What can you do in Essaouira in two days?

Essaouira is where Morocco exhales. After the intensity of Marrakech, this fortified Atlantic town runs at half the speed, and two days is exactly enough to fall into its rhythm without getting restless. Day one belongs to the medina — a compact, whitewashed, UNESCO-listed grid that's blissfully easy to navigate, with blue shutters, gulls overhead and the constant Atlantic wind. Walk the Skala de la Ville, the sea ramparts lined with bronze cannons where Orson Welles filmed Othello, then drift down to the harbour as the blue fishing boats come in. You pick your fish straight off the ice and they grill it for you at the port stalls — my favourite cheap lunch in all of Morocco.

The afternoon of day one is for getting pleasantly lost: argan-oil cooperatives, thuya-wood marquetry workshops (Essaouira is the world capital of this fragrant inlaid woodwork), galleries showing the town's distinctive naïve Gnaoua-inspired art, and rooftop cafés for the sunset. There's no must-see checklist pressure here, which is the charm.

Day two I push you out to the beach and the wind. The vast sweep of sand south of the medina is one of the best windsurfing and kitesurfing spots in the world — even total beginners can take a lesson — and if you'd rather stay dry, a horseback or camel ride along the surf toward the ruined Borj el Berod (the 'Castles in the Sand' that supposedly inspired Hendrix) is unforgettable. The wind is strong and steady, so it's an active beach, not a sunbathing one; pack a layer.

Two days is my standard recommendation. Essaouira is a three-hour drive from Marrakech and is most often done as an overnight or two-night escape from it. Stay longer only if you've come specifically to surf, paint or simply do nothing — and plenty of travellers happily do exactly that.