Essaouira: wind, ramparts, Gnaoua and the Atlantic

Essaouira was built to face the Atlantic. Its 18th-century ramparts drop sheer into the ocean; the wind — called the Alizé — blows almost constantly from the north, keeping the city cool and the kite-surfers aloft. If the Sahara is hot, still and golden, Essaouira is its mirror image: cold spray, salt air and a bleached palette of whitewash, blue woodwork and the grey of the Skala bastions. Many of our travellers come here to exhale either side of the dunes — sand one week, sea breeze the next.

The ramparts and the Skala de la Ville

The sea ramparts — the Skala de la Ville — are the defining structure of Essaouira and the first place to go after dropping your bags. The platform runs along the northern wall, cannon still pointing seaward, with views south down the long beach and north to the rocky coast. At sunset the light on the water is extraordinary; the Gnaoua musicians sometimes set up here in the early evening with their guembri and qraqeb. Walk the full length to the harbour platform and then double back through the medina — the two-kilometre loop takes about forty minutes and gives you the shape of the city.

The port and the fish market

The working fishing harbour is immediately south of the ramparts. In the morning, blue-hulled wooden boats unload the night's catch: sea bass, bream, sole, cuttlefish and occasionally lobster. The harbour-side fish stalls will grill whatever you choose to order; this is one of the best meals Essaouira offers and costs under 80 MAD. The seagulls are numerous and assertive — eat quickly.

A small boatyard beside the harbour builds and repairs the traditional wooden boats in a workshop open to the street. Watching the craftsmen work is worth twenty minutes; it is one of the few functional boat-building traditions left on Morocco's Atlantic coast.

The beach: wind, kites and long walks

The south beach stretches for 20 km. The northern section, beside the medina, is the most animated: horse and camel rides, kitesurfers launching in the shallows, football on compacted sand at low tide. Walk thirty minutes south and the beach becomes almost empty. Several IKO-certified kitesurfing schools operate on the main beach; a two-hour introduction lesson runs US$60–80 including equipment. Windsurfing hire is also available. The camel rides along the tideline are a gentler cousin of the dune treks at Erg Chebbi — a fun coastal echo before or after the real Sahara. The coast-and-desert extensions Sahara Desert Adventures builds into Essaouira programmes are always tailored to the wind forecast for your dates.

Gnaoua: the music of Essaouira

Gnaoua music is rooted in the sub-Saharan African communities who arrived in Morocco from the 16th century onward. Its instruments — the three-stringed guembri bass lute, metal castanets called qraqeb, and layered call-and-response vocals — produce something hypnotic and rhythmically complex. Essaouira is the spiritual home of the tradition, and every June the city hosts the Gnaoua World Music Festival, drawing over 400,000 visitors to free outdoor stages across the medina.

Outside the festival, Gnaoua groups play in the Djemaa Moulay Hassan (the main square) most evenings. Sit, order a tea and listen — no ticket required.

The medina: slower souks

Essaouira's medina is smaller and less pressured than the Marrakech souks. The lanes of the artisan quarter specialise in thuya wood — a dense, fragrant burl unique to the Moroccan Atlantic coast, worked into boxes, frames and marquetry with extraordinary precision. These are not cheap imports; they are made in the workshops behind the stalls and are worth buying — a thuya box of desert dates makes a fine souvenir of the trip. The silversmith quarter on Rue Laalouj is also excellent; Essaouira's Jewish community historically dominated the silver trade here and the craft survives.

Near the Bab Doukkala gate, a women's cooperative sells cold-pressed argan oil — culinary and cosmetic — with certified provenance from the surrounding biosphere reserve. This is the place to buy it.

Where to stay

Stay inside the medina in a riad facing either the ocean or an interior courtyard — a soft, salt-aired contrast to the canvas of a Sahara camp. The best-restored properties here have thick walls, tiled floors and none of the fussiness that can afflict the more luxury-market riads inland. Sahara Desert Adventures maintains a shortlist with honest assessments of what each suits — a romantic couple, a family with children, guests prioritising the view. Ask us when you plan the trip through our Essaouira destination page.

A brief note on the wind: the Alizé is real and persistent. Rooms facing the ocean get the sound and occasionally a salt chill. If you are a light sleeper or run cold, request a courtyard room. The wind is not a problem — it is part of the city's character — but it is worth being prepared for.

Getting there and when to go

Private vehicle from Marrakech takes two and a half hours on the A7 motorway then the coast road. Sahara Desert Adventures always uses a licensed driver who knows the route and can stop at the argan cooperative en route. March to May and September to November are ideal: mild temperatures, lower crowds and the wind at a sustainable rather than ferocious level. The Gnaoua Festival in June draws very large crowds — book accommodation months in advance if attending. Summer (July–August) is busy and very windy; December to February is quieter and surprisingly mild on the Atlantic coast compared to the interior.

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