De Tanger: Chefchaouen Day Trip com Guia Local

The tour is a well-oiled machine and worked like clockwork. We were picked up first, at the communicated time, before picking up others and driving for around an hour until a short rest stop halfway between Tangier and Chefchaouen. When we got to Chefchouaen, we were left in the very capable hands of a local guide. The pace of the tour was relaxed, with plenty of opportunities to take photos (which I would recommend taking advantage of while you are with the guide as returning to instagrammable places is harder without the guide than it looks!). Towards the end of the tour there is an opportunity to replace empty water bottles with freshwater from the local spring, which was an added treat. We then had lunch at a restaurant recommended by the guide, and time to walk around ourselves to check out the markets. Depending on what you want most out of the experience, I wished we had spent less time eating and more time exploring and taking photos, but that comes down to personal time management. At 4 pm we left to return to Tangier to stop briefly to take in a panoramic view of the city. The van then dropped us off where it had picked us up. Overall, it was a wonderful experience and worth every penny

This only reason I have even given this tour a 2 star was the friendly driver who drove us there and back. He was polite and patient and I really couldn’t fault him. Unfortunately that wasn’t the case for the tour guide that showed us around. I found him to be very impatient and rushed us through the whole experience. I came with my parents who are not as fast on their feet but are still very mobile. The guide would race ahead and wouldn’t even wait for the whole group before talking about parts of the city. Enough was enough when we came to the last stop where he’d already spoken to the whole group about where and when to get the transport back and already keen on collecting his tips. It was only a kind couple on the same tour as us told us this information. You won’t be surprised to know that we did not give him a tip. I did not get the name of the guide but our tour was on 29th June. I don’t feel we actually got to experience the blue city in all its glory and sadly will not be recommending this tour group. If you are looking for a day tour which doesn’t feel like a conveyor belt, then I’d book with someone else.

In the end, the goal was achieved. We made it to Chefchauouen and back. Our driver did his job. Our host only communicated stops and times to board while sleeping for the majority of the drive. Based on the reviews of this experience, we expected some level of professional interaction as one review stated their driver "gave lots of information along the way." We received no information. Additionally, the van was incredibly hot. At each stop, it was not missed on us that passengers were sweating through their shirts. The AC was blowing air; however, it was not cool air. On a tour in late June, we really needed cold air. If you get car sick easily, please be aware that this could be an issue. Our stops, while serving the purpose of cooling off and using the toilets, seemed to more self-serving for the driver and host than the tour participants. Both times, we were ready to continue but waited for them to finish their coffees/drinks. I'm sure there is some incentive for us to stop at these locations (i.e., free coffee and food for tour drivers and hosts). The tour guide in Chefchauouen was knowledgeable and attentive. He spent 100 minutes with our group. Be prepared to make several stops at local businesses to receive the store owners' sales pitches. While the carpets were beautiful, we left during the pitch because our time was limited on the tour and there was more we wanted to see of the city. While this final note is not targeted at the tour company, it is important for tour participants to have small change available when traveling to Chefchauouen. The public restrooms are not free. It is expected that you tip for the service (2 dH per person). Finally, we had a terrific lunch in the Chefchauouen center. However, our plates were removed as soon as we finished our final bites and we were asked to pay to make room for the waiting guests. One of the employees apologized to use and said his boss was "money hungry" for rotating in as many patrons as possible. We saw Chefchauouen. In hindsight, I would not dedicate a full day to this tour.

Initial issue at pick up (completely our error as went with wrong vehicle with very similar license plate… 😬) but Xauen discovered it immediately and correct it for everyone. Host Abdul and driver was great and tour guide was knowledgeable, friendly and attentive, going above and beyond helping us find vendors in city as well as restaurant recommendations. Will definitely book with Xauen again.

Was a fantastic experience in the blue city, with a great tour guide who was very knowledgeable. It was absolutely worth the money, and would recommend

The company Xaouen Tours is great, super punctual and super kind. The city of Chefchaouen is very beautiful and a must-visit.

Loved it. Good length of time. Nice combo of learning from our guide and having some free time to explore. Do this. No real reason to stay overnight in Chefchaouen.

It's a long ride to Chefchaouen. The bus was comfortable, and the driver was smooth and careful. The town itself is lovely, and the local tour guide gave us lots of history and local color. After a two hour walking tour, we were on our own, and it was lovely to have lunch with others from the group (among other things, nice to have easy conversation, with no language barrier!). Chefchaouen may be "newly famous", but that just makes it a more typical Moroccan town, albeit one that has found a way to stand out. It's a great trip not because of the blue paint, but because the guide was authentic.

Great tour - driver arrived on time, bus was clean and had AC and WiFi. Stop on journey was just right as was tine in city - part with a local guide, who was excellent and the other free time. We were delivered back at the exact time we were told we would be. Highly recommended - the blue city is gorgeous - I was expecting it to be tacky but it was very tasteful!

i’ll start by saying that it was cool to see the blue city in person. That being said i don’t know that it was worth 9 hours of a day in Morocco. Pick up was timely at hotel and ride was a nice bus although the AC didn’t work. The driver didn’t say a word on the 2 1/2 hour ride there or 2 1/2 hour ride back. No points of interest, no history not a word which made the ride seem that much longer. The ride was scenic through the RIF mountains but not for 5 hours! The were 2 pit stops along the way that were billed as photo stops (They seemed more like tourist traps to sell you food/drinks ect. I get it, the blue city is a distance from Tangier but the ride could certainly have been more entertaining. Most of my bus didn’t speak english but we were paired with a local guide when we arrived who’s english was a bit better. We had about 2 hours to kill after the local tour before the bus pick up so we walked around and grabbed a bite to eat. This too could have been cut shorter as just about everyone on our bus was back 30 minutes before it arrived. Cool to see but prepare for a long day!