ESSAOUIRA

A day in Essaouira.

A mini-guide against the clock.

We spent literally 20 hours in Essaouira but it was enough to squeeze the very best out of this little town (pun intended).

Essaouira is, first and foremost, a fishing village.

The city economy runs on sardines, argan oil and tourism.

Thanks to the constant wind blowing from the sea, called taros in Berber, Essaouira is also an amazing spot for windsurfers and kitesurfers (alas, not our sports).

Captured by the the scent of spices and the fabulous details of the city – the wooden doors and the multitude of blue boats, above all – we roamed around enjoying the chilled vibe, the trendy cafes and the many art galleries scattered around the medina.

The official tint of the village seems to be a delicate, pastel “sand colour”, used for many of the buildings making up the city skyline: the clock tower, the fortifications, the citadel and the UNESCO-listed ramparts.

Foreign powers have influenced the city in the past centuries, especially Portugal and France, creating an interesting combinations of Moroccan and European style: a distinct feel you can experience even today when you walk around the Medina.

RECAP & ITINERARY

When? Early-November. How long? 1 day. Temperature? 20-22°C during the day and 10-12°C at night. Budget? 140-160€ per person all inclusive. Planning needed? Moderate. Accommodation? Riad Dar Loulema. Booking needed? None.

CONTENT

SKALA DU PORT: THE OLD CITADEL

THE PORT: FISH MARKET & STREET ART

SKALA DE LA VILLE: THE CITY-WALLS

THE MEDINA: A WALK IN THE SOUK

EATING IN ESSAOUIRA: GO AUTHENTIC

DAR LOULEMA: A STYLISH RIAD

OUR HIGHLIGHTS

SKALA DU PORT: THE OLD CITADEL

Best way to start exploring the city is to visit the Genoese-built citadel near the harbour.

The citadel, or Skala du Port, is one of the two skala ("fortified bastion") of the city, looming on the port and fish market.

This is the best spot in town for memorable pictures, especially through the massive hole in the wall from where you can see the medina.

Entrance fee is around 10 MAD pp (1€) and it's totally worth it, you can also go up to the roof of the citadel and take great panoramic photos.

Good to know: the place shuts down at 5pm and there are clean toilets on the ground floor of the building.

Fun fact, the citadel was featured in Season 3 of Game of Thrones as the location of the city of Astapor.

THE PORT: FISH MARKET & STREET ART

The port and the fish market should be your number two destination.

No need for a map to find them. Just follow the screeching seagulls outside of the medina, until you reach the entry gates of Essaouira’s famous fish market.

You’ll find a lively atmosphere and the pungent scent of the sea... or smell of fish, whatever you want to call it.

You can haggle with the fishermen and buy the fish at the market, take it to the nearby stalls and ask to cook it over charcoal for a few dirhams (so it’s quite convenient to be there for lunch-time).

We took a stroll until the very end of the harbour, between local fishermen mending their nets and old rusty skeletons of ships being repaired in the yard.

The walkway around the port is short but scenic, with hundreds of ships lined up ready to leave for the next catch.

Street-art lovers will find bread for their teeth as the salt-encrusted walls are filled with dozens of cool fish-themed graffiti.

And if you feel followed it’s because there are plenty of stray cats queuing for your food scraps. Don’t let them down.

SKALA DE LA VILLE: THE CITY-WALLS

The medina is protected by imposing and beautiful city-walls, also called Skala de la Ville: the entrance of this other panoramic bastion is free and it's located on the north of the medina.

It's quite a romantic walk, with a view on the rumbling ocean, surrounded by the bronze cannons that once protected Essaouira from the dangers coming from the Atlantic.

Under the fortification you can buy nice souvenirs from the archway workshops, especially wood-carved objects, a local speciality.

The walls and the majority of the city buildings you see today have been built in late 18th century by Théodore Cornut, a military French architect – under the supervision of the Sultan Sidi Mohammed Ben Abdallah.

Cornet basically built the city from scratch, and he did it so well that the Sultan changed the name of the village from the Portuguese “Mogador” to the modern “Essaouira”, meaning “well-designed” in Arabic.

THE MEDINA: A WALK IN THE SOUK

The medina is the heart of the city, with its tower clock and bustling streets.

It’s a great spot to sample local street food, shop woodwork crafts and argan oil, and to visit one of the many art galleries hidden in the narrow alleys.

Our attention was caught by the many colourful doors and windows, most of them in different shades of blue – turquoise, cobalt, cerulean, etc. Tiny and hidden in narrow alleys, or large and flashy, they are all different and unique in their style.

In our hunt for the prettiest door, we fell for a turquoise medium-size door encased in a rounded archway, beautifully decorated with thick bright brushes, making up what looks like two wings.

You can't leave Essaouira if you haven't chilled for a moment in one of its many cafes, sipping a refreshing mint tea or sampling one of their zesty-flavoured cakes.

We strongly recommend The Three Little Birds for the nice menu and, especially, the laid-back atmosphere: in fact, from its tables you can hear the reggae-like notes of the gnaoua music coming from the record store just across the street... two birds with one stone!

EATING IN ESSAOUIRA: GO AUTHENTIC

Food-wise, you have to circle with the red marker the restaurant Adwak.

This is an absolute must-do, with a superb value for the money (around 20€ per person for a full dinner).

Located in the heart of the medina, this cosy and intimate joint (not more than twenty tables we'd say) is a great starting point to explore Moroccan cuisine as the menu covers all the Moroccan essentials.

We had a memorable pair of tajines, one with fish and one with lamb and dried fruits, the latter being so exquisite that we somehow tried to replicate it back home.

In the evening expect a queue, so it's best to leave your name and take a stroll in the medina while you wait.

A great option to explore the food scene of Essaouira is to pick from the most mouth-watering stalls you see on the streets. We had a crêpe, a chunky falafel sandwich (so good!) and the inevitable dried fruits.

There are many bakeries and patisseries using locally-sourced products like honey, dates, cinnamon, figs and raisins.

We lost our head for a nice patisserie (Glacier Chez Said) where we literally assaulted the self-service pastry counter. We filled our cardboard box with the local delicacies, especially with chebakia (fried sesame cookies, covered with honey) and the classic maamoul.

You can see the result in the pictures below.

Needless to say, all those sweets lasted less than an afternoon with Caro around…

DAR LOULEMA: A STYLISH RIAD

We slept at the riad Dar Loulema (here), with its gorgeous blue door (yes, we love blue doors) hidden in a dark back street on the west-side of the medina.

The entrance is hard to find but you’ll be rewarded the moment you step in.

The 8 rooms at Dar Loulema are beautiful, especially the stuccoed bathroom where we could have showered for hours just admiring at the walls. They have a top-notch rooftop from where you can see the citadel and the port.

Last but not least, their French-style breakfast served on a pretty wooden tray with croissant, pancakes and jams made us feel on top of the world.

TRAVEL TIPS

We left Essaouira with the Supratours bus leaving for Agadir at 2.30pm from the Supratours branch near the Orson Welles Park.

There's a Supratours coach per day connecting Essaouira and Agadir, and the trip takes about 3 hours in a comfortable fashion.

The ticket costs 70 MAD (6.50€) and can be purchased from the ticket office of the same branch (we bought it in the morning for the afternoon, to avoid the disappointment of a fully booked bus).

If your stop comes earlier than Agadir, just mention it when you purchase the tickets and the driver will do the rest – we asked for a stop in Tamraght. The other main bus company in town is CTM and they run services to Agadir and other touristic cities around Essaouira, but from a different city terminal.