About
Essaouira
Essaouira is charming town to include in your holiday in Morocco. We offer a range of riads in the traditional, bustling medina and boutique hotels from which to explore the medina and active fishing port or to enjoy the long sandy beach on the Atlantic coast.
It is well suited to first time visitors wishing to explore a Moroccan walled town, the sandy beaches offering activities including water sports, for which it is renowned, and horse/camel riding is available nearby. It lies around 2.5 hours west of Marrakech with which it ties in well for an interesting two centre holiday.
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 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.
In modern times the town has been well loved by artists and poets, and today offers visitors a seaside destination to relax or be active. Its 10 km long sandy bay offers an excellent range of water sports and is protected by the offshore island of Mogador.
There is the option of travel to/from Marrakech by excellent inexpensive coaches. It is feasible to visit Essaouira as a day trip from Marrakech, but it is well worthy of staying for a couple of nights or more.
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 or windy in summer, and therefore feels several degrees cooler than inland.
Location
Essaouira known until the 1960s as Mogador, is a port city in the western Moroccan region of Marakesh-Safi, on the Atlantic coast midway between Safi and Agadir.
In the Medina
- A fascinating place to wander around and to shop for fabrics, local Moroccan art, thuya marquetry and leather goods.
- 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
Outside of the Medina
- Land based activities such as camel and horse treks (pre-booking advised for both).
- Water based activities including 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.
- Observation of wildlife, especially birds
Itinerary Inspiration featuring Essaouira
03 Coast, City and Culture of the Berbers
04 Marrakech, High Atlas and Atlantic Coast
08 Atlantic Coast and Medinas
13 Grand Tour of Morocco
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