Chefchaouen is probably one of the safest and most peaceful cities in Morocco, North Africa. It´s located in the Rif Mountains inland from Tangiers and Tetouan.

Unlike most other Moroccan cities, there are no warnings about walking around in the streets alone, even in the middle of the night. It´s very relaxed.

This is where most of the country´s cannabis is produced. It´s sold all over town. It´s such an intrinsic part of life here that they even sell it together with the vegetables, herbs and spices on the street. Nobody blinks an eye and there is never any trouble. Chefchaouen could well be proof that cannabis use doesn´t necessarily lead to crime, as long as the drug itself isn´t considered illegal.

The city itself is simply stunning; a cluster of pristine white houses with intense blue doors and windows dramatically clinging to the side of the mountain. At the top there is a water source where the kids play during the hot summer months, in some of the most idyllic surroundings you´ll ever see. The streets are incredibly well taken care of and cleaner than any you will find anywhere in Morocco.

Chefchaouen has an intriguing history. It remained a bastion against European influence for many years. Even though it´s just 100 kilometers from mainland Europe, no Europeans had ever set foot here until 1920. For a long time, Chefchaouen was a refuge for Moors fleeing from Spain after Christianity brought the country into the Dark Ages.

The first European visitors to Chefchaouen had to wear disguises, but one of them was eventually found out and killed by the locals.

Things are very different today; there´s no hostility whatsoever. The Chefchaoueners are very open and friendly towards foreign visitors.

In Chefchaouen, they are a lot slower in picking up Western habits than in other Moroccan cities. The city appears, as if, untouched by time and completely devoid of mass western commercialism (apart from the usual bottles of coke!).