Casablanca Chefchaouen (Blue City) Experience Blogs Fes Morocco Rabat-Sale Tangier

Casablanca, Rabat, Fes, Tangier & The Blue City

Casablanca (North Africa)

Goat herder in Casablanca, Morocco
North Africa

This final leg of my North Africa (Moroccan) adventure starts and ends with literally & figuratively colorful cities (Casablanca & Chefchaouen/The Blue City).

In the middle was fiery Marrakech AKA The Red City. My red braids were purely a coincidence.

After the three-and-a-half hour drive from Marrakech, I arrived in Casablanca to the Barcelo Anfa.

Its five stars were night and day to the riad I had spent two nights in.

Like a prodigal daughter, my robe and slippers awaited me in my spacious, well-lit, modern room.

The hotel is lovely with rooftop views of the city.

Barcelo Anfa Casablanca rooftop views

A big and soft bed provided unlimited hugs. I was grateful for the beautiful glass shower that appeared spotless!

The hotel delivered excellent service in the restaurant. The staff overall were accommodating and friendly.

The Hammam was quite the affair. It was my first time so Iโ€™d done a lot of research.

You start in a disposable bottom and go into a sauna to open your pores and detoxify.

Next, you lay on a marble surface and get scrubbed from head to toe (minus the groin area). They rinse you off and you complete the job in the shower.

They even wash your hair but I declined due to my freshly done braids.

Itโ€™s such a comforting experience. It reminded me of my mom bathing me as a child.

The only thing I didnโ€™t like was that there were no cookies provided, most places I read about had given them with tea.

Thereโ€™s an ATM and strip within walking distance of the hotel and they provide money exchange services.

Rickโ€™s Cafe (Casablanca movie)

Before embarking on my travel adventures, I usually intentionally or unintentionally immerse myself in something related to the place.

This is mostly in the form of movies.

For Morocco, I chose the Oscar-winning Casablanca. Itโ€™s easily one of the greatest movies of all time.

The 1942 movie was filmed in black and white.

The fictional Rickโ€™s Cafe was where American expats and tourists gathered for a taste of home.

The late Kathy Kriger was an American diplomat and a fan of the movie.

When she was posted in Casablanca she filled the marketing void and brought the โ€œgin jointโ€ to life. Itโ€™s a replica of the movie.

Dinner at Casablanca was such an elegant outing with a live pianist to boot.

The menu is American and like the movie, a nice reminder of home.

After a paid breakfast the next morning, we left for Hassan II Mosque. There was a slight miscommunication in the pickup but Iโ€™ll omit the details.

All tours were booked through Viator.com.

At the mosque, shoes had to be removed. I was just grateful non-Muslims were allowed to enter.

Itโ€™s a sight to see. Red carpet is everywhere, so itโ€™s just my style. The outside was just as amazing.

Then we left for Sale and Rabat (the capital city of Morocco).

In Sale, we stopped at a botanical garden (Jardin Dโ€™Essais Botanique) to walk around and take pictures.

In Rabat, Hassan Towerโ€™s construction has been halted since 1199. This is where the famous guard pictures are taken.

We saw the tallest building being built in Sale/Rabat (Mohammed VI Tower. This was in January 2023.

We had lunch an โ€œAmericanโ€ lunch at Bouregreg Marina (Royal Burger). I donโ€™t recommend it, except for the pizza!

Burger and fries at Royal BurgerBouregreg Marina Sale

Fes

Fes was the most complicated of all the cities as far as tours were concerned.

It was a four-hour drive from Morocco and not many were offered. It was also costly. 

But as usual, I had a plan B if it didnโ€™t work out. And of course, they canceled the night before.

So plan B was traveling by train and meeting a tour there.

Thankfully, the tour included pickup.

Fes is the second and Casablanca is the largest city in Morocco.

Our guide described Fes as an open-air museum, Athens of Africa, and a melting pot/universal museum.

Like Marrakech, it was an inspiring blend of old and new. Donโ€™t expect American niceties like โ€œExcuse meโ€™sโ€ here!

Fes is the oldest imperial city in Morocco and has the largest car-free urban zone in the world!

We visited on a day when the blacksmiths/artisansโ€™ shops were closed.

So we mostly walked around the medina and viewed shops, two adjoining 13th-century inns (Fondouqs Chemmaine & Sbitriyne), a mosque, and the tannery of course.

The Chouara tannery had shops that sold leather goods and other clothing items so be prepared to bargain!

As far as the smell, they give mint leaves to offset it but if youโ€™ve ever been to a fish market, the odor is similar.

I donโ€™t recall seeing elevators so if youโ€™re impaired by mobility, you may not be able to take part.

Chefchaouen (The Blue City)

This ended up being the second train ride in Morocco. It was initially supposed to be the only one until Fes.

Casablanca is about a four drive to Chefchaouen but most tours listed the time as 13-14 hours?

Plus they were pricey and I didnโ€™t want to be in a car that long.

It made more sense to join a tour in Tangier (the nearest city to The Blue City). The total drive time would be about two hours.

Some tours included the train ride for more money so I skipped those too,

I arranged for another pickup from the train station. I had to choose an arrival that would allow enough time in case the train ran late.

The trains also allowed an option to upgrade which I highly recommend.

Donโ€™t forget your passport when traveling by train.

I was surprised to learn that Chefchaouen is surrounded by the Rif mountains. Many of the buildings are very old and need a fresh coat of paint.

Also, our guides reminded us that we were photographing peopleโ€™s homes.

Many people did not want to be photographed and those who did charged a fee.

So those innocuous photos on Instagram are not just of random public places.

After the drive from Tangier, we visited a rest stop before entering The Blue City.

It was surprisingly a Spanish restaurant with a stunning panoramic view. After I thought about it, Spain was closer to that part of Morocco.

Feeling Blue

As a melanated person, it was extremely hard to find good lighting.

This surprised me since The Blue City was so Instagrammable. I had to rely on Snapchat

.

I did the best that I could!

We learned about the blue dye used to paint the structures in the medina and visited a local bakery.

I mentioned it in another blog, but a sense of community is huge in Morocco.

Most homes donโ€™t have ovens so for a small fee, the people could bring their uncooked food to the bakery.

We ended the day with a delicious lunch at a restaurant called Triana.

After visiting The Blue City, not much time was left for Tangier. It was dark and the last stop was a sweeping view of the city.

~Poofโ€ฆBee Gone

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ยฉ 2024, Poof Bee Gone LLC, All Rights Reserved

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14 Comments

  • Reply
    Monika
    November 11, 2024 at 7:13 am

    Loved reading your article. I am going to Morocco next year and looking forward to that even more now.

    • Reply
      poofbeegone
      November 11, 2024 at 8:39 pm

      Hi Monika. Thank you so much. ๐Ÿ™‚ Check out my other Morocco blogs if you need ideas! ๐Ÿ™‚

  • Reply
    Her Asian Adventures
    November 11, 2024 at 9:00 am

    Great post! I have only been to marrakech and your blog has made me so excited to visit all this incredible cities!

    • Reply
      poofbeegone
      November 11, 2024 at 8:40 pm

      Hi there, thank you for stopping by! ๐Ÿ™‚

  • Reply
    KEVIN FOODIE
    November 11, 2024 at 4:08 pm

    You are such a great storyteller. Happy you had a good experience at the hotels you booked. I can tell you had a great Moroccan adventure. I am inspired to visit someday. Thanks for sharing your experiences.

    • Reply
      poofbeegone
      November 11, 2024 at 8:40 pm

      Hey Kevin! ๐Ÿ™‚ Thank you so much!!! ๐Ÿ™‚

  • Reply
    Lauren Maker
    November 12, 2024 at 2:23 am

    This is my next destination.
    Fabulous read!
    Thank you for sharing!

    • Reply
      poofbeegone
      January 8, 2025 at 12:02 pm

      Hi Lauren! ๐Ÿ™‚ Thank you! Happy to be of service!!! ๐Ÿ™‚

  • Reply
    Niru
    November 13, 2024 at 8:45 pm

    Loved reading this! Never been to Morocco before, but your post has inspired me to plan my trip!

    • Reply
      poofbeegone
      January 8, 2025 at 12:05 pm

      Hi Niru! ๐Ÿ™‚ Thank you! I love hearing this!!! ๐Ÿ™‚

  • Reply
    Leir
    November 16, 2024 at 11:38 am

    Wow, this is a very interesting place. Thanks for the info.

    • Reply
      poofbeegone
      January 8, 2025 at 12:05 pm

      Hi Leir! Thanks for stopping by! ๐Ÿ™‚

  • Reply
    Elaina
    November 17, 2024 at 8:24 am

    Would love to travel to Morocco at some point! Love the colorful photos as well ๐Ÿ™Œ๐Ÿ‘

    • Reply
      poofbeegone
      January 9, 2025 at 9:28 pm

      Hi Elaina, thanks so much! Thatโ€™s music to my ears!!:)

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