EssaouiraTravel Guide

Around two and a half to three hours inland by road, and the reason many people arrive in Essaouira in the first place.

A wide, wind-scoured beach a short drive south, with a marabout shrine on the headland and very little else.

A small village just across the estuary, wrapped in a persistent local legend about Jimi Hendrix’s brief visit in the late 1960s.

The route inland runs through argan groves, and the cooperatives along it press oil the traditional way.

The town's defining meal costs a few dirhams and takes ten minutes.

Essaouira's tagines lean seaward: white fish slow-cooked with chermoula — the coriander, garlic, cumin, and paprika marinade that is the town's signature flavor — plus potatoes, peppers, and preserved lemon.

As everywhere in Morocco, Friday is couscous day, when families and restaurants alike serve steamed semolina heaped with seven vegetables and slow-cooked meat or fish.

The argan forests inland from Essaouira produce Morocco's most famous oil, and its greatest breakfast spread: amlou, a thick blend of roasted almonds, argan oil, and honey.

The heart of the offer.

If you want a pool, a spa and a lift, the strip of larger hotels along the bay is the answer.

Between the two sits a large field of small guesthouses and boutique maisons d’hotes, both inside the walls and in the quieter quarters just outside them.

Medina for atmosphere, food and walking everywhere.