Tangier & Chefchaouen by Train — Self-Launched 2-Day Version

Book an early Al Boraq high-speed train from Casablanca Voyageurs (or Casa Port) to Tangier Ville — roughly 2h10 and around £17–20 in second class if booked a few days ahead on oncf-voyages.ma. From Tangier Ville station it's a 15-minute walk or a £1 petit taxi into the medina. Drop your bag at a guesthouse in or beside the medina (Dar-style riad hostels and small guesthouses run £18–30 for a private room, £10–14 for a dorm bed). Spend the morning walking the Kasbah and its narrow streets on your own — the Kasbah Museum and the Café Hafa terraces are cheap and atmospheric. In the afternoon take the local city bus or a shared grand taxi out to Cap Spartel and the Caves of Hercules (about 30–40 min each way, £2–4 return by bus; a shared taxi is £6–10). Skip any paid monument interiors you don't fancy — most medina wandering is free. Dinner: a tagine or grilled fish in the medina for £6–9.

🚌ONCF Al Boraq train Casablanca Voyageurs → Tangier Ville, ~2h10, ~£17–20 second class (book at oncf-voyages.ma). Petit taxi station → medina ~£1. Local bus to Cap Spartel/Caves of Hercules ~£2–4 return, or shared grand taxi ~£6–10.

🛏Medina guesthouse or riad hostel in Tangier (private room ~£18–30, dorm ~£10–14)

• →Al Boraq high-speed train Casablanca → Tangier
• →Self-guided walk of the Kasbah and medina
• →Cap Spartel lighthouse & viewpoint
• →Caves of Hercules
• →Grand Socco square
• →Sunset at Café Hafa

Take an early CTM or local bus from Tangier to Chefchaouen (about 2h45–3h, £5–7 one way; book CTM online or buy at the station the day before). Arrive around 10:30–11:00 and spend the whole day in the blue city: wander the medina's blue-washed lanes, look into the Kasbah and its garden (£2–3), see the Great Mosque from outside (non-Muslim entry is not permitted), browse the pottery, weaving and djellaba souks, and walk up to the Spanish Mosque viewpoint for the classic panorama over the Rif (£0). Lunch of a cheap berber omelette or pastilla for £3–5. Aim to leave Chefchaouen mid/late afternoon — either a direct CTM bus back toward Casablanca (some services via Tangier or Fes, 5–6h) or, more reliably, a bus back to Tangier and the evening train to Casablanca Voyageurs (arriving late evening). Alternatively, skip the long return and stay a night in Chefchaouen's superb-value guesthouses (£15–25) before continuing the next morning.

🚌CTM bus Tangier → Chefchaouen ~2h45–3h, ~£5–7. Return: CTM bus Chefchaouen → Tangier ~£5–7 then ONCF train Tangier Ville → Casablanca ~2h10, ~£17–20 (or direct CTM bus to Casablanca, ~£12–15, 5–6h).

🛏None needed if returning to Casablanca; optional guesthouse in Chefchaouen £15–25 private room

• →Bus over the Rif foothills to Chefchaouen
• →Self-guided medina wander
• →Chefchaouen Kasbah & gardens
• →Great Mosque exterior
• →Souk shopping (pottery, weaving, textiles)
• →Spanish Mosque / Rif viewpoint hike