Chefchaouen

Where to shoot

• The blue medina lanes — stepped alleys washed in indigo, calmest in the soft morning light before crowds arrive
• Plaza Uta el-Hammam — the main square beside the red kasbah and the octagonal mosque minaret
• Spanish Mosque viewpoint — a hilltop overlook of the entire blue town, ideal at sunset
• Ras el-Maa waterfall — a small cascade at the edge of the medina where residents wash textiles
• Blue staircases draped with flowerpots
• Studded doors and indigo archways
• Cats dozing on cobalt steps
• Rugs and crafts hung against the walls
• The Kasbah's red walls and garden
• The view over blue rooftops from the tower
• Café life on the plaza
• The Grand Mosque's octagonal minaret
• The whole blue town from the Spanish Mosque
• Sunrise light on the medina
• The Rif peaks behind the rooftops
• The Akchour waterfalls (day trip)

When to go

Spring and autumn are ideal for the blue mountain town's mild weather and wildflowers; summer is warm and busy, winter cool with occasional snow nearby.

What to eat

Goat cheese from the surrounding Rif villages, served fresh; tagines with mountain herbs; and msemen, a layered griddle flatbread.

Where to stay

Basing in the medina near Plaza Uta el-Hammam keeps the blue lanes and viewpoints within an easy walk.