Essaouira

Windswept coastal gem — blue boats, fresh seafood, and Gnawa music.

Essaouira — the Wind City of Africa — is Morocco’s most easygoing coastal town: a UNESCO-listed medina of blue-shuttered lanes, the Sqala ramparts with their cannon row over the Atlantic, a fishing port of blue boats, and wide beaches made for windsurfing and sunset walks. The Gnaoua World Music Festival fills the ramparts each summer. Three hours from Marrakech, it is the classic coast-and-culture add-on to a Sahara itinerary — and the port seafood grills are a rite of passage.

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Essaouira in Pictures

Stone Sqala du Port ramparts and cannons facing the Atlantic in Essaouira, Morocco
The Sqala du Port ramparts face the Atlantic swell.
Whitewashed medina walls and blue boats in the windswept port of Essaouira, Morocco
Whitewashed walls, blue boats and a constant Atlantic breeze.

Essaouira through our lens

Stone Sqala du Port ramparts and cannons facing the Atlantic in Essaouira
The Sqala du Port, watching over Essaouira's Atlantic harbour.

Taste of Essaouira

Baskets of olives and preserved lemons on a Moroccan market stall
Olives and preserved lemons — staples of the Moroccan larder.

Things to do in Morocco