Essaouira

Essaouira is Marrakesh with the volume turned down. The houses are white with blue shutters, seagulls hang over the harbor, no moped fits into the medina, and the wind blows away the heat of the interior. The town is small enough to figure out in an afternoon and pleasant enough to stay for three days. If you want to catch your breath after the bustle of Marrakesh, this is the place.

Harbor, sea wall and medina

Start at the harbor. In the morning the blue wooden boats come in and the fish is sold on the quay. At the grill stalls between the harbor and the medina you point at a fish or a portion of sardines, agree on the price, and eat it ten minutes later with bread and salad. It doesn't get simpler or fresher, and it costs little.

The Skala de la Ville is the town wall on the sea side, with old Portuguese cannons and a view over the waves. Underneath it are the woodworkers who make boxes and chessboards from thuya wood. It is worth walking past for the smell alone.

The medina is a UNESCO World Heritage site and, unlike the one in Marrakesh, built on a grid. You don't really get lost here. You'll find galleries, argan shops, studios and cafés where you can sit without anyone asking you to move along. The vendors take it easy and accept a no.

The beach runs south for kilometers. You can walk, ride horses or watch the kitesurfers; swimming is for the brave. Essaouira is a popular place to learn to kitesurf, if that was ever on your list.

Essaouira is also the town of the Gnawa, music with roots in West Africa. Every June there is a festival that fills the whole town. The rest of the year you hear the music in cafés and on the street.

On the way from Marrakesh you see argan trees and, with a bit of luck, goats climbing in them. Some farmers put the goats there for the photo and ask for money. We prefer to stop at a cooperative where the women actually make the oil.

As a woman on your own in Essaouira

Essaouira is relaxed in a way you don't find in Marrakesh. You walk through the medina without being approached and sit alone at a café without anyone staring. In the evening the area around Place Moulay Hassan is lively and safe. Many women live and work here, including women from Europe, and the town is used to it.

Dress is looser than in the interior. A dress or shorts won't stand out, though covering up is still more comfortable in the medina. Always bring a scarf or cardigan, because the wind is cold as soon as the sun is gone. More on that in what to wear in Morocco and in safety for women.

How to get there and when to go

From Marrakesh it is a drive of two and a half to three hours on a good road, with a stop at an argan farm halfway. One day gives you a good impression. If you stay a night, you also get the morning at the harbor and the evening by the sea. If you are looking for rest, stay two or three nights.

Essaouira works all year. In summer it is 25°C here when Marrakesh hits 40. In winter it is mild, with occasional rain and a lot of wind. Bring a cardigan or scarf against the wind and put on sunscreen, because the wind keeps you from feeling the sun. You need cash for the fish; how that works is in money and payments.

The day trip with Soukayna

On the day trip to Essaouira Soukayna drives you to the coast in the morning, with a stop at an argan farm. In town you walk through the medina on your own or with her, eat fish at the harbor and have a free afternoon. At the end of the day she takes you back to Marrakesh. If you stay over, she drops you at your riad in Essaouira and picks you up again a few days later.

Essaouira fits well into a longer trip: first Marrakesh, then the Atlas Mountains, and two days by the sea to finish.