Essaouira is one of Morocco’s most enjoyable and attractive towns on the coast. It’s charm is undeniable with its white washed and blue shuttered houses, art galleries, wood workshops, fishermen and colorful boats- all enclosed by ancient red walls. Essaouira is one of Morocco’s most enjoyable and attractive towns on the coast. It’s charm is undeniable with its white washed and blue shuttered houses, art galleries, wood workshops, fishermen and colorful boats- all enclosed by ancient red walls. Essaouira is one the most enchanting spots in Morocco. Both a laid-back port town and a chic seaside resort, it has quietly become one of the must-sees for backpackers, surfers (wind, kite, and stand-up), art enthusiasts, and crafts shoppers.
Criterion ii Essaouira is an outstanding and well preserved example of a late 18th century European fortified seaport town translated to a North African context. Criterion iv With the opening up of Morocco to the rest of the world in the later 17th century Essaouira was laid out by a French architect who had been profoundly influenced by the work of Vauban at Saint-Malo. Although Essaouira is on the sea, fish are quite expensive. Fishermen sell their catch through market hall and you can get it cooked in small stands nearby. Blissfully laid back and surprisingly cosmopolitan, Essaouira is a perfect retreat, especially for windsurfers and surfers, but also for those wishing to enjoy the wonders of Morocco at a relaxed pace.
Essaouira is two and a half hours from Marrakech and is considered Morocco’s most relaxed and friendly resort. Our house is in a peaceful backwater of the medina and minutes walk from the beach, markets and lively fishing port. Essaouira is delightfully compact and very easy to navigate. Everything you’ll need is within the medina or along the beachfront down to the Quartier des Dunes.
Essaouira is beautiful seen from the harbour, white and with rare Norfolk Island pines. The harbour is a good place to hang around too. Another great place to see the sun setting in Essaouira is the city wall. It is quite difficult to explain how to get here, so I won’t even try. Essaouira is a place with a strong feeling of its past. It has been a trading post for almost 3000 years, starting with the Phoenicians.
In the old port, fishermen unloaded their catch under the silent gaze of their wives, the quays busy with porters whose faces suggested the different races that have sailed in over the centuries. Elsewhere others gutted fish, baited hooks or loaded crates onto trucks, passing beggars hoping for a hand-out. The medina is home to many small arts and crafts businesses, notably cabinet making and ‘thuya’ wood-carving (using roots of the Tetraclinis tree), both of which have been practised in Essaouira for centuries.
