Essaouira: The Wind City of the Atlantic Between Art, Sea and Gnaoua Music

Essaouira: The Sultans' Mogador
Essaouira (formerly Mogador) stands apart in Morocco's landscape. Built in 1765 by Sultan Mohammed III with the help of a French architect, the city carries the mark of European urban planning — straight and wide streets, a central square, bastioned ramparts — dressed in Berber ornament.

Listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2001, its white-and-blue medina faces the Atlantic Ocean from behind stone-block ramparts. The Alizé trade wind blows here almost permanently (Essaouira is the world capital of windsurfing and kitesurfing), giving the city a rare freshness in summer on the Moroccan coast.

The Medina: White, Blue, Enchanting
Unlike Fez or Marrakech, Essaouira's medina is not labyrinthine. Its streets are wide, its vaulted passages well-maintained, its shops open without pressure. The atmosphere invites leisurely strolling, gallery-hopping and browsing workshops of luthiers who have been making guembris (three-string Gnaoua lutes) for generations.

The spice souk is an olfactory festival: cumin, ras el-hanout, cinnamon, henna, rose water. More relaxed than Marrakech's, it is all the more enjoyable for it.

The Ramparts and the Skala
The Skala de la Ville and Skala du Port are Essaouira's two coastal fortresses. Walking along them facing the Atlantic, between 18th-century Dutch bronze cannons, while seagulls glide in the wind, is an experience that stays with you. Sunset from the Skala is considered one of the most beautiful in Morocco.

The fishing port, active since antiquity (the Phoenicians were already producing purple dye here), remains a living spectacle today: blue boats, drying nets and a morning fish auction with an honest, briny smell.

Gnaoua Music
Essaouira is the capital of Gnaoua music, a musical and spiritual tradition born from the legacy of sub-Saharan African slaves. Every June, the Gnaoua and World Music Festival draws hundreds of thousands of visitors from around the globe. Even outside festival season, Gnaoua musicians play in cafés and on street corners with their guembris and metal castanets (krakebs).

Seafood Dining
Essaouira's port is THE best place in Morocco to eat fresh fish. At the port grills, you order by weight: sardines, sea bream, prawns, squid — grilled to order, drizzled with chermoula (herb-lemon-spice marinade). A royal meal for €5.

Do not miss Oualidia oysters sometimes available at local fishmongers, nor argan: the region produces virtually the entire world supply of argan oil, used both in cooking and cosmetics.

Outdoor Activities

Windsurfing and kitesurfing — dozens of schools on Sidi Kaouki beach (12 km)

Horse riding on the beach at sunset

Hiking in the argan forest with a local cooperative

Surfing — consistent Atlantic swells year-round

Getting There and Accommodation

From Marrakech: 2.5 hrs by road (175 km) or daily CTM bus

Accommodation: Essaouira riads are often more affordable and equally elegant as those in Marrakech

Best season: all year — summer wind keeps the heat bearable, winters are mild

"Essaouira is the only city in Morocco where you come to do nothing — and end up staying twice as long as you planned."