Essaouira is a charming seaside resort situated on the Atlantic Sea in Morocco. It has been a fishing village for centuries, but recently it has become a thriving tourism destination for those seeking a rest by the sea that is not Agadir, Morocco’s better busy and more commercialised known seaside resort. Essaouira is well connected by good roads – Marrakech is 175 km east, Safi 130 km north and Agadir 185 km to the south. Casablanca is 350 km north-east. It is a beautiful town with a mixture of Portuguese, French, and Berber architecture.

Historically, Essaouira has been an important international trading seaport, linking Morocco and its Saharan hinterland with Europe and the rest of the world. During the Middle Ages, a Muslim saint named Sidi Mogdoul was buried in Essaouira; Essaouira was originally known as “Mogador” by the Portuguese. In 1506, the king of Portugal ordered a fortress to be built there which was called “Castelo Real de Mogador.” In the 18th century, Mohammed III, instructed European architects to build a modern fortress which was originally called “Souira”, meaning “the small fortress”, the name then became “Es-Saouira”, “the beautifully designed”.

According to the UNESCO website, which cites the Medina of Essaouira as a UNESCO World Heritage Listed city, Essaouira is an exceptional example of a late-18th-century fortified town, built according to the principles of contemporary European military architecture in a North African context. Since its foundation.

What is there to see and do? It is a small town, and easy to get around by foot. You will see lots of photogenic white washed houses with blue shutters, colourful fishing boats moored in the harbour. Seafood is good, in the restaurants. There are the ramparts of the fort to walk along, complete with cannons, art galleries, wood workshops, market stalls – enough to satisfy anyone wishing to visit for a few days. There are also clean sandy beaches and dunes and you can make camel trips on the beach and in the desert in the interior.

Essaouira is also known for its windsurfing, with the powerful north-eastern trade wind blowing almost constantly onto the protected, almost wave less, bay. It is possible to rent surf boards.

To get to Essaouira, the cheapest way is by public bus from Marrakech or Casablanca bus station. There are two companies that run air conditioned buses – Supratours and CTM. There are several other companies that run non air conditioned buses. A Supratours bus, leaves from the Marrakech bus station next to the train station. More bus services are available from a different terminal at Bab Doukkala which is where you can also find a shared taxi to Essaouira. The bus fare from Marrakech is about 65 dirham and the cost of a taxi to yourself is around 800 dirham per car. The journey from Marrakech takes about 3-4 hours, and from Casablanca 6-7 hours. It is also possible to rent a Grand Taxi to get from/to Casablanca and Marrakech. If there are four or more of you, it will probably end up about the same price as an air con’d bus.