Essaouira- Morocco’s Beach Getaway

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 point we are sort of fish market aficionados. We have seen the biggest in the world (Tokyo), small ones in Baja, and everything in between. There is nothing better than a fresh seafood lunch while watching the waves crash on the shore. While we did have a good time wandering the market in Essaouira, and there were some fun views from the fort, it was definitely not our most impressive market. Most of the fish looked more like what I am used to seeing as bait than it did fish I would want to eat. That being said the vendors were nice and it was free so you might as well check it out.

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 Morocco there is a medina in Essaouira. It is not nearly as big as its inland neighbors, but it’s still fun to walk around.

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 Airbnb but didn’t particularly love it. If you get the option try to find a nice riad.

Haven’t tried out Airbnb yet? Click here to get a $40 travel credit.

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.