Essaouira day trip from Marrakech

The road to the coast

Essaouira lies roughly 190 km west of Marrakech, usually about two and a half to three hours by road. The drive crosses dry plains and then argan country, where the trees that give Morocco's argan oil grow wild along the roadside, before reaching the Atlantic.

A walled port on the Atlantic

The town was laid out in the 18th century as a fortified port, and its medina is a UNESCO World Heritage site. Inside the ramparts, the streets are straight and easy to walk, lined with workshops, galleries and small squares. On the sea side, the old fortifications look out over the rocks and the islands just offshore.

The fishing harbour is still busy: blue wooden boats come and go, and the catch is sold and grilled at simple stalls near the port. Essaouira is also known for its woodworkers, who carve the fragrant local thuya wood into boxes and furniture.

Wind, light and music

The trade wind blows for much of the year, which keeps the town cooler than Marrakech and makes the long beach popular for kitesurfing and windsurfing rather than sunbathing. Every summer the town hosts the Gnaoua World Music Festival.

Practical tips

• Bring a light jacket: even on hot days in Marrakech, the coast can be cool and windy.
• The medina is flat and compact, so comfortable shoes are enough.
• Carry some cash in dirhams for food at the port and small purchases.

What a particular trip includes, how long you stay and which stops it makes depend on the option you book. They are shown under Ways to do this trip once dates and prices are published.

How to spend a day in Essaouira: a walking route

The medina is compact and flat, so a few hours on foot are enough to see its highlights without rushing. This route links them in a natural loop:

1. Bab Doukkala and the main street. Enter the medina through one of its old gates and follow the long, straight main street, lined with spice sellers, bakeries and small workshops.
2. The woodworkers' arcades. Under the ramparts, craftsmen work fragrant thuya wood into boxes and inlaid furniture. You can often watch them at work.
3. Skala de la Ville. Climb onto the sea ramparts, lined with old bronze cannons, for the classic view over the rocks and the ocean.
4. Place Moulay Hassan. The main square opens towards the sea, with cafés where you can sit and watch the town go by.
5. The port and Skala du Port. Walk out to the harbour, where the blue fishing boats come in, and up the port bastion for a view back over the medina walls.
6. Lunch at the fish grills. Near the port, simple stalls grill the day's catch. Agree the price before ordering.
7. The beach. End with a walk along the wide bay south of the medina, where kitesurfers make the most of the wind.

A short history: from Mogador to Essaouira

Long before the town existed, the small islands off the coast, known as Mogador, were used in antiquity to produce a prized purple dye from sea snails. The town you see today was founded in the 1760s by Sultan Mohammed ben Abdallah, who wanted a well-defended port open to foreign trade. He had it laid out by the French engineer Théodore Cornut, which explains the unusually straight streets and the European-style fortifications.

For a time Essaouira was one of Morocco's main trading ports, home to merchants of many origins, including an important Jewish community whose former quarter, the Mellah, still stands in the medina. Its walls later appeared on screen, notably in Orson Welles' film Othello, and today the town is as well known for music and art as for its fishing port.