Essaouira (pronounced ‘essa-weera’, or ‘es-Sweera’ in Arabic) is at once familiar and exotic with its fortified walls, fishing harbour and seagulls soaring and screaming over the town. At first it seems as though this could be a town in Brittany, France – not such a strange thought given that Essaouira was designed by the same Frenchman who designed Brittany’s most famous port town, Saint-Malo. And yet once you enter the walls, it is also infinitely Moroccan: narrow alleyways, wind that reputedly drives people crazy, the smells of fish guts and damp sea air mixed with aromas of spices and thuya wood, women in white haiks (veils), midday palm-tree shadows on red city walls, and the sound of drums and Gnawa singing reverberating from shops and houses.
Essaouira is a laid back coastal town that offers travelers a nice break from the hubbub of Marrakech which is just a few hours away.
Essaouira's biggest attraction may be its relaxing atmosphere. It's not a big town, and being a beach place it has a holiday feel about it. Essaouira is very much a working port and a fishing town, with a marina filled with blue painted wooden boats that’s arguably one of the most photogenic parts of the country. It’s no wonder the likes of Mick Jagger, Jimi Hendrix, and Maria Callas made this off-the-beaten path African beach town a stop in the 60s.

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