On a hill across the valley from the medina stands the Spanish Mosque (Bouzafar), built by the Spanish during their occupation of northern Morocco in the 1920s but never regularly used and long left abandoned. Restored in recent years, it's now visited less for the building itself than for what surrounds it: the single best panorama of Chefchaouen.
From the terrace beside the mosque, the whole blue town spreads across the opposite hillside, framed by the green folds of the Rif Mountains and the Ras el-Maa valley below. It's the classic Chefchaouen photograph, and it draws a small crowd at sunset when the low light warms the mountains and the town glows. Reaching it is a free, roughly 30-to-45-minute walk uphill on a dirt path that starts near Ras el-Maa — moderate effort, but manageable for most.
A private tour takes the guesswork out of the timing: your guide knows the path and how long the climb takes, so you can set out to catch sunrise or sunset at the top, and your driver is ready at the medina's edge when you come back down — no rushing to beat a tour bus's departure.
Highlights
- The panoramic terrace with the classic view over the whole blue town
- The restored 1920s Spanish-built hilltop mosque of Bouzafar
- Sunset and sunrise light over the Rif Mountains and medina
- The scenic uphill trail starting near the Ras el-Maa spring
- A free, open viewpoint with no entry ticket required
Best Time to Visit
Around sunset for the warmest light on the town, or sunrise for far fewer people — allow 30–45 minutes for the uphill walk each way.