Essaouira is the perfect beach travel getaway in Morocco, especially for backpackers. All of the attractive traits of popular Moroccan travel destinations are present in Essaouira, but the attitude and pace of life is pleasant, chill and fitting for a beach town.
Backpackers and other travelers visiting Essaouira (pronounced: ess-oh-ear-uh) often arrive with few plans, unsure what there is to do. Many of the same unsuspecting visitors wind up extending their stays. Essaouira is one of those places that’s hard to leave. The laid-back atmosphere is magnetic.
I arrived in Essaouira on edge, mentally fatigued from several days in Marrakech. The plan was to regroup and rest, maybe enjoy some sun and sea. I intended to stay for two days, but Essaouira is more than a backpacker beach town. In fact, there aren’t that many backpackers in Essaouira at all.
Essaouira offers far more than most travelers anticipate. I fell in love with the city, and my two days turned into a week. While there are plenty of beach activities to occupy your time, there is more to Essaouira. Here’s a breakdown of what to do, eat and expect for travel to Essaouira, Morocco:
Travel Highlights of Essaouira
Essaouira Medina
Most visitors to Essaouira travel from Marrakech. I cannot overstate the relief expressed by most of these backpackers upon arriving in Essaouira. Marrakech is exhausting and frustrating for many people. Backpackers and solo travelers not staying in fancy hotels often reach Essaouira appearing somewhat defeated.
Fortunately, Essaouira is not like Marrakech. The good things from the bigger city are present in Essaouira, minus the scams, noise and congestion. The air in Essaouira is cleaner. The local people are friendly and laid back. The beach town vibes are city-wide.
The Essaouira medina is fantastic. As a tourist town, it’s only natural that the medina is heavily designed for and dependent on tourists. The difference between this medina and the old city of Marrakech is not only in size. The shopkeepers in the Essaouira medina are simply present. They aren’t yelling or grabbing at passing tourists. These shopkeepers are there if you’re interested. When you say no thanks, they generally accept that response.
Walking around the Essaouira medina is fun and pleasant. In Marrakech, people were constantly yelling at me for taking pictures of buildings, cats, streets – anything! In Essaouira, no one cares. The constant feeling of someone eyeing you and waiting to rob you is nonexistent. It’s always important to watch your pockets, but you can shop, wander and breathe in peace in the Essaouira medina.
Surrounding the medina are the old city walls. These are photogenic, sure, but along the seaside portion of the medina is an old fort. The fortress walls provide a bit of history, and some well-preserved Dutch cannons. There is also a great view from the fortress overlooking the rocky shore and some of the medina below.
Essaouira Harbor
Just outside the medina are two more interesting areas. First, the harbor of Essaouira. This is a busy, chaotic environment. There are hundreds of people – mostly fishermen and locals, with a few curious tourists in the mix – surrounding the famous scene of little fishing boats crammed in the harbor.
The harbor is a fully functioning fishing port. It is busy, smelly and dirty. Don’t wear open-toe shoes here unless you want fish guts all over your feet. Right outside the harbor are several food stalls. Most of this food is presumably fresh. The smells are enticing, to say the least. Exercise caution when eating here, and make sure your food is fresh, handled appropriately and hot. You can’t go wrong with fried fish!
The second area of interest outside the medina is more touristy. The short promenade outside the old city walls is lined with shops and restaurants. This is the best place to people watch in Essaouira. There are street performers, beggars and loads of tourists. Tourists aren’t typically interesting, but Essaouira is a bit of a hippie town. And there are some peculiar hippie tourists around here. Grab a table at one of these places. Enjoy some tea and watch the scene unfold.
Surfing in Essaouira
Water sports are the most well known Essaouira attraction. The beach in Essaouira is conveniently located in an area with great seasonal winds for kitesurfing. During the windy season, a concept that never occurred to me prior to visiting Essaouira, there are tons of kites flying just off the beach.
For adventurous travelers looking for some fun, there are plenty of options to learn and try your hand at kitesurfing, too. So don’t worry if you’re inexperienced.
When the wind dies down, the Moroccan coast still has options for board sports enthusiasts. Essaouira usually has consistent waves. The waves aren’t big, but they are often big enough to give surfing a shot. On calmer days, stand-up paddleboarding is also an option.
To my surprise, the Moroccan coast is a surf destination. There are several surf spots near Essaouira. When the swells come in, the surfers are there to greet them. For more experienced surfers, there are often bigger waves on beaches not too far away. A cheap 20-or-30-minute taxi trip will take you there.
There are surf shops around to rent a board and wetsuit – yes, the water is cold. The shops are near or on the beach in Essaouira.
Other Essaouira Beach Activities
For travelers who prefer to stay on dry land, the Essaouira beach has plenty of other options. On the southern end of the beach, there is a herd of camels where tourists can pay for camel rides. In the same area, there are also several four-wheelers (4×4 ATVs) for riding along the beach dunes a little faster.
There is also a lot of soccer being played on the Essaouira beach. Local soccer teams hold practice in the afternoons and evenings, and there are also pickup games along the beach. If you want to get in a game, just hang around. Tourists are often invited to join in and play.
The most common beach activity in Essaouira is relaxing. The beach is a great spot to chill, go for a walk or enjoy a sunset. If you want to relax on the beach in a little more comfort, there are several areas where you can rent a chair. There are also a few beachside restaurants and bars to comfortably, if a little bit expensively, enjoy the scenery. Some of these restaurants are also fun places for people watching, which is pretty laid back in Essaouira.
Eating in Essaouira
Essaouira is a great backpacker travel destination. Not only does the city have beautiful scenery and loads of fun activities, it has cheap food!
Eating in Essaouira is simple and straightforward. Most restaurants in the medina are tourist-oriented. Most of the beachside restaurants are good but more expensive. Fortunately, as mentioned in my Marrakech travel guide, food in Morocco is fairly inexpensive. For the most part, even the more expensive and touristy restaurants in Essaouira are good and not too pricey.
The cheapest food in Essaouira is on Princesse Lalla Amina Avenue. This street runs perpendicular to the beach, and there are several restaurants in the blocks near the beach. This is definitely the backpacker eating zone of Essaouira. Most of the food is not especially local or extravagant, but the food is decent, quick and, most importantly for backpackers, very cheap.
If you’re in the mood for pizza in Essaouira – or, if you’ve had your fill of Moroccan tagines and couscous – Gusto is a block south of these cheap places. Gusto is a fancy Italian restaurant with excellent pizza. Prices are high by Moroccan standards but on par with high quality pizza prices in Western Europe or North America. The best part of Gusto is the selection of wines that includes several Moroccan wines. Honestly, I didn’t know there was such a thing as Moroccan wine. And it was pretty good.
Alcohol in Essaouira
Remember this: One block in from the beach, on Princess Lalla Amina Avenue, take the first right. There is a restaurant on the corner, then a mini-mart or two. And then! A liquor store!
Why all the fuss about a liquor store in Essaouira? Because, it’s Morocco. Liquor stores are a rarity in Morocco. In fact, most restaurants don’t have any alcohol on the menu at all.
This small liquor store has a bluish storefront. With an apparent monopoly on the alcohol trade in Essaouira, it stays fairly busy. It has inconsistent hours but closes around 7PM each day, except on Fridays. Friday, being the holy day in Muslim countries, the store is closed.
The store has a decent selection of typical liquor and wine choices. There is also a fair amount of Moroccan beer. The quality of Moroccan beer is mediocre at best. Prices are not as low as the quality – beers are about 10-15 dirhams apiece (about $1-1.50). Flag Speciale is the most popular cheap beer. Stork is another cheap option, and Casablanca is the local “premium” beer. In my opinion, Stork is the better brew.
Where to Stay in Essaouira
Essaouira is home to several hotels directly across from the beach. Most of these hotels are nice, but they are also expensive. There are much better options in Essaouira than these pricey spots.
There are dozens of riads (Moroccan guesthouse/family hotel) in the Essaouira medina. After wandering through the medina, it was apparent that this is where most of the travelers stay. This would definitely be a decent place to stay in Essaouira. There is no shortage of restaurants and shopping, and travelers will have the feeling of being right in the middle of the action.
Hostels in Marrakech are less common. There are a few small hostels in the medina, but nothing worth mentioning. There is, however, one hostel in Essaouira that does stand out.
At the halfway point of the Essaouira beach, one block inland is Essaouira Beach Hostel. This is one of the best hostels I’ve ever had the fortune to visit. The atmosphere at this hostel is great. There are guests working (yours truly), surfers, solo travelers, groups of backpackers and even families. The hostel always has a place to socialize, and it always seems to have a calm place to escape, too. Essaouira Beach Hostel is also a great place to watch the sunset (see above photo).
Transportation in Essaouira
Essaouira is small enough that it is almost entirely walkable. From the south end of the beach to the Essaouira medina is roughly a 30-minute walk at a leisurely pace. There’s not much reason for tourists to visit the city inland from the beach. This area is predominantly residential and less interesting. The only reason to get a taxi in Essaouira would be for any day trips or to reach beaches outside of the city.
Travel to and from Essaouira is predominantly via bus. There is an airport with a few flights a day, but buses are usually the most practical option. Unfortunately, most places of interest in Morocco require lengthy travel from Essaouira.
The most comfortable bus options in Morocco are Suprabus and CTM buses. These are the nicer options, often noted as “comfort” buses. Suprabus and CTM are both great. These buses generally have larger seats, more legroom and WiFi.
If you’re staying on the coast, buses from Essaouira can take you to Agadir (south) or Safi (north) with relative ease. If you wish to go farther, to Casablanca, for instance, expect a much longer journey. Don’t let close proximity on maps deceive you. Transportation in Morocco is pretty good, but it requires a lot of patience.
For travel within Morocco and beyond the aforementioned nearby coastal cities, it is best to backtrack to Marrakech. The trip between Marrakech and Essaouira takes 3 to 4 hours, depending on traffic in Marrakech.
Once in Marrakech, buses with more direct routes – buses to cities such as Fez, Casablanca, Rabat and Tangier – are easy to find. Marrakech also has a nice train station with trains to Fez, Casablanca, Rabat and Tangier.
Getting around Essaouira is easy. The city is walkable, and it’s also an easy place to bike. When traveling elsewhere in Morocco, take a Suprabus or CTM bus if possible. The difference compared to the cheaper, local buses – not to be misleading, as locals use these comfort bus companies as well – is typically only a few dollars. The minimal surcharge is absolutely worth it.
Essaouira is the perfect backpacker beach town. Personally, the city was the highlight of my trip to Morocco. The medina has all the charm without the headache. Cheap food is easy to find. There is ample sunshine and plenty of fun activities to pass the days. To top it off, the easygoing vibe of Essaouira is an attractive, immeasurable quality.
A pleasant escape from the mayhem of Marrakech, Essaouira welcomes travelers to a calm, laid-back town with nice beaches, warm sunshine and perfect a sea breeze. Make sure to add Essaouira to your Morocco travel itinerary!
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