The north is a different Morocco: greener, cooler in summer, with Andalusian echoes in its white and blue towns. Chefchaouen is the blue city of the Rif; Tangier looks across the Strait to Spain; and on 2 August 2027 the path of a total solar eclipse crosses both.
Chefchaouen
Founded in 1471 in the folds of the Rif, Chefchaouen is washed in every shade of blue. The medina is small and easy to walk; go early, before the day visitors arrive, and climb to the Spanish Mosque for sunset over the town. Ras el-Ma, the spring at the medina’s edge, is where the town comes to cool off. Within an hour are the Akchour waterfalls and the natural arch known as God’s Bridge in Talassemtane National Park.
We book Dar Echchaouen and Lina Ryad & Spa, both in or beside the old town.
Tangier and Tetouan
Tangier has reinvented itself: a restored kasbah and medina, a new marina, Cap Spartel where the Mediterranean meets the Atlantic, and the Caves of Hercules. Tetouan, between Tangier and Chefchaouen, has a white medina listed by UNESCO in 1997 and a strong Andalusian craft tradition.
The 2027 total solar eclipse
On 2 August 2027 the path of totality crosses northern Morocco, with about 4 min 50 s of totality in Tangier and Tetouan and just over 4 minutes in Chefchaouen. Hotels in the north are already filling. Everything you need is in our 2027 eclipse guide.
When to go
The north is a late-spring to early-autumn region. From November to March it is the wettest part of Morocco — Chefchaouen averages over 100 mm of rain in several winter months — while in summer Tangier stays near 28 °C, far cooler than Fes or Marrakech.
Weather planner
Chefchaouen & the north, month by month
| Month | High | Low | Rain | Our rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 57°F | 43°F | 3.7″ | Cool |
| Feb | 59°F | 43°F | 3.5″ | Wetter |
| Mar | 63°F | 46°F | 4.5″ | Wetter |
| Apr | 66°F | 49°F | 3.9″ | Wetter |
| May | 73°F | 54°F | 2.6″ | Good |
| Jun | 81°F | 61°F | 0.7″ | Best |
| Jul | 89°F | 67°F | 0.1″ | Good |
| Aug | 90°F | 68°F | 0.3″ | Good |
| Sep | 81°F | 63°F | 1.8″ | Best |
| Oct | 73°F | 57°F | 4.3″ | Wetter |
| Nov | 64°F | 49°F | 4.8″ | Wetter |
| Dec | 59°F | 45°F | 4.8″ | Wetter |
Chefchaouen & the Rif: Modelled: ERA5 reanalysis (Copernicus/ECMWF) via Open-Meteo, 1991–2020 averages — no public weather station here.
