What's a good Morocco itinerary that includes the coast?

Lots of people forget Morocco even has a coast — it's so associated with deserts and souks — but it has a long, characterful Atlantic shoreline, and folding it in gives a trip a wonderful change of rhythm. The easiest way to include the coast is to pair Essaouira with a Marrakech-based itinerary, because it's only a two-and-a-half to three-hour drive from Marrakech and offers a completely different mood: breezy ramparts, a working fishing harbour, blue-shuttered lanes, grilled seafood and a laid-back, arty soul.

For a week, my favourite coast-inclusive plan is the classic loop with a seaside finish: two days in Marrakech, the three-day desert journey out to the Merzouga (or closer Zagora) dunes, and then a couple of days unwinding in Essaouira at the end. After the dry intensity of the Sahara, arriving at the cool, windswept Atlantic feels glorious — it's the perfect decompression, and the contrast between dunes and ocean within one short trip is pure Morocco. You can do Essaouira as a long day trip from Marrakech too, but an overnight is far better for catching sunset on the ramparts.

If you have more time and the coast is a real priority, you can build a wider Atlantic arc. Beyond Essaouira there's Casablanca with its vast oceanfront Hassan II Mosque, the elegant capital Rabat with its kasbah above the sea, the Portuguese walled town of El Jadida, and the lagoon and oysters of Oualidia further south. Up north, Asilah's whitewashed, mural-painted ramparts and the storied port of Tangier add a Mediterranean-meets-Atlantic flavour. A 10-to-14-day trip can thread several of these between the inland highlights.

And if 'coast' means surf and beach time rather than historic ports, point south to the Agadir–Taghazout stretch — Morocco's surf capital, with mellow beginner waves, yoga, argan country and Paradise Valley's palm pools nearby. My advice: decide whether you want the coast as a relaxing counterpoint (one or two nights in Essaouira slotted into a city-and-desert trip) or as a main theme (a multi-stop Atlantic route or a surf-coast base), and build from there. Either way, adding the sea stops a Morocco trip feeling all heat and stone, and gives you that lovely exhale by the water.