The sea ramparts and Skala of Essaouira — Essaouira Tours field journal

The journal · field notes from Essaouira

Honest Essaouira writing, by people who live here.

No top-10 listicles. Slow, opinionated dispatches from the atelier on when to come, where to stay, what to skip and how to spend your dirhams well. Read before you book — and certainly before you pack.

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One new long-read every monthWritten in-houseNo sponsored postsUpdated each season

This month's long-read

Latest from the atelier.

One slow, in-house piece every month. No commissioned writers, no sponsored takes — just the answers we already give our guests on WhatsApp, written down properly.

Is Marrakech too hot in summer — and is Essaouira a cooler base?

Latest field note 9 min read

Planning · June 2026

Is Marrakech too hot in summer — and is Essaouira a cooler base?

In July and August Marrakech is genuinely hot (often well above 35°C), while Essaouira stays mild and breezy on the Atlantic (usually around the mid-20s°C). An honest take on whether to base on the cooler coast, the wind trade-off, how to still enjoy Marrakech in the heat, and how to combine both (~2.5–3h apart). Temperatures are typical ranges, not forecasts.

Field note 01Read the piece

The archive

Older pieces, still useful.

Re-read every season by our team. If anything is out of date we annotate it at the top of the piece — Essaouira changes slowly, but it does change.

34 pieces

What's the Gnaoua music scene in Essaouira — and when is the festival?

02Culture 9 min

Culture · June 2026

What's the Gnaoua music scene in Essaouira — and when is the festival?

Essaouira is Morocco's spiritual home of Gnaoua. What the music actually is (the guembri, the qraqeb, the trance and the lila), when the Gnaoua and World Music Festival usually happens (a long weekend, typically late June — dates vary), whether it's free, and where to hear live Gnaoua year-round, not just in June.

9 min readRead

Should I visit Essaouira from Marrakech — day trip or overnight?

03Planning 10 min

Planning · June 2026

Should I visit Essaouira from Marrakech — day trip or overnight?

The question travellers ask us most, answered straight: is Essaouira worth it, can you do it in a day from Marrakech (~2.5–3h each way) or should you stay the night, and what's there to do — medina, Skala, port, beaches, argan, Sidi Kaouki, surf — plus when to go around the wind and how many days to give it.

10 min readRead

Hammam in Essaouira: what to expect, where to go and what it costs

04Wellness 8 min

Wellness · June 2026

Hammam in Essaouira: what to expect, where to go and what it costs

A hammam is the traditional Moroccan steam bath and scrub — the most restorative thing you can book after windy beach days. What actually happens, public vs private, what to bring, real dirham prices, etiquette and the local argan-oil finish.

8 min readRead

Is Essaouira worth visiting? An honest verdict

05Planning 9 min

Planning · June 2026

Is Essaouira worth visiting? An honest verdict

Yes — for a UNESCO walled medina, a working blue fishing port, wide Atlantic beaches and a pace that slows your pulse. Our honest verdict on what makes it special, the wind and quiet-nightlife caveats, who'll love it, who might skip it, and day trip vs overnight.

9 min readRead

Is Essaouira always windy? When the wind is calmest

06Planning 8 min

Planning · June 2026

Is Essaouira always windy? When the wind is calmest

Almost — but not the way people fear. A straight answer on when the wind is calmest (mornings and winter), why the alizé blows so steadily, where to shelter in the medina on a blowy afternoon, and how to plan a brilliant trip around the breeze.

8 min readRead

07Itineraries 8 min

Itineraries · April 2025

How many days do you need in Essaouira?

Day trip, overnight or longer? An honest trip-length guide: one rushed day from Marrakech, two days and one night as the sweet spot, or three-plus days to surf, slow down and explore the coast — and why an overnight beats a day trip.

8 min readRead

Essaouira in three days: a slow, opinionated plan

08Itineraries 9 min

Itineraries · June 2026

Essaouira in three days: a slow, opinionated plan

Most people give Essaouira a single rushed afternoon from Marrakech and miss it. Here is the three-day rhythm we recommend — the Skala ramparts, the blue port, the medina and souks, a beach day and Sidi Kaouki, what to skip and where to eat.

9 min readRead

Essaouira coast camps explained: beach stays vs eco-lodges

09Coast 10 min

Coast · June 2026

Essaouira coast camps explained: beach stays vs eco-lodges

Simple or stylish? A bare beach guesthouse at Sidi Kaouki or a designed eco-lodge in the argan country? We map the trade-offs in comfort, quiet, surf access and price — with the coastal stays we still send guests to.

10 min readRead

How to haggle in Essaouira's souks (without getting it wrong)

10Practical 8 min

Practical · June 2026

How to haggle in Essaouira's souks (without getting it wrong)

The gentle etiquette and mechanics of bargaining in Essaouira — fair price ranges on thuya wood and argan oil, the phrases that help, what's actually fixed-price, and why a smile beats a hard sell.

8 min readRead

How much to tip in Essaouira: a practical guide

11Practical 6 min

Practical · May 2026

How much to tip in Essaouira: a practical guide

Guides, drivers, riads, restaurants, the port grills — who to tip, how much, and in what currency. The honest, no-guesswork dirham numbers we give our own guests before every trip.

6 min readRead

Walking the ramparts: a guide to Essaouira's Skala

12Medina 10 min

Medina · June 2026

Walking the ramparts: a guide to Essaouira's Skala

The Skala de la Ville, the sea bastions and the brass cannons that ring the medina. Where to walk, when the light is best, the Îles Purpuraires offshore — and how to read the old Mogador fortifications.

10 min readRead

Essaouira seafood and tagine, beyond the obvious

13Food 9 min

Food · June 2026

Essaouira seafood and tagine, beyond the obvious

Fish straight off the boats at the port grills, fish tagine with chermoula, amlou and argan oil, the counters worth queuing for — what to order, where, and how to eat well whatever your diet.

9 min readRead

A Marrakech-to-Essaouira day trip, done properly

14Day trips 7 min

Day trips · June 2026

A Marrakech-to-Essaouira day trip, done properly

The argan road, the tree-climbing goats, an oil cooperative and the first sight of the ramparts are all on the ~190 km run from Marrakech. What a good day actually looks like — and why two nights beats one.

7 min readRead

An Essaouira weekend: ramparts, port and the wind

15Itineraries 7 min

Itineraries · June 2026

An Essaouira weekend: ramparts, port and the wind

Two nights on the Atlantic — the Skala ramparts, the blue fishing boats, the grilled-fish stalls, thuya woodwork and a first windsurf. How to spend a perfect 48 hours by the sea.

7 min readRead

Is Essaouira safe in 2026? An honest answer

16Planning 9 min

Planning · June 2026

Is Essaouira safe in 2026? An honest answer

The honest, current picture — solo and women travellers, faux guides and souk hassle, medina petty theft, tap water and health. What we actually tell our own guests.

9 min readRead

17Practical 7 min

Practical · June 2026

What to pack for Essaouira, by season

No 'breathable convertible trousers'. A real packing list for the coast — a windproof layer for the famous afternoon trade wind, layers for cool evenings, sun protection that the sea breeze hides the need for, and beach kit.

7 min readRead

Essaouira on a budget: what it really costs

18Planning 8 min

Planning · June 2026

Essaouira on a budget: what it really costs

Daily spend in dirhams, the cheap Supratours and CTM bus from Marrakech, the port-fish grills, free things to do and the honest ways to save — with sample MAD budgets for backpacker, mid-range and comfortable.

8 min readRead

Where to stay in Essaouira: riads & neighbourhoods

19Riads 7 min

Riads · June 2026

Where to stay in Essaouira: riads & neighbourhoods

Medina riad or beachfront hotel? Which part of the old town suits which travellers, what to look for in a courtyard riad, and how to book the rooftop, the calm and the location right.

7 min readRead

A 7-day Atlantic coast itinerary that works

20Itineraries 11 min

Itineraries · June 2026

A 7-day Atlantic coast itinerary that works

The classic one-week loop, day by day — Marrakech, the argan road to Essaouira, the medina and port, Sidi Kaouki and the wild beaches, with honest drive times and what to skip.

11 min readRead

Driving the coast to Essaouira: self-drive or hire a driver?

21Practical 8 min

Practical · June 2026

Driving the coast to Essaouira: self-drive or hire a driver?

Road conditions on the Marrakech road, the argan country, parking outside the car-free medina, fuel and the real cost trade-off — and why many of our guests end up with a private driver instead of a rental.

8 min readRead

22Culture 6 min

Culture · June 2026

The Moroccan mint tea ritual, explained

Why the tea is poured from a height, what the foam means, how the gunpowder green and fresh mint are brewed and sweetened, and the etiquette of accepting a glass — the small ceremony at the heart of Moroccan hospitality.

6 min readRead

Diabat & Sidi Kaouki: Essaouira's wild beaches

23Beaches 8 min

Beaches · June 2026

Diabat & Sidi Kaouki: Essaouira's wild beaches

South of the medina, empty Atlantic sand, the ruined Dar Sultan in the dunes, the surf and the clifftop marabout at Sidi Kaouki. What to do there, how to get out, and how to fold it into an Essaouira stay.

8 min readRead

Shopping in Essaouira: what to buy and how

24Shopping 9 min

Shopping · June 2026

Shopping in Essaouira: what to buy and how

Thuya marquetry, argan oil and amlou, raffia, silver and art — where to find the real thing in Essaouira's calmer souks, how to bargain gently, and how to get it all home.

9 min readRead

Essaouira with kids: an honest family guide

25Family 9 min

Family · June 2026

Essaouira with kids: an honest family guide

Where to go, how to pace it, the riads that work for families, camel and pony rides on the beach, the gentle medina and the port, and food kids will actually eat — the practical things we tell parents before they come.

9 min readRead

Essaouira's blue fishing port: what to see and eat

26Port 7 min

Port · June 2026

Essaouira's blue fishing port: what to see and eat

The morning landings, the fish auction, the boat-builders working in cobalt blue, the grill stalls and the best light — a complete guide to the working harbour at the heart of Essaouira.

7 min readRead

27Culture 8 min

Culture · June 2026

Essaouira's best photography spots

From the blue boats at the port to the cannons of the Skala at golden hour, the medina alleys, Sidi Kaouki at dusk and the argan goats — where to shoot, when the light is right, and the etiquette of the lens.

8 min readRead

Windsurfing vs kitesurfing in Essaouira: which to learn?

28Water sports 8 min

Water sports · June 2026

Windsurfing vs kitesurfing in Essaouira: which to learn?

Essaouira's trade wind makes it one of the world's best places to start. We compare the learning curve, the gear, the cost and where to ride in the bay — so you choose the right sport for your trip.

8 min readRead

Essaouira's festival calendar: when to come for the music

29Culture 8 min

Culture · June 2026

Essaouira's festival calendar: when to come for the music

The Gnaoua and World Music Festival that takes over the whole town in June, the Andalusian and music gatherings, Ramadan and the Eids — the events worth planning a trip around, month by month.

8 min readRead

What a night at Sidi Kaouki is actually like

30Coast 7 min

Coast · June 2026

What a night at Sidi Kaouki is actually like

The short transfer south, the wide empty beach, the surf and the wind, the simple guesthouses and eco-lodges, the marabout on the cliff and the dawn light — and how a night on the coast differs from the medina.

7 min readRead

An Essaouira food guide: what and where to eat

31Food 9 min

Food · June 2026

An Essaouira food guide: what and where to eat

The port-fish grills, the best harira and msemen counters, fish tagine and seafood pastilla, where locals actually eat, and a mint tea on a rooftop as the wind drops — how to eat well in the windy city.

9 min readRead

The best time to visit Essaouira: a month-by-month guide

32Planning 8 min

Planning · March 2025

The best time to visit Essaouira: a month-by-month guide

When to come to the Wind City — the mild, breezy Atlantic climate, when the alizé trade winds are best for surf, the quieter and warmer shoulder windows, the Gnaoua festival and what to pack by season.

8 min readRead

Getting to & around Essaouira: buses, taxis & the walkable medina

33Practical 8 min

Practical · March 2025

Getting to & around Essaouira: buses, taxis & the walkable medina

How to arrive and move once you're here — CTM and Supratours coaches from Marrakech (about 2.5–3 hours), the coast link to Agadir, the small Mogador airport caveat, and why the flat, car-free medina means you simply walk.

8 min readRead

Essaouira in summer: the breezy coast escape

34Planning 8 min

Planning · April 2025

Essaouira in summer: the breezy coast escape

While inland Marrakech bakes at 38–40°C, Essaouira stays a mild, breezy 22–25°C on the open Atlantic — Morocco's favourite summer escape. The trade winds, the watersports, the crowds, the June Gnaoua festival and long balmy evenings, honestly told.

8 min readRead

Things to know before visiting Essaouira: wind, the medina & expectations

35Practical 7 min

Practical · April 2025

Things to know before visiting Essaouira: wind, the medina & expectations

An honest primer — the famous Atlantic trade winds, why it's cooler than Marrakech, the small flat car-free medina, the midday day-trip crowds, the cool-but-refreshing sea and the busy Gnaoua festival.

7 min readRead

Letters from Essaouira

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