By bus - There are frequent buses from Fez and Tetouan and also from Casablanca, Rabat, Meknes, Tangier and Ceuta.
Local buses plying the route from Fez to Tetouan/ Tangier stop at Derdara 8 km away, where you can get into one of the frequent grand taxis for 5 Dh. This avoids the long uphill walk from the bus station.
The main bus station gare routière. edit is a fifteen minute walk from the medina which is uphill, trough Av. Mohamed V. There are usually a couple of petit taxis waiting for a customer at the entry. Don't pay more than Dh 10 to get to the medina. If it is hot, or, as is very likely, you have just endured a long coach drive to the town, you should seriously consider climbing into one of these taxis. Likewise, coming to Chefchaouen in the middle of the cold season can only make the ascending walkways as punishing as in the summer. With a heavy backpack, the walk up to the hotels of the town can be fairly strenuous!
On arriving in Chefchaouen, you may be met by touts at the bus station. These will probably try to take you to some cheap and low-quality hostel in the medina - but it is advisable to find the place by yourself, because if you arrive with touts, you'll be charged extra so they can get their commission. Touts will then insist that you follow them to their house in the medina, and there try to sell you a stash of dope for 300-500 Dh. Refusing to buy is not contemplated, nor safe, if you end up in such a situation, so just say no from the beginning and don't sympathise nor accept help.Recently, the Souika/Mauretania hostel has many touts which quite aggressively try to get people there. They will claim the hotel youâre looking for is closed or on restauration. Don't trust these at all and insist on going to your originally planned destination.
