Experience the best of Essaouira
Essaouira is a windswept Atlantic port in Morocco, a walled medina of blue boats, ramparts with old cannon and craftsmen working in thuya wood.
Read moreShow less
Essaouira was laid out in the 1760s under Sultan Mohammed III, who had a European engineer design a fortified port with a grid of streets inside high walls, now a UNESCO World Heritage site. The Skala de la Ville, a rampart lined with bronze and iron cannon, looks over the Atlantic, and the harbour below is crowded with blue fishing boats and screaming gulls. Orson Welles filmed scenes of Othello here.
Inside the medina, carpenters carve boxes and furniture from thuya wood, and galleries sell paintings of local artists. Strong trade winds blow along the long beach, which makes it a centre for kitesurfing and windsurfing. Just offshore, the Île de Mogador is a bird sanctuary, and argan groves, where cooperatives press oil from the nuts, lie inland. Marrakech is about three hours to the east.
Fresh sardines, crab and sea bream are grilled at harbour stalls and eaten at long tables, and tagines of lamb and prunes or chicken with preserved lemon fill the medina's restaurants. Amlou, a paste of almonds, argan oil and honey, is spread on bread. Gnawa musicians fill the streets during the Gnaoua festival each summer. The air is cooler than in Marrakech, and the wind rarely drops.
- 4 skip-the-line tickets
- Free cancellation on 92% of experiences
- 4.9 across the top 24
Top experiences in Essaouira
Special offers in Essaouira
Was/now prices come from the operator, never from us.
Food and drink experiences in Essaouira
24
Free cancellation
Signature experiences in Essaouira
Go beyond Essaouira
Questions about Essaouira
- What is there to do in Essaouira?
- We list 382 experiences in Essaouira. The largest groups are day trips (39), city tours (5).
- What is the most popular experience in Essaouira?
- By number of traveller reviews it is "Big dunes and atlantic coast tour 2 HOURS", rated 5.0 out of 5 from 554 reviews.
- How long do tours and tickets in Essaouira take?
- The typical experience in Essaouira lasts about 3 hours; the middle half run between 2 hours and 5 hours.
- Can I cancel a booking in Essaouira?
- The operator lists free cancellation on 93% of the 382 experiences we hold for Essaouira. The cut-off differs by experience and is shown on each product page before you choose a date.
Why book here
Compare before you buy
Every ticket, tour and pass we carry for a city, side by side on one page.
Free cancellation on most experiences
Where the operator offers it, the card says so before you click.
Real reviews, real photos
Ratings and reviews are collected from travellers by our booking partner and Tripadvisor; nobody pays for placement.
Secure checkout on our partner’s site
Card details are entered on our booking partner’s site, never on ours.