Essaouira

Essaouira is Morocco's most relaxed and charming coastal town, a fortified Atlantic port whose UNESCO medina of whitewashed, blue-shuttered houses is ringed by sea ramparts and cannon. Its busy fishing harbour lands the daily catch, gulls wheel over the walls, and a laid-back, artistic and windswept air, beloved of surfers, kitesurfers and musicians, makes it a breezy contrast to the intense inland cities.

Background

Until the 1960s the town was known as Mogador, a name probably derived from Amegdul, which the 11th-century geographer al-Bakrī recorded. Hanno, the Carthaginian navigator, called here in the 5th century BCE and set up the trading post of Arambys. Around the close of the 1st century BCE, or early in the 1st century CE, the Berber king Juba II founded a Tyrian purple works that processed murex and purpura shells from the local rocks and the Iles Purpuraires. The present city was the work of the 'Alawid sultan Mohammed bin Abdallah, who in 1760 handed its design to several architects, among them Théodore Cornut and Ahmed al-Inglizi, to suit foreign merchants. It had 82,962 inhabitants in 2024.

Source: Wikipedia, "Essaouira"

What's there

• The sea ramparts - the fortified walls and cannon over the Atlantic.
• The medina - the whitewashed, blue-shuttered lanes and art galleries.
• The fishing harbour - the busy port and its daily catch.
• The windswept beach - the long beach for surfing and kitesurfing.

When to go

Spring to autumn for the warmest weather, though the Atlantic wind blows year-round, cooling the town and drawing surfers. It makes an easy and popular escape from the heat of Marrakech.

Before you go

The famous wind that makes it great for kitesurfing can make the beach chilly and blustery for sunbathing, so it is more a town-and-harbour destination than a classic beach resort. It is popular and can be busy in season, though far more laid-back than Marrakech or Fes.

Nearby

Marrakech is about three hours inland; the argan-oil country and coast spread around.

Key facts