Essaouira · 9 picks
Essaouira
The short answer
Why go
The social and commercial heart of the medina, this broad square connects the port, the souks, and the ramparts. Lined with cafe terraces and flanked by the clock tower, it transforms after dark into an open-air gathering space where musicians, food vendors, and strolling locals create an effortless evening spectacle.
Why go
The fortified sea bastion guarding the harbour entrance bristles with 18th-century Portuguese bronze cannons still aimed defiantly at the Atlantic. The elevated walkway offers unobstructed ocean views and a front-row seat to the drama of incoming fishing boats navigating the harbour mouth. Film fans will recognise the location from Game of Thrones (Astapor scenes).
Why go
The longer city-side fortification stretches along the northern medina wall, its cannon-studded battlements offering panoramic views of the ocean, offshore Mogador Island, and the medina rooftops. At sunset the warm light on the golden stone is extraordinary.
Why go
Essaouira's working port is the town's pulsing artery. Blue wooden trawlers unload sardines, sea bream, and shellfish each morning while seagulls wheel overhead. Inside the port gates, a row of open-air grill stalls serve the freshest seafood in Morocco -- choose your fish from the ice displays, negotiate a price, and watch it sizzle over charcoal.
Why go
Housed in a former riad, this modest museum displays regional musical instruments (especially Gnawa sintar and qraqeb), Berber jewellery, traditional costumes, and weapons. A good introduction to the cultural currents that shaped the city.
Why go
A vast crescent of golden sand stretching south from the medina walls, battered by the constant alizee trade winds that make it a pilgrimage site for windsurfers and kitesurfers but too windy for comfortable sunbathing most days. Camel rides, horse rides, and football games animate the shoreline.
Why go
A quieter alternative to the main beach, Sidi Kaouki is a laid-back surfing village with consistent waves, beachfront cafes, and a fraction of the crowds. Accommodation ranges from simple guesthouses to boutique eco-lodges.
Why go
Gnawa music, rooted in sub-Saharan African spiritual traditions and recognised by UNESCO as Intangible Cultural Heritage, is Essaouira's defining soundtrack. The Zaouia of Sidi Bilal hosts trance rituals, while the annual Gnaoua World Music Festival (June) draws hundreds of thousands. Throughout the year, Gnawa musicians play in the streets and riads.
Why go
Essaouira is the centre of thuya-wood marquetry, a craft that produces exquisite boxes, chess sets, and furniture inlaid with lemonwood, mother-of-pearl, and silver. Watch master artisans at their lathes in small workshops along Rue Skala and purchase directly -- significantly cheaper than Marrakech souks.
After you ask for a quote
Every trip is private and priced to your dates, so there is no fixed price list. Ask, and the proposal shows the full cost before anything is booked.
One full day covers the ramparts, the port, the medina and the beach. Two days lets you slow down, add Sidi Kaouki or a surf lesson, and enjoy the town after the day visitors leave.
You can, but the Atlantic is cool and the wind is strong for much of the year. The beach is better for long walks, windsurfing and kitesurfing than for sunbathing.
It usually falls in June; the organisers announce the dates each year. Our 2027 events calendar shows it once confirmed.
Yes, as a full day through argan country to the coast. If you can, stay a night: the medina is at its best in the evening.
المغربⵜⴰⴳⵍⴷⵉⵜ ⵏ ⵍⵎⵖⵔⵉⴱThe Kingdom of Morocco