Essaouira

Essaouira is one of the most charming towns on Morocco’s Atlantic coast, well suited to first time visitors wishing to explore a Moroccan walled town and enjoy the long sandy beaches and activities including water sports, for which it is renowned.

Harbour View Essaouira

The Town

The heart of Essaouira is a small traditional medina, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, relatively unspoiled by tourism. The souks are quiet compared with Marrakech (2.5 hours' drive to the east) and offer an exciting range of craft goods including exquisite marquetry, made from the fragrant local thuya wood. The beautiful Portuguese architecture of the walled town ends at an attractive traditional fishing port, where many fish restaurants enjoy beautiful views of the Atlantic.

Offering an excellent range of beach and water sports, its 10 km long sandy bay is blessed by protection from the offshore island of Mogador and an equable climate. It is feasible to visit Essaouira as a day trip from Marrakech, but it is well worthy of staying for a night or more. There is the option of travel to/ from Marrakech by excellent inexpensive coaches.

In modern times the town has understandably been well loved by artists and poets, and today offers visitors a seaside destination – a place to relax but with lots of options for the more active.

Things to do or see

In the Medina

A fascinating place to wander around and to shop for fabrics, thuya marquetry and much more.
Sidi Mohamed ben Abdallah museum of regional art is in a house previously belonging to a pasha, and is the main museum of interest in the medina covering the traditions of local music.
A number of riads offer hammams and massage; thalassotherapy (seawater based therapy) is available too.

Outside of the Medina

Land based activities such as camel and horse treks (pre-booking advised for both), walking and cycling.
Water based activities including fishing and water sports (surfing, wind and kite surfing), for which hire shops and schools teaching these are found on the beach front. Swimming - in the sea, weather permitting; or, for those who prefer a pool, there are 2 hotels whose pools can be used by those staying in the old town, for a small charge, although one is only available to residents in July and August.
Observation of wildlife, especially birds.
Excursions to a variety of interesting places nearby. For further details see things to do in the right hand panel.

Weather

Essaouira enjoys a very temperate climate and, therefore, is an ideal all year round destination (although it can be windy, especially in peak summer months). The coast is often breezy in summer, and therefore feels several degrees cooler than inland. Average air temperatures, wind speeds and rainfall in the region are shown below.