What to see in Essaouira: medina, harbour and beach

Medina

Straight, whitewashed streets, laid out more neatly than in other cities. Sellers push a lot less than in Marrakech.

Skala de la Kasbah

A row of old cannons pointing out to the ocean. It's the most photographed spot in town and a good place for sunset.

Fishing port

Blue boats and fishermen at work as they come back in from sea. From the Skala du Port you look back over the medina.

Grilled fish

You pick the fish and they cook it on the spot. Ask the price before you order: this is where most surprises turn up on the bill.

Beach

With this much wind, few people lie out on a towel. It's a beach for walking, kitesurfing and windsurfing.

Thuya wood

A local tree used to make boxes, game boards and decorative pieces.

From Marrakech in a day

It's about three hours on the road each way.

What we recommend

The tour groups leave in the afternoon and the medina goes quiet.

Rest and wind

To slow down after the desert or to do some wind sports.

Place Moulay Hassan

The open square linking the medina to the port, lined with cafés. Everyone meets here and almost every visit starts here; in the late afternoon it fills with families and musicians.

• Cafés with terraces
• Two minutes from the boats

Old Mellah

The Jewish quarter, right up against the north wall. Many of the houses are in poor shape, but the Slat Attia synagogue was restored inside Bayt Dakira, a space devoted to the town's Jewish heritage.

• Quieter streets
• Check opening times first

Central market

Where the two main streets cross is where locals do their shopping: fish, spices, olives, bread and live chickens. This is the town that doesn't depend on tourism, especially before midday.

• Best in the morning
• Few souvenir shops

Purple Isles

The islands you see from the Skala are a nature reserve and can't be visited. In King Juba II's time, purple dye was made there from sea snails; today Eleonora's falcons nest on them.

• Visible from the Skala
• Binoculars if you like birds

Beach district

The modern part of town, with hotels, cafés and the seafront promenade, which you can walk end to end. At night it's quieter than the medina, and Place Moulay Hassan is about ten minutes away on foot.

• Hotels with parking
• Promenade for running or walking

Diabat and Borj el Berod

A small village past the Ksob river. On the beach are the ruins of Borj el Berod, half buried in sand. You get there along the shoreline, on foot or on horseback, in a good hour.

• Best at low tide
• Go out in the morning

Walls, port and medina

The port first thing, when the boats come in, then up onto the Skala du Port. After that the medina and the Mellah, fish for lunch, the thuya workshops in the afternoon and sunset on the Skala de la Kasbah.

• Port before 9:00
• Sunset on the Skala

Walk to Diabat

A morning along the beach to Diabat, on foot or on horseback, with the ruined fort halfway. In the afternoon, the central market, a neighbourhood hammam and dinner on a terrace looking over the rooftops.

• Leave early, before the wind picks up
• Be back before dark

South coast and wind

Half an hour by car to Sidi Kaouki for lunch by the sea and to watch the surfers, or a kitesurfing lesson in the bay. Head back before it gets dark.

• Fish lunch on the beach
• Kite schools in the bay

Day visit

On the day trip from Marrakech you get about five hours here. Put the port, the Skala and the medina first, eat fish near the port and leave shopping until the end, close to where the car picks you up.

• Early start from Marrakech
• Back at nightfall

If it blows too hard

When the wind is strong, the beach gets unpleasant. Use the day for the Mellah and Bayt Dakira, the thuya workshops, a hammam and a long lunch in a riad with an enclosed courtyard.

• Neighbourhood hammam
• Enclosed courtyard for lunch

With children

A wide beach, camel or horse rides and a car-free medina: it works well with kids. Bring windbreakers for them, because here the wind tires them out more than the sun does.

• Wide beach with no rocks
• Windbreaker and cap

Chargrilled sardines

The cheapest and freshest thing at the port. They weigh the fish in front of you; before you sit down, ask the price per kilo and whether bread, salad and sauces are included.

• Best at lunchtime
• Agree the price before ordering

Sea urchins and oysters

Carts by the port entrance open sea urchins to order and sell oysters, which usually come from Oualidia. You eat them standing up, with lemon. Only order them if they're on ice and opened in front of you.

• On ice and freshly opened
• Better in winter than in August

Fish tagine

On the coast, tagine is made with fish, tomato, pepper and potato, dressed with a chermoula of coriander, garlic and cumin. You'll find it in the simple restaurants of the medina, and it's usually cheaper than the grill.

• Ask for the catch of the day
• Cheap in the medina

Buy it and have it cooked

Many locals buy their fish at the market and take it to a nearby grill that charges to cook it. It works out cheaper than at the port; agree the grill's fee first.

• Fish from the market
• Grill price agreed first

Amlou with bread

A spread of toasted almonds, argan oil and honey. Many riads serve it at breakfast with warm bread and msemen, and the cooperatives sell it in jars to take home.

• Small jar for the suitcase
• Best from a cooperative

Seafood pastilla

The coastal version of pastilla: rice noodles, prawns and squid inside thin, crisp pastry. It's a celebration dish, ordered to share between two or three.

• For sharing
• Ask for a half portion if they do one

Thuya wood pieces

Boxes, boards and bowls made in the workshops along the wall. A good piece smells of resin and shows the grain of the root; the very cheap ones are usually stained wood.

• Small box from about 50 MAD
• Buy at the workshop

Argan oil

Cosmetic argan oil is raw and barely smells; culinary oil is made from the toasted kernel and tastes nutty. Be wary of very cheap bottles in the souk.

• Cosmetic or culinary
• Cooperative with marked prices

Paintings by local artists

The town has many self-taught painters working in strong colours, often with Gnaoua themes or port scenes. Galleries in the medina mark their prices; on the street you'll see cheaper copies in the same style.

• Fixed price in galleries
• Ask for a certificate if it's expensive

Palm baskets and hats

Baskets, bags and hats in palm or raffia, made in the region. They weigh little, cost little and survive a suitcase far better than ceramics or glass.

• Light to pack
• Handy on the beach

How to bargain here

The first price is usually less inflated than in Marrakech. Offer a bit more than half, go up slowly and, if you can't agree, say goodbye politely.

• Take your time and keep it friendly
• Pay in dirhams

Finish your trip here

If you plan to buy a lot, leave Essaouira until the end so you're not carrying it all through the desert. That's how our 12-day grand tour from Tangier ends.

• Shopping at the end
• Less weight on the road

Riad with a roof terrace

Our preference, with a terrace over the sea or the rooftops. The car stops at one of the gates in the wall and a porter with a handcart takes your bags.

Modern hotels

A few minutes' walk from the medina, some with a pool.

Country guesthouses

Some are near Sidi Kaouki.

Bus, taxi or transfer

You'll see goats standing in argan trees; many are put there for tourists, and you'll be asked for money for the photo.

Agadir

On the road that follows the Atlantic.

Essaouira-Mogador Airport

Small, with flights almost all from Europe.

Sidi Kaouki

A surfers' beach.

Argan cooperatives

You see how the oil is made.

Horse, camel or kitesurf

Horse or camel rides and kitesurfing, windsurfing or surfing lessons.

Gnaoua World Music Festival

The dates change every year, so check them with official sources.