If you have been following our travels then you know we are beach people. After spending a couple of weeks exploring Fez, Chefchaouen, Casablanca, and Marrakesh I was super excited to get back to the coast. Our mission in Essaouira was to take a photo of a camel on the beach with surfers in the background, and the mission was a success.
Read about our entire Morocco trip here.
Funny Story / Advice: Wear a hat when you go to the fish market! Rachel got targeted by an apparently very well fed seagull.
What to do in Essaouira
Go to the Beach
Walk out of the Medina and look to your left, you can’t miss the huge beautiful beach. If you are on a similar quest for beach camels keep walking along the beach until you get towards the end of the cove there will be tons laying around in the sand. You can also go for sand boarding trips, camel tours, buggy rides or take surf lessons. We knew we had an epic camel trek coming up in Merzouga so we decided to just walk the beach and soak in the sun.
Visit the Fish Market
At this
Skala Du Port
Right next to the fish market is the Skala Du Port which is apparently a fort that was used in a scene from Game of Thrones (if you see a fort while you are in Morocco you can almost bet someone will tell you it was used in Game of Thrones). You can see most of the fort from the outside and it is pretty cool but they were charging $10 to walk up to the top so we passed on that. Insider tip: If you really want to see a fort from Game of Thrones go to Ouarzazate.
The Ramparts
Much like a malecon in Latin America, the ramparts are a nice wall running along the coast that you can walk down. There are notches cut out with large cannons pointing towards the sea which makes it a great spot to hang out and wait for sunset. The ramparts also run above most of the souks so you can get a view of what’s available before you commit to the haggle.
Explore the Medina
Like every city in
Where to Eat and Drink in Essaouira:
- Taros bar– Good for
happy hour or a snack - Il Mare– We went for
happy hour but left because it was a bit expensive. Great views. - Triskala– Intimate restaurant with fantastic food, one of our favorites!
- The Loft – A trendy spot with a non-traditional menu.
There are also a lot of street foot stands selling seafood, crepes, and fruit.
Where to Stay in Essaouira-
Anywhere in the Medina should be fine. We stayed at an A
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Essaouira Advice:
Other than to go to the beach I would not spend too much time outside of the Medina. We ventured out in search of a wine shop and it felt sketch quick. We didn’t have any trouble and we were eventually able to find the wine shop but I didn’t see a lot of reason to be out there. There was also a bar we visited that a friend recommended, and it was super seedy. Typical Morocco misadventures with alcohol.
Soak up the sun, eat some fresh seafood and watch the sunsets. The best part of being on the beach is getting to spend all day outside.
Want more information to plan your trip to Essaouira? Check out the Morocco Lonely Planet here.
Here is a video from our Morocco trip!
Camel surfing,
-Grant