Things to do · Essaouira
Essaouira pairs a UNESCO-listed walled medina with windswept Atlantic beaches, a working fishing port and a deep Gnaoua music heritage. Here are twelve experiences that capture the salt-air spirit of Morocco's coolest coastal town.
12 experiences
Stroll the 18th-century sea bastion, lined with bronze Spanish and Dutch cannons, for sweeping Atlantic views. Orson Welles filmed the opening of his 1952 'Othello' here, and Game of Thrones used the walls for Astapor.
Designed in the 1760s by French engineer Théodore Cornut, the whitewashed medina is a UNESCO World Heritage site. Its grid of lanes shelters spice stalls, jewellery souks and craft workshops behind blue-shuttered doors.
The Skala du Port and its iconic blue wooden boats form one of Morocco's busiest sardine harbours. Arrive in late afternoon to see the fleet land its catch and gulls wheel above the auction.
A wide crescent of golden sand sweeps south from the medina toward the dunes and the ruined Borj el Bermil. The steady trade winds keep it cooler than inland cities and ideal for long walks.
Essaouira's reliable 'alizée' trade winds earned it the nickname 'Wind City of Africa'. Schools along the bay rent gear and teach windsurfing and kitesurfing, with the strongest, most consistent winds from April to September.
Local stables offer guided horse and camel rides along the beach toward the Oued Ksob river mouth and the windswept Sidi Kaouki shoreline, a relaxed way to take in the dunes and Atlantic surf.
The town's palm-edged main square links the medina to the port and buzzes with cafés. It is the heart of festival season and a prime spot to sip mint tea and watch Essaouira life unfold.
Essaouira has a vibrant art scene of small galleries showing Gnaoua-inspired painters. Artisans here are famous for carving and inlaying fragrant thuya (thuja) wood, a craft unique to the region, into boxes and furniture.
The town is the spiritual home of Gnaoua, a hypnotic Sufi music blending African, Berber and Arab roots. The Gnaoua World Music Festival, running since 1998, fills the streets every June with free concerts.
The region around Essaouira is the heartland of the argan tree, found almost nowhere else on Earth. Women's co-operatives nearby demonstrate the traditional hand-cracking process and sell culinary and cosmetic argan oil.
Pick your fish straight off the ice at the port-side grill stalls and have it cooked on the spot, or dine on sardines, calamari and prawns in the medina. The day's catch is as fresh as Morocco gets.
About 25 km south, this wild surf-and-windsurf village centres on the seaside marabout shrine of Sidi Kaouki. Its long empty beach and laid-back cafés make a perfect half-day escape from town.
Two days is enough to explore the medina, ramparts and port and enjoy the beach. Stay three or more if you want to windsurf, take day trips to Sidi Kaouki or visit argan co-operatives.
Spring (April to June) and autumn (September to October) offer warm, pleasant weather. Wind lovers favour the strong summer trade winds, while June brings the famous Gnaoua World Music Festival.
Essaouira's beach is superb for walking, windsurfing, kitesurfing and horse or camel rides, but the steady wind and cool Atlantic make it better for watersports than for sunbathing or calm swimming.
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