Five Days in Essaouira: A Wind-Blown Journal from Morocco's Coolest Coastal Town
I came for three days. Classic Marrakech side-trip. See the blue boats, eat some fish, take the bus back. Five days later I was still there, sandy, sunburned, and deeply unwilling to leave.
Day 1: The Bus and the First Walk
The Supratours bus from costs 90-100 MAD (~$9-10) and takes 2.5 hours through flat agricultural land that slowly gives way to argan trees and the Atlantic. I'd booked the 9AM departure from the station near Marrakech's train station. Six to eight buses run daily. The seats are comfortable. The WiFi doesn't work. Classic Morocco.
My riad was inside the medina walls — Riad Baladin, mid-range, 400 MAD/night (~$40). The streets in Essaouira's medina are weirdly straight for a Moroccan old town. A French architect named Theodore Cornut designed them in the 18th century, which means you can actually navigate without getting hopelessly lost. This was a pleasant surprise after Marrakech, where I'd wandered the same wrong alley four times in an hour.
First impression: this place is relaxed. No one grabbed my arm. No one shouted prices at me. A shopkeeper nodded hello and went back to his tea. I almost cried with relief.
By 7PM I was on the rooftop terrace at Restaurant Taros overlooking Place Moulay Hassan, eating a seafood tagine and drinking local wine. Mains 80-150 MAD. Gnawa musicians were already playing in the square below — the trance rhythms bouncing off the old stone walls. I ordered a second glass.
Day 2: Fish, Cannons, and the Blue Boats
I got to the harbor at 7:30AM. The blue fishing boats — Essaouira's signature — were just coming in with the morning catch. Sardines, sea bass, octopus. Fishermen shouting in Berber. On the north side of the harbor, the boat-building yard still uses traditional methods. Handmade wooden boats. In 2026. I watched a man shape a hull for 20 minutes.
The Skala du Port is the 18th-century sea bastion with bronze cannons facing the Atlantic. Entry: 10 MAD, which is basically a dollar. It was a filming location for Game of Thrones (Astapor, for the nerds), and the views of the harbor and Mogador Island are genuinely beautiful. I took about 400 photos.
Lunch was the fish grills at the port. Here's the thing nobody warned me about: confirm the price per plate before they cook your fish. Some stalls quote per piece, then charge per kilo when the bill comes. A fair price is 50-80 MAD for a mixed plate of grilled fish with bread and salad. Stalls 2 and 14 are the ones locals recommend. I went to stall 14. The fish was seared with chermoula spices and came with a wedge of bread and some kind of chili sauce that nearly killed me. For 60 MAD. That's about $6.
I spent the evening in Place Moulay Hassan with a mint tea (10-15 MAD) listening to Gnawa musicians. The music gets more intense after sunset. It's hypnotic — rhythmic metal castanets, bass guembri lute, and call-and-response singing rooted in sub-Saharan spiritual traditions. The Gnawa & World Music Festival in late June draws 500,000+ visitors, but honestly, the nightly performances in the square are enough.
Day 3: Wind, Sand, and a Camel
Essaouira is called the Wind City of Africa. I'd read that. I hadn't internalized it. The alizé trade winds blow almost constantly, and on Day 3 they were relentless. My hat lasted about 90 seconds on the beach before disappearing down the coast.
The beach itself is stunning — wide, flat sand stretching 5+ km south from the medina. In the morning before the wind picks up, it's perfect for a walk. Once the wind arrives, it becomes kitesurfing territory. ION Club and Ocean Vagabond offer 2-hour beginner lessons for 500-800 MAD (~$50-80). I watched for a while but opted for the camel ride instead. 250 MAD for an hour along the beach at sunset. The camel's name was apparently Mohamed. Every tourist camel in Morocco is named Mohamed.
Lunch was at Ocean Vagabond, a beachfront café with a terrace sheltered from the wind. Grilled fish and fresh salads. Mains 80-120 MAD.
Here's the thing about the wind: it means Essaouira never feels oppressively hot, even in July and August. Marrakech at 45°C? Essaouira is sitting at a comfortable 25°C with a breeze. It's why the town was a summer escape for Moroccan royalty for centuries.
Day 4: Hendrix, Hammam, and Artisans
I walked to Diabat, a village 3km south along the beach. Jimi Hendrix visited in 1969. For a deeper comparison, read our Essaouira vs. Marrakech guide. He and — according to local legend — the ruined Borj el Baroud fort on the coast inspired "Castles Made of Sand." The connection is partly myth, partly real. But the walk is spectacular regardless. Windswept dunes, a crumbling 18th-century fort, and a quiet Berber village where I drank mint tea and ate msemen (flatbread) at a tiny café.
Back in the medina, I visited Galerie Damgaard — a free gallery on Avenue Oqba Ibn Nafiaa that showcases Essaouira's Gnawa-inspired art scene. A Danish collector named Frederic Damgaard championed local self-taught artists in the 1980s. The work is raw and strange and wonderful.
Then the hammam. Hammam Lalla Mira. Full scrub and massage: 300 MAD. The process involves black soap, a kessa glove that removes what feels like entire layers of your skin, and steam that makes you question whether you've ever actually been clean before. Bring swimwear. Allow 1.5 hours. I walked out feeling like a newborn.
Dinner at La Table by Madada on the ramparts. Refined Moroccan cuisine with a modern twist. Tasting menu 350 MAD. I could see the Atlantic from my table.
Day 5: Argan Oil and the Last Morning
I hired a taxi for a round trip to Cooperative Tiguemine, an argan oil cooperative 20km inland (300-500 MAD for the car). The argan tree grows almost exclusively in the Essaouira-Agadir region. At the cooperative, women crack argan nuts by hand — an incredibly labor-intensive process — and press the oil for culinary and cosmetic use.
I bought a 250ml bottle of pure argan oil for 180 MAD. In Marrakech, the same bottle would cost 400-500 MAD. In a department store back home? Don't even ask.
On the drive back, we stopped at a roadside grill for mechoui — slow-roasted lamb — and I paid 40 MAD for a plate that would have been $35 in any Western country.
My last morning. 6AM on the Skala de la Ville — the upper ramparts catch the first light before the medina wakes up. The stone glows amber. The only sounds are seagulls and the ocean. I had my riad's Moroccan breakfast — msemen, amlou (a paste of argan oil, almonds, and honey), fresh orange juice, and mint tea — and caught the 11AM Supratours back to Marrakech.
I didn't want to get on the bus.
What I Know Now
Essaouira is 30-50% cheaper than Marrakech for everything. Riad rooms from 300-600 MAD/night. Tagine dinner: 60-120 MAD. A full day including meals, a riad, and one activity costs $40-60 USD.
The medina is UNESCO-listed and far less stressful than Marrakech's. You can wander without being followed. Solo female travelers report feeling comfortable here.
April to June and September to November are the sweet months — warm, less windy. July and August are wind-crazy but ideal if you're into kitesurfing.
Another Moroccan gem worth exploring is Fes, with its medieval medina. And the fish grills at the port? Go to stall 14. Confirm the price first.
