fill up before leaving the city
Gharb plain, towards Ouazzane	≈ 130 km	≈ 2 h 15	Fast-flowing road, villages with 40–60 km/h limits
Ouazzane	≈ 130 km	≈ 2 h 15	Coffee stop, a town of olive groves and crafts, last big petrol station
Climb into the Rif	≈ 180 km	≈ 3 h 05	Bends, viewpoints, villages clinging to the slopes
Arrival in Chefchaouen	≈ 200 km	≈ 3 h 30	Guarded car parks on the edge of the medina

From Fes, the road first heads north-west across hills and plain, then reaches Ouazzane, the natural halfway stop. After Ouazzane it climbs into the Rif mountains: the average speed drops, the scenery changes, and terraced fields and forests take over from the farmland. Chefchaouen appears at the top of the climb, set against the two peaks that give it its name.

Driving tips for the Rif

• Leave early. Setting off from Fes around 7:30 am, you avoid the Ville Nouvelle traffic and reach Chefchaouen before the tour coaches.
• Respect the speed limits in the villages: speed bumps and gendarmerie checkpoints are frequent there, especially on the plain before Ouazzane.
• Overtake with care on the Rif bends; lorries and grand taxis are slow uphill, so wait for a straight stretch.
• Bring water and a snack; there are plenty of places to stop, but not always where you expect them.
• Avoid driving back after dark: the mountain road is unlit. For a day trip there and back, leave Chefchaouen by mid-afternoon at the latest.

What to see in Chefchaouen

The medina can be covered on foot in half a day, but most visitors happily stay longer for the photos and the café terraces. The must-sees:

• The blue alleyways of the old town, quieter early in the morning and late in the day.
• Outa el-Hammam square, the heart of the medina, with its cafés, the grand mosque and the kasbah with its Andalusian gardens.
• Ras el-Ma, the spring above the medina where locals come to cool off, and the starting point of the walk up to the Spanish mosque.
• The Spanish mosque viewpoint, a 20–30 minute walk away, for the sweeping view over the blue city at sunset.
• The Rif craftsmen: woven blankets, pottery and soaps, cheaper than in Fes.

The Akchour waterfalls

Some thirty kilometres from Chefchaouen, in the Talassemtane National Park, the village of Akchour is the starting point for easy hikes along the river to the waterfalls and the “Bridge of God”, a natural stone arch. Allow 45 minutes by road from Chefchaouen, then two to four hours of walking depending on how far you want to go. The road is paved as far as the village car park; the site gets very busy at weekends and in summer, so it is best to go on a weekday or early in the morning. With a rental car, Akchour is easy to combine with a second day in Chefchaouen.

Day trip or overnight stay?

In one day: leave Fes at 7:30 am, arrive around 11 am, medina and lunch, leave Chefchaouen around 4 pm, back in Fes around 7:30 pm. It is doable, but packed, with 7 hours of driving.

Over two days: drive in the morning, afternoon and evening in the medina, a night in a guesthouse, then Akchour or a stroll to Ras el-Ma the next day before heading back. The unlimited mileage on our rentals leaves you free to extend the trip: some customers carry on to Tetouan and the Mediterranean coast before returning to Fes.

Which car to rent for this trip

A city car is all you need: the road is fully paved, and a Dacia Logan, a Clio 5 or a 208 (from 220 MAD per day, ≈ 22 €) climb into the Rif with no trouble and modest fuel consumption. For more comfort through the bends and more luggage space for a family, an SUV such as the Dacia Duster or the Hyundai Tucson (from 300 MAD per day) is a pleasant choice, and an automatic gearbox makes the climbs easier on the driver. See our SUVs and our automatic cars, or the whole fleet on our car rental in Fes page. All our rentals include unlimited mileage, full insurance and 24/7 roadside assistance.