Essaouira is located on the Moroccan Atlantic coast. The medina of the port city has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2001.
Before Moroccan independence, the city was also called Mogador, but today the name is only used for an offshore island.
Essaouira is for many Moroccan tourists rather a day trip destination. However, it is worth staying a little longer in one of the many small riads in the medina and discover the city. Here the artist scene is at home, there are countless galleries to discover and in the evening you are treated to a breathtaking sunset over the sea.
Our vacation tips
Essaouira is a port city on the Atlantic coast of Morocco. We spent 5 days here and recovered from the hectic life in Marrakech.
Essaouira travel information
Arrival
By plane
There is a national airport in the southeast of the city. International travel by air is only possible via Marrakech or Agadir.
By train
Essaouira is not connected to the Moroccan rail network.
By bus
There are many bus connections, such as to Marrakech in the east (130 km), Agadir (140 km) in the south and El Jadida in the north (230 km). We took the bus to a bus station right by the walls of the medina.
By car
Essaouria can be easily reached by car. However, this must be parked in one of the large parking lots outside the medina. The medina is car-free!
By boat
Essaouria has only one fishing port.
On the way in …
By car
The old town of the medina is car-free. Vehicles must be parked outside the city walls.
On foot
The medina is not big. It is easy to reach everything on foot.
By taxi
If you want to cover a little further distance, you can take a mini taxi. Journeys within the center have a fixed price of 10 DH, outside the center it is 15 DH.
Best time to travel
The best time to visit Essaouira in Morocco is from March to December. At this time the temperatures are pleasantly warm and there is little rain. In August you can expect an average maximum temperature of 31 degrees. The average annual temperature Essaouira is 23 ° degrees and the annual precipitation is 125 mm.
We were in the city at the end of January. At night it got quite cold, during the day there was always a cool wind blowing and with over 22 degrees it was wonderfully warm.