How to plan a perfect day trip to Essaouira

Last Updated on October 21, 2023 by

Essaouira is as small picturesque city facing the Atlantic coast of Morocco. Famous for being perpetually crossed by the Alizées. Strong trade winds that will make your lovely hat useful as a pen without ink. Essaouira is beautiful as the sound of its windy name. Located at less than 3 hours drive from Marrakech, Essaouira is the ideal location for a day trip or a short weekend away. In this guide, you will discover how to plan the perfect day trip to Essaouira from Marrakech for a full day of fun. Ready for exploring? Let’s go!

Essaouira has always been in my bucket-list of places to visit in Morocco. So, when we planned our 10-day road trip around the country, I decided to “sacrifice” one of the days in Marrakech for a nice day trip. What a great decision! Essaouira is charming and full of lively places. From the animated area of the port, to the (much easier to navigate) medina, to its lovely walls. A walk at sunset in its Atlantic promenade and you will feel like in a movie set with the wind blowing its fresher breeze.

A (short) history of Essaouira

Essaouira, is different from any other city you can visit in Morocco. Indeed, it has a strong European influence because its proximity to the coast and the past Portuguese and French presence. This shaped its history and architectural appereance since the Middle Ages making it the city that is today. When entering the medina, I had like a sort of déjà vu. Indeed, the city looked somehow similar to Faro in Algarve. Not sure if it was for the type of architecture of the Clock Tower, but the vibes were very similar.

History of a name

There is no better way of knowing a place than by its name. Essaouira’s one have quite an interesting twist. Indeed, we can say that the current name Essaouira (spelled as ESS-ə-WEER-ə) is the modern name of the more ancient city of Mogador. This was actually the official name of the city until the 1960s, when it was changed to the current Essaouira. There’s a debate about the origin of this name. In fact, some believe it originates from the Phoenician word “migdol,” meaning “small fortress.” Some others, assume that the name came from a Muslim saint buried in the city called Sidi Mogdoul. The truth is yet to be determined.

Portuguese and French Mogador

Portuguese, started the occupation of the Moroccan coastal cities in 1415. By 1515 they were already occupying 6 different cities and 6 other stand alone fortresses. Cities included Tangier and Azamor at just 15 mins from Casablanca. Fortresses included Santa Cruz do Cabo de Gué that later became Agadir and Castelo Real of Mogador in what it would become Essaouira. Nevertheless, the fortress had a short life. Indeed already in 1541, after the fall of Agadir, was abandoned to its destiny and fell in the hands of local pirates. French tried to occupy Mogador in 1629 but this initial occupation never happened as they returned back to Sale’ after gaining a good trade agreement with the Sultan. The fortress of Mogador was later destroyed in the late 18th century.

The foundation of Essaouira

The current city of Essaouira is relatively modern compared to the rest of Moroccan cities. Indeed, it was founded by the Moroccan King Mohammed III in the mid 18th century. His main objective was that of building a royal port known to the world that was as close as possible to Marrakech. The construction of the city started in 1760 under the direction of the French architect Théodore Cornut in collaboration with other European and Moroccan architects.

It is widely recorded that Cornut’s work was influenced by the work of the military engineer Vauban at Saint Malo. Indeed, both cities have similar appearance with their large bastions and the citadel enclosed within the walls. Cornut itself wanted to be in charge of the Kasbah area’s construction. Since its completion in 1770 till the 19th century, Essaouira was regarded as Morocco’s most important port. It was famous as the Port of Timbuktu thanks to its straight road to the central Morocco leading to the Atlas Mountain and desert.

Even after the bombardment and destruction of the Mogador fortress in 1844 and the French Protectorate until 1956, Essaouira remained a central location for sea trade.

Today, the medina of Essaouira (former Mogador) is regarded as a UNESCO World Heritage site. This because it represents an exceptional example of a late-18th-century fortified town, built according to the principles of contemporary European military architecture in a North African context.

Essaouira travel information

Here below you will find all the essential information to plan a perfect day trip to Essaouira.

How many days do I need in Essaouira?

Essaouira is a relatively small city. We found that one day trip for us it was satisfying to check-off all its main landmarks. However, if you want to savour more the local cuisine or have a better understanding of the city off the main beaten path, 2 days would be the right amount of time to explore.

Getting to Essaouira

Reaching Essaouira is very straightforward. Indeed, the city has been purposely built to be the closest port city to Marrakech. So, it proposes itself as a natural destination to visit for a day trip. We personally drove from Marrakech but, if without car, Essaouira is well-connected also by public transport.

Driving to Essaouira

Driving to Essaouira is very simple. The city is at less than 3 hours from Marrakesh and you’ll drive a route called N8 than R207 that is all straight (so you can’t get it wrong). As the route is straight and boring, I recommend you to download a podcast or a playlist to listen along the way.

We rented a car from Avis Downtown in Marrakech and this is my recommended rental for the trip as they were very professional with zero attempt to scam us (yes, I am looking at you Jordan).

The only thing you should pay attention when driving along this road, are speed cameras and police checkpoints. Indeed, it looks like this is one of the most surveilled routes in Morocco and speed infringements are heavily fined. The maximum speed you can go is 80 mph. Therefore, don’t expect to arrive earlier than you should. At the entrance of Essaouira, you’ll see a big police checkpoint where the maximum speed is 20 mph. Don’t go faster, or they’ll stop you and fine you.

Key swingers in Essaouira

As soon as we entered the city and passed the main police check-in, we saw something very unusual. Quite a lot of people jumped in front of our car or tried to approach us while driving by swinging some keys up in the air. I looked at Alessio and I literally said “what’s going on with these people?”. Some of them swinged their keys in the distance, some others were more aggressive and literally jumped in front of the car (yes we risked a few times to hit one of them trying to find parking). It took a while for us to figure it out what was going on. Especially because there was no info online about this weird “phenomenon” and nothing similar happened during our days in Marrakech.

We later discovered those people were trying to sell rental accommodations to possible tourists/local visitors in Essaouira. I honestly never seen anything like this before. In fact, it wasn’t just a matter of 1 or 2 people. A single road had at least 20 swingers. So, imagine how many we had to avoid until reaching the parking.

They are totally harmless, of course (if one doesn’t consider the possibility of getting hit by a car). But I thought I would write a few words about them because you will likely encounter them, yet finding information about them is difficult.

We saw some key swingers also in Chefchaouen but not as many as in Essaouira.

Parking in Essaouira

Parking in Essaouira, particularly during summer, can be a problem. Indeed, the city is quite popular for its beaches and summer festivals, so many Moroccans head there in summer. In this regard, on my map I saved a parking called “Parking Moulay Al Hassan” that turned out to be closed for some kind of festival that day. This was the biggest parking close to the city. After a moment of panic, we found another parking that on the map is just called “Parking lot”.

This is free to use (the other parking has a fee) and it’s just by the beach and just 6 mins walk from Sqala du Port. I pinpointed it on the map above. Not sure if the other parking will open on regular days but this one is a great alternative.

Arrive by public transport

Essaouira, is well-connected by public transport. In fact, there are two main coach services you can use to reach the city if not self-driving.

These are CTM and Supratours. CTM is the national company in Morocco, they provide newer and reliable buses with routes all around the country. The only downside is that they don’t have multiple departure times for certain destinations (e.g. for Essaouira), therefore if a slot is complete you should check different providers.

Soupratours is managed by ONCF and the tickets can be bought from the same website. Conversely to CTM they have multiple departures for certain destinations and their bus stations are generally closer to the city centre/medina than CTM. Soupratour bus tickets are 100 MAD one way. CTM tickets are slightly cheaper (90 MAD) but there is only one departure for Essaouira at 8.30 am.

Day trip to Essaouira. Getting around the city

Getting around Essaouira is very easy. In fact, the city is fully walkable and you don’t need a car or public transport to move from one place to another. However, if you have mobility problems, please note some part of the city are not accessible. This regards particularly a part of the ramparts and walls.

A perfect day trip to Essaouira

The below is exactly the itinerary we followed for our day trip to Essaouira. If you depart early enough from Marrakech (e.g. around 8/8.30 am), you should arrive by 11/11.30 am. This will give you plenty of time to explore the medina before heading for lunch.

Morning

If you arrive by 11 am, you have at least 2 hours to spend around the medina before lunch! This is perfect to explore the Medina markets and the Sidi Mohammed ben Abdallah Museum.

Explore Essaouira Medina and its souks

The Medina of Essaouira corresponds to the former Mogador. It’s surrounded by the 18th-century bastions and regarded as a UNESCO World Heritage site. If you have already visited Marrakech, you will notice a lot of differences between the two medinas. Indeed, Marrakech is chaotic and loud, full of vendors and tourists walking any walkable space (without counting the motorbikes!). The Medina of Essaouira couldn’t be more different. In fact, most of it is made of very quiet roads where children play football and residents live a quiet life.

In the central area, particularly in the main street Avenue de l’Istiqlal, you can find the souqs and fish markets. You’ll feel the smell of the fish markets much before you’ll see them as the air in that area is completely pervaded. As much as I don’t like fish, this smell reminds me a lot of the Pescheria in Catania (the city where I grew up). So I couldn’t help but feel somehow at home. One of the souks to check-out is certainly the one at Place du Marché aux Grains that has a lot of lovely shops.

Tips for photographing the Medina of Essaouira

It’s already known that Moroccan people don’t like much being photographed (who can blame them after all?). Nevertheless, people from Essaouira are particularly sensitive about the topic. You have to be very careful and trying to don’t photograph people’s faces directly (even at distance). Of course, sometimes is unavoidable due to the crowd, but be careful as much as possible.

In fact, I believe they don’t like people with cameras regardless of what they are photographing. I tell you this because I was trying to photograph a cat and a random man came to me telling me I couldn’t take pictures on the street (whaaat?). Other two people wanted to see what picture I shoot fearing they were in it. Of course they weren’t, but they saw me shooting at distance so they thought I was catching them. If you are a woman traveling alone, people (men) approaching you and asking you (not very politely) to see your shots can be quite intimidating. Therefore be careful. Better safe than sorry!

Visit the Sidi Mohammed ben Abdallah Museum

The Sidi Mohammed ben Abdallah Museum is the history museum of Essaouira. This has been named after the city’s founder, King Mohammed III. This museum is hosted in a 1800 colonial house and displays some of the oldest items belonging to the Gnawa ethinic group. These can’t really be found anywhere else. There is also a carpet hall displaying some beautiful handcrafted items of the area.

Nevertheless, my favourite part was actually the building itself. Indeed, this old building is one of a kind. Before hosting the museum, it was a seigniorial riad with a large number of rooms. Where now appears the staircase, there was a lovely courtyard with a large central fountain. The riad was transformed into the City Hall during the French protectorate. During this period, the courtyard was transformed and the staircase was built instead.

To me it still looks like a riad, but with a modern twist makes it a unique type of building. As you can expect, not many people know about this museum (the all coming for the Game of Thrones location uh?). Therefore, when we visited, it was absolutely deserted. This gave us a lot of time, not only to visit the exhibition but also to take some lovely pictures.

On a side note, I noticed that most explanatory cards on the item displayed were only in French or Arabic. Therefore, if you don’t speak those languages it’s hard to determine what are you are looking at. Nevertheless, you can ask at the entrance the mini English guide and the lady will give this to you (it’s free of charge).

Information for visit

The entrance fee to the museum is 60 MAD to be paid in cash.

The address is 161 Avenue Mohamed Zafzaf, Essaouira 44000, Morocco

Lunch

After our morning tour it was time for a lovely lunch!

Where to eat in Essaouira

The food scene in Essaouira is exciting! There are a lot of nice places. Little rooftop cafes, terrace bars, traditional restaurants and, of course, the best places where to have grilled fresh fish. There is literally something for everyone. After days of tagines in Marrakech, when I heard of this little brunch place called Mandala Society I was super excited to try it!

The restaurant is located on the main street of Essaouira. The space of the restaurant is very cosy and organised in multiple levels. There are not many tables and the restaurant is super popular. Therefore is better to book in advance to avoid any disappointment.

Mandala Society serves brunch until 2 pm and this is amazing because the brunch board includes a brunch dish, fresh orange juice and coffee. I personally take the Mandalavoca (but with bagel) and my husband enjoyed a Mandala quesadilla (all pictured above).

If by any chance Mandala Society doesn’t have space, another nice place for lunch is Cafe’ Clock.

Mandala Society Address

Av. de l’Istiqlal, Essaouira, Morocco

Afternoon

After a very filling lunch, it’s time to check off some well-known places. I am talking about the Essaouira Ramparts and the famous Sqala du Port, both set locations of Game of Game of Trones in Morocco. We ended up our tour with a walk in the fishing harbour of the city.

Walk the Essaouira Ramparts and walls

The Ramparts of Essaouira and the remaining walls are located towards the northern part of the city. These surviving walls and their ramparts are fully walkable and free to access for visitors. They wall part is also accessible to wheelchairs. Nevertheless the Rampart of Mogador (central picture) is separated from the walls by some non-accessible steps.

The Rampart of Morgador is part of the original wall belt. Also the cannons on the walls date back to the 16th century. During the day, this part of the city is very crowded. So a better option for visiting is getting here at sunset time. Moreover sunset from the Essaouira ramparts is really special!

Don’t forget to explore the lower part of the walls. Here you can find a lot of pottery stores and handicraft boutiques. If you have some additional time, end your walk with a visit to the little museum La cité heureuse Essaouira hosting some lovely reproductions of the city walls.

Have a GoT moment at Sqala du Port

Most tourists think that Sqala du Port is just the famous GoT bastion (first photo). Nevertheless, Sqala du Port is the entire fortified area of the harbour. Sqala du Port was built in 1769, ordered by Mohammed III. It was built over the Castle of Mogador of which stones were used for this fortification.

The entire fortification functioned as a defensive artillery for the port area. It was built in Manueline style and is formed by two main bastions (first and third photo) and a central monumental gate (second photo) called Bab el-Marsa, which served as access to the city. The most famous (and photographed) bastion is called Borj el-Barmil.

Unfortunately, climbing Borj el-Barmil is forbidden. To take some nice pictures, you have to get down to the boats’ floating platform (trying to not fall into the water). The bastion close to Bab el-Marsa instead is accessible, although I though was inhabited by someone giving the hanging clothes.

Explore the Essaouira fishing harbour

If you want to see some action, the fishing arbour of Essaouira is the best place. In the space of 30 mins we saw: children and teens jumping into the water from the bastions, boats coming and go with fresh fish cargo, people queuing to buy fish and even people cooking fish.

Unfortunately, I couldn’t take many pictures because it was quite a crowded area and I didn’t want any issue, but I really wish I could! The port area starts at Borj el-Barmil and continue for about 2 km. Most of the area is currently under renovation so it’s not fully walkable as there are works in progress.

If you are a big fan of fish dishes, you probably should’t miss the Marssa Grillade restaurant. I would say that more than a restaurant is just 4 tables under two parasols. However, the special thing about this place is that they grill fish that was just caught or you can bring your own fish and grill it there. So, you can’t find anything fresher than this in the city. We saw a long queue of tourist waiting for a table and many other sitting already there and looking like they were having the best meal of their lives. So I suppose the fish was delicious.

For your convenience I pinpointed the place in the map above.

Sunset goodbye drink at Salut Maroc

After a full day exploring this lovely city, it was time for us to say goodbye and get back to Marrakech. But not before having a sunset (in our case pre-sunset because it was 5.30 pm) drink at one of the nicest restaurants/bar in Essaouira: Salut Maroc.

The restaurant and bar of Salut Maroc are located on the rooftop of a 18th-century riad just on the walls of Essaouira. This was former Merchant’s house and later a Consulate building that is now been converted into a lovely boutique hotel (and restaurant at the top).

It’s one of the nicest places where to have a drink (or even a meal) as it offers an unbeatable view on the coast and the historic ramparts of Essaouira. From here you can spot also the small Îles Purpuraires (Purple Islands). Ancient islands where the Romans used the purple dye extracted from molluscs plucked from the bay, to dye their imperial togas. One of the two small islands is the Isle of Mogador where the ruins of the former fortification still lie.

Where to stay in Essaouira

I haven’t personally stayed in Essaouira because I visited just for a day trip. However, I worked long enough in this sector to know when a place is worth the extra cash. I selected below a few places that I would personally choose if I had to plan an overnight stay in the city.

Luxury stay in Essaouira

There are not many luxury hotel chains in Essaouira or, more precisely, there are many places that call themselves “luxury X” but they are not real 5 stars hotels. A name that can grant certainly a more luxurious experience is Sofitel Essaouira Mogador Golf & Spa. This is located slightly off the city’s area but this is repaid by a quiet environment, sophisticated interiors and access to the beach.

If you don’t want to give up to a city stay but still want to enjoy a luxury vibe Heure Bleue Palais – Relais & Châteaux is centrally located. It offers breathtaking views on the Medina in a historical charming house.

Boutique hotels in Essaouira

If you have a mid-range budget but still want to enjoy a lovely place and great service, boutique hotels are usually the best. As I mentioned before, Salut Maroc is principally a hotel, which happen to have a fantastic rooftop bar! The whole place is super colourful and the rooms are decorated with fantastic patterns.

Hotel Le Médina Essaouira Thalassa sea & spa – Mgallery is also a valid option if you want an upscale stay rather than a historical house.

Budget stays in Essaouira

If you want to stay within a budget without compromising on the quality, Vent des Dunes is cheap, highly rated, close to the city and they even provide an airport shuttle. An additional lovely option is Riad Chbanate. This lovely riad is finely decorated, has a spectacular rooftop and even some impressive bath tubes with a view on the Medina.

Eco-friendly stay in Essaouira

I decided to post also about eco-friendly places to stay because it’s a cause I care a lot and there are a growing amount of people in search of places that are proud of their respect for the planet. One lovely eco-friendly stay in Essaouira is Les Jardins de Villa Maroc. Particularly their Ecodomes, that according to the description from the hotel are “based on a sustainable architecture model, the Ecodomes are built from local materials, only using what can be found in the region of Essaouira. The round constructions are naturally anti-seismic and autonomous in energy. Each room is an individual Ecodome as part of our boutique hotel concept, ensuring the privacy of every guest”.

Day trip to Essaouira. Map of all the locations

Find here the map of all the locations mentioned in this blog to find them easily. This includes also the hotels and restaurants mentioned. Some hotels are outside the city and you’ll need to move the map a little further to find them.

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