The short answer
Two nights is the comfortable rhythm. Spend one day on the medina and the walk up to the Spanish Mosque, and a second on the Akchour waterfalls or a longer Rif hike. One night feels rushed after the long journey to get there. Three nights suit anyone who wants to slow right down and walk properly.
In more detail
The medina itself is small, so the town does not need long for sightseeing. Its value is the pace. Mornings are quiet and the light in the blue lanes is soft; afternoons are for cafés on Place Uta el-Hammam and the kasbah museum garden; evenings are for the sunset from the Spanish Mosque, about thirty minutes' climb from the medina.
The second day is for the mountains. The Akchour trail follows a river gorge past a chain of waterfalls to the rock arch known as God's Bridge, one of the best half-day walks in northern Morocco. Talassemtane National Park, above the town, has marked trails through cedar and fir forest. A full-day climb of Jbel el-Kelaa is best done with a local guide.
Do not try Chefchaouen as a day trip from Fes. The drive is about 3h30 each way and does the town no justice.
Good to know
- Spring and autumn bring the best walking weather.
- Try the local goat's cheese, jben, at breakfast.
- Cannabis is hawked in the hills; buying or carrying it is illegal.