Essaouira

Walk through a nondescript passageway into a classic 19th-century riad and you'll find the Coopérative Artisanale des Marqueteurs, whose members have been turning out finely decorated boxes, ornaments, tables, and other furniture since 1948. Everything has a tag with the artisan's code number and reasonable fixed prices. At the end of the month, the craftsmen collect their income and a small proportion goes to the upkeep of the building and the running of the co-op. You won't find tour groups here as there is no commission for guides, making it a tranquil place to stop and admire decades of craftsmanship.

Essaouira's only concept store is located near Bab Sbaa and offers a range of clothing, jewelry, accessories, organic argan oil, and small decorative items. Products are designed locally by Moroccan and international designers. This is the closest you'll get in Essaouira to the modern design stores of Marrakesh.

This renovated riad filled with the artwork and collections of its host, artist Didier Spindler, offers an imaginative menu that is a fusion of Moroccan, European, and Asian flavors. The decor is an eclectic mix of Buddha statues, pop art, and palm trees. There is nightly entertainment in the form of a band or fire eater, as well as a great wine list. The trio of desserts is the perfect sharing dish to conclude your meal (and often features more than three sweet delicacies). It's recommended to make a reservation for dinner, particularly during peak tourist seasons.

There's a daily range of bites, including quiches, salads, and the occasional crepe, at this nice little lunch place that's great for vegetarians. With only two rows of four small tables set beneath the artwork of owner Francoise's husband, it makes a good stop for afternoon tea.

This family-run Italian restaurant on the first floor of the owners' riad and home is affordable and charming with the pastas, desserts, and cheeses made in-house. The menu, written in Italian, features digestifs such as limoncello and grappa. Tables are surrounded by an eclectic mix of art, pasta charts, and bric-a-brac.

This unpretentious Moroccan restaurant in the heart of the medina is spacious and cool. Hidden among the extensive menu of couscous, tagine, and pastilla variations are a few refreshing surprises. Try the grilled zucchini short-crust tart or a melt-in-the mouth marinaded fish kebab, and wash it down with a zingy freshly squeezed lemon juice with ginger. Along with great food and decent prices, there's also a kids' menu. No alcohol is served.

Come here for the best coffee and the best ice cream in town; its location on the main square is also great for people-watching. Pick a shady seat on the inside of the terrace under a parasol to avoid the passing street hawkers.

Owner and chef Frederique employs only locals and uses ingredients from local farmers and co-ops to implement her slow-food philosophy. Using traditional recipes and always with the greatest respect for the heritage and provenance of her dishes, she and sous-chef Khadija create a menu of authentic salads, mains, and desserts plus daily specials. The emphasis is on avoiding waste, so customers are encouraged to order exactly what they want—no more, no less. Try the camel couscous on a Monday and ask for a copy of Fred's book about the medicinal and culinary uses of Moroccan spices.

A few miles outside town on the edge of thuya and olive groves, owner Abderrazak welcomes you warmly to his artisanal cheesery and open-air restaurant. Enjoy a fixed-menu lunch of salads topped with local goat-and-sheep-milk cheeses, followed by (for nonvegetarians) a mechoui (lamb spit roast), and wine to complement. You'll find it hard to move after the feast.

This Moroccan restaurant offers a selection of tagines with flavor combinations you don't often find, such as tagine of beef with honey and dried fruits or saffron chicken with almonds. It also has an excellent selection of seafood dishes and desserts. The dark-wood decor is highlighted by colorful lanterns. Morocco's finest wines are also served.

In a former warehouse of the sultan's Jewish traders, this is one of three Madada brand businesses in Essaouira. The restaurant and bar offers fresh seafood prepared imaginatively and according to the seasons. Try the monkfish tagine with caramelized apples or the lobster pastilla. You can also pop in to enjoy tapas and a cocktail. There is live music on the weekends. While pricier than other establishments in the area, Madada's enduring popularity with residents of the local upscale hotels proves it's worth every penny. Be sure to reserve a table ahead of time, especially in summer.

The food here is simple, traditional, and tasty, but the atmosphere is particularly lovely, especially in the evening, when lights and candles bring the small space to life. This is the most popular of several salon-style Moroccan restaurants in the area, which means you may have to wait for a table.

Often overlooked in favor of the smaller lounge-style restaurants farther along the street, Le Mogadorien has a similar menu but a lot more style. The decor reflects Essaouira's Berber, Arab, Jewish, and Christian heritage, giving you a choice of low-slung Moroccan salon seats or regular chairs and tables. Chef Najiba prepares a range of Moroccan classics and local seafood. The vegetarian tagine features no less than eight vegetables; ask for it with tfaya (caramelized onions and raisins) for an authentic twist. Alcohol is not served.

This French-run restaurant offers Moroccan cooking with a twist; for example, fish tagines are made with pears, apples, or prunes. The small tables are set around a large starry lantern, and the deep-red walls, white muslin, and candles create a romantic atmosphere, although it's a little too dark for gazing into each other's eyes. There is a decent list of local wines.

This restaurant offers much of the same grilled fish that can be had at the port during the day but in a more comfortable atmosphere. It also serves chicken pastilla with almonds, a fig tagine, couscous Mogador, and the occasional stuffed pepper. If a crowd's expected, the restaurant may organize a few belly dancers or live music.

This cozy, chic café and restaurant offers a small, seasonal menu of fresh local produce, seafood, and a few surprises such as a mille-feuille of eggplant and goat cheese. After your meal, try a spiced coffee or Berber tea.

This local institution off the main square dates back to 1929. Prices are very reasonable, so you can start your day with great coffee and breakfasts; you can also take your pick from the French and Moroccan pastries baked fresh every day. Take away some cakes and coffee in the late afternoon and eat them at one of the cafés on the square—it's what the locals do.

In a sunny spot in the cobbled old grain market, Safran offers a range of grilled fish, à la carte lunches and suppers, freshly made juices, and much more. A great location for an alfresco meal or just a coffee, if you sit here long enough, you'll see plenty of Essaouira's musical and acrobatic street entertainers. It's open into the early evening during summer, when patio heaters keep diners warm. There's also free Wi-Fi.

A long-standing favorite among locals, expats, and tourists, this authentic Italian restaurant serves the best crispy pizzas in the medina, straight from a wood-fired oven. The menu also features home-cooked pasta dishes. Diners eat in an eclectically decorated dining room or upstairs on the enclosed terrace. Wines and other alcoholic drinks are available.

This restaurant and bar is the "place to be" in the evenings. It's named after the wind that blows off the sea, which you can feel firsthand with cocktails on the terrific rooftop terrace with views of the port. The Mediterranean menu includes seafood (try the Oualidia oysters when in season), hamburger, and roasted Camembert. At night a band or DJ plays on the roof to a hip crowd. On chillier evenings on the terrace, ask the staff for a poncho.

This chic restaurant tucked away along the skala is a real treat. The daily changing menu—prepared in an open kitchen—blends seasonal and local ingredients with French savoir faire. The airy restaurant draws in a clientele of expats and tourists with its muted dove grays, glossy white furniture, and quirky art touches, such as a gorgeous Gnaoua mural. Be sure to try the goat cheese from a women's co-op in nearby Meskala; you also can't miss the chocolate fondant with salted caramel ice cream.

One of Essaouira's best-kept secrets, this little hole-in-the-wall restaurant never fails to impress. Manager Brahim offers freshly prepared Italian mains (fish, chicken, and pasta), all served with a trio of salads and two juices to start. The ray with caper butter sauce is especially incredible. The place is tiny, so if you can't get in at first, come back later.

Habiba Ajaoui was the first female shopkeeper in the Essaouira medina and she's always happy to pass the time chatting with clients (in Arabic, French, or English) over a cup of steaming tea. She sells spices and argan and cactus-seed oils at reasonable prices and can get you everything you need for the hammam. She also has a large repertoire of henna tattoo designs, which are priced according to their complexity.

Hafida welcomes all her customers with a smile and offers a keenly curated selection of Morocco-made jewelry, leather bags, shoes, small paintings, and other decorative items.

This spa and hammam offers great value in a clean and welcoming setting in the heart of the medina. The package deals frequently include an argan-oil scrub or massage. A simple hammam scrub is 130 DH while a 1½-hour package that includes an argan scrub, face scrub and mask, and back massage is 300 DH.

The five Makki brothers have taken over their father's herbalist business and turned it into an empire. Several of the shops on Place Marché aux Grains and in the spice souk across the road are run by them. They know their stuff and are happy to explain which spices are used in which recipes and the difference between real and fake saffron over a pot of royal tea. They also sell a range of solid perfumes, argan-oil products, and ceramics.

Home to the active Essaouira-Mogador Association, Dar Souiri is the hub of cultural life in Essaouira. Check the notice board outside the door for information on upcoming festivals, concerts, film screenings, and other cultural events. Inside, the building is an excellent example of 18th-century Mogador architecture and houses an art gallery and a library. Free Wi-Fi is also available.

Essaouira's beach is fine for an early-morning jog or a late-afternoon game of soccer, but serious sunbathers typically head south to quiet Diabat. Walking along the beach, cross over the mouth of the river and continue past the Borj el Baroud, a former Portuguese fortification. To your left, a few miles south of town nestled in eucalyptus fields, you'll see the ruins of the so-called Sultan's Palace. This building is said to have inspired Jimi Hendrix to write "Castles in the Sand," although he actually released the track a couple of years before his visit to this village, which has been trading on his name ever since. On a windy day the only escape is behind the Borj at low tide. Amenities: none. Best for: solitude; sunset.

Named after Orson Welles's Othello, which was shot in town, this gallery exhibits local and international artists and antiques. Look out for Scottish artist Caroline Fulton's work, which features indigenous Moroccan animals in rural and medina settings.

Essaouira's main beach is a sweep of sand along the bay that has provided shelter to seafarers from Atlantic storms since antiquity. Although temperatures are moderate all year and the sun is nearly always shining, the wind is consistently strong, making sunbathing or swimming less attractive than farther south in Agadir. Nonetheless, sun-bed rentals are relatively inexpensive or even free if you eat at one of the cafés at the southern end of the beach.

The wind comes from the north and creates three main areas. The most northerly part, tucked up into the armpit of the port, has wind that comes in gusts. Just south of this the wind strengthens, with fewer gusts. Farther south are the steady, strong trade winds the town is known for, and that make it a mecca for wind- and kite surfers. The range of areas makes the bay perfect for every level of water-sports enthusiast.

The surrounding islets, the Iles de Mogador, are home to nine bird species, including the endangered Eleanora's falcon. They are closed to visitors during breeding season (April to October), but otherwise you can get a boat trip from the port, with boats leaving morning and afternoon depending on weather conditions. Amenities: food and drink; lifeguards (summer only); toilets; parking (10 DH); water sports. Best for: sunset; swimming; walking; windsurfing.

Based out of Essaouira and Ouarzazate, Fikra Travel offers personalized tours of Morocco, specializing in the south and desert regions. It will tailor tours to suit your traveling needs and often deals with small groups and families traveling by 4x4, but can also offer routes by bus, camel, or even donkey.

For tasteful used pewter platters, goblets, and ceramic teapots, as well as new and used English and French books, check the Galérie Aida, underneath the ramparts. There is also a large selection of antique daggers. The gallery's owner, Joseph Sebag, one of Essaouira's last remaining Jewish residents, is knowledgeable about the city's Jewish history.

Danish collector Frederic Damgaard is credited with bringing the naive art of Essaouira to an international audience. His Galerie d'Art Damgaard, across from the clock tower, has well-curated displays of work by Essaouira painters and sculptors and is also a great place to pick up souvenir books on local art and culture.

Tucked away at the end of the street, Galerie Jama seems more museum than shop. You can browse among wooden doors, mosaic vases, vintage Berber rugs, and all sorts of wonderful odds and ends. Get ready to negotiate if you see something you like.

Essaouira is always packed over the third weekend of June, as tens of thousands of people from all over the world come to enjoy the annual four-day Gnaoua and World Music Festival. It's one of the best times to listen to traditional Gnaoua musicians. These descendants of African slaves established brotherhoods across Morocco and are healers and mystics as well as musicians. Among their troupes of metal castanet (krakab) players, bass lute (gimbri) players, and drummers, they have mediums and clairvoyants who perform wild, spellbinding acts. If you plan to visit the festival, make sure you reserve accommodations at least three months in advance as hotels and guesthouses will be full.

Located in the Mellah, this is one of the oldest hammams in Essaouira. Now brightly painted, it has a plaque indicating that Orson Welles once used it as a location during the filming of Othello. Because of this, it's popular with tourists and the ladies who are on hand to scrub and massage clients can get a little greedy. Check on the door for the most up-to-date male/female opening hours.

On the street of the same name, this women-only hammam is open all day until midnight. For just 50 DH, you can get a great scrub-down by one of the local ladies. If your male partner wants the same, he should head over the Hammam Bolisi in Rue Dar Dheb, near Maison du Sud. Don't forget to bring a towel and a spare pair of underwear (because you wear one pair inside).

Located at Bab Marrakech in the medina, this palatial riad hotel has a hammam plus treatment and massage rooms open to nonguests who book in advance (book either one or two days ahead). A full list of packages and treatments is on the website.

This popular riad has a rather good hammam that nonguests can use. A 30-minute scrub with argan oil, roses, sugar, and salt costs 200 DH.

This is the best cooking school in town. Here you'll get an authentic, step-by-step introduction to Moroccan cuisine. Chef Mouna shares the secrets of generations of Moroccan housewives with simultaneous English translation. The first to reserve each day gets to choose from a range of menus, including tagines, pastilla, couscous, and traditional cooked salads. Classes last around four hours and include a tour of the spice souk where the meal's ingredients come from. A glass of wine costs extra.

Amid dozens of other Ali Baba–cave-style shops in the Essaouira medina, La Fibule Berbère is one of the oldest and one of the few that accepts credit cards. The shop displays stunning ethnic jewelry, such as huge silver pendants, fibules (clasps for attaching pendants and closing shawls), and bulky necklaces made in the Berber and Toureg styles.

By far the most appealing of Essaouira’s nightclubs, every night at Le Chrysalis has a band playing an eclectic set of covers of popular Western tunes, as well as Moroccan and West African favorites. The drinks aren’t cheap, but the atmosphere is lively and the place pulls in a range of tourists, locals, and expats of varying ages.

Situated on the seafront, with ocean views from the relaxation lounge, this has to be the best-equipped spa in town. It specializes in thalassotherapy with water jet showers, hydrating baths, massages, and aqua gym workouts. There's also a gym, hammam, hair salon, heated outdoor pool, and sun deck as well as a whole menu of beauty treatments.

At the younger end of the scene, Loubou’s is loud and smoky with a DJ pumping out dance music while customers suck on water pipes in chairs around the dance floor. Admission is typically free unless a guest DJ has been flown in for the night.

Shopping at the Mashi Mushki store in Essaouira gives you the chance to support locals, as a percentage of the profits goes to the Project 91 charity, which helps young Souiris (natives of Essaouira) to improve their lives through job training and other activities. Some of the items are made in the neighborhood or by co-ops, which also benefits locals. Pick up craft items with a conscience. While you're there, leave your unwanted clothes at the thrift shop across the street.

This isn't so much a sight as the very essence of Essaouira, where you are most likely to stay, eat, shop, and wander. The medina was designed by French architect Théodore Cornut in the late 18th century, on the instructions of Sidi Mohammed Ben Abdullah, who wanted to create a new town and port to rival Agadir and demonstrate Morocco's outward focus. Cornut built the kasbah and the Sultan invited prominent Jewish traders to settle here. Mogador (as it was then known) soon thrived.

The medina is now a UNESCO World Heritage Site and efforts are underway to restore some of the key buildings of Mogador's heyday, namely the Simon Attia synagogue and the Danish consulate. The former Portuguese consulate and church are also earmarked for restoration. All feature the colonnaded ground floor and rooms off internal walkways on the higher levels that are typical of the era.

From the kasbah, heading northwest, pass through the Mellah Kdim (old Mellah) before finally reaching the Mellah proper. It was in this latter area that less affluent Jews settled. Following the end of the French Protectorate and the creation of the state of Israel, most of Mogador's Jews left and the area became home to poorer urban families and squatters in the ruined shells of former Jewish town houses. The area is under redevelopment, so many buildings have been demolished. Two original synagogues can be visited: Synagogue Slat Lkahal and Haïm Pinto Synagogue. The area is best avoided after dark. As you approach the Mellah, look for the Star of David carved in stone above doorways.

A specialist in tailor-made holidays in Morocco, Australian-born founder Jane Folliott has over 15 years' experience working and living in Morocco. Based in Essaouira, this company can arrange a broad range of trips for individuals, families, and small groups, from day excursions to longer cultural and historical journeys throughout the country. Itineraries can be designed to suit your budget, level of comfort, and sense of adventure.

The distinctive outlines of the medina skala and its citadel (the North Bastion) frame the waves dramatically at sunset. The bastion once held emergency supplies of fresh water and the large circle of stones in the center marks what was known as a call-point, or alarm system, to warn of approaching invaders. Guards would warn of danger by stomping on the resonant circle. If you stand in the middle of the circle and stomp your foot or yell, you'll hear the echo ring far.

Built in 1769 in the reign of Sidi Mohammed Ben Abdellah by an Englishman who had converted to Islam, Essaouira's port is still going strong in the southwest corner of town, and it's the one must-see sight for any traveler coming here. Trawlers and other boats bob along the quay, and middlemen and independent sailors sell the daily catch of sardines, calamari, and skate from small dockside tables. You'll be selling yourself short if you don't have a meal of the freshest fish imaginable at one of the shoreside grill restaurants. As Moroccan ports go, it's also one of the most beautiful, not to mention accessible and tourist-friendly.

Essaouira has two principal skala (fortified bastions), with fabulous cannons: the medina skala and the port skala. Each was a strategic maritime defense point. Unlike the straight-edged Moorish constructions in other Moroccan cities, the ramparts in Essaouira are triangular, so the insider looking out has a broader field of vision than the enemy peering in. Orson Welles filmed scenes of his film Othello from the tower of the port skala, picking up a magnificent panorama of town, port, and bay all in one that can still be seen today. The entrance fee is worth it to get the picture-postcard view of the medina through a round opening in the wall.

The tranquil beach village of Sidi Kaouki is often touted as an alternative to Essaouira's beach and is a destination of choice for younger backpackers, surfers, and windsurfers, which should give you an idea of the typical wind velocity and wave size. It doesn't have the amenities of its larger neighbor, but the "Town" consists of a number of guesthouses, a couple of shops, and some small restaurants all serving the same standard tourist menus. It's easy to rent mountain bikes, quad bikes, or ponies for a jaunt along the beach toward Ouassane (the village to the north) or Sidi M'barek (with a waterfall and wide sandy beach) to the south. For the energetic, it's possible to walk along the beach and over a cliff from Essaouira to Sidi Kaouki—about 13 miles one way. Walking in the opposite direction (against the wind) is not recommended. Amenities: food and drink; parking (5 DH–10 DH per day in summer); toilets; water sports. Best for: surfing; sunset; walking.

The stunning former French-colonial town hall holds this smartly arranged collection of items from everyday and ritual life in and around the Essaouira area. Current exhibits include items related to the China tea trade in anticipation of the construction of a tea museum. The permanent collection includes musical instruments of both Gnaoua and Sufi sects; displays of regional carpet styles and wood-carving techniques and motifs; and examples of Muslim, Jewish, and rural Ishelhin Berber rites and dress.

Modeled after its successful older sister in Agadir, the So Lounge at the Sofitel in Diabat is the height of sophistication. A cocktail bar and restaurant overlooks the main bar, stage, and dance area; live music is played every night except Monday. Admission is free, but it's recommended that diners book a table.

The South Bastion, also known as the Bastion Bab Marrakech, is a carefully restored element of the original fortified medina walls. Managed by the local Delegation of the Culture Ministry, it is open to the public when exhibitions and events take place, like the annual Gnaoua and World Music Festival. The flat roof offers a view over the rooftops to the beach and is often the backdrop to concerts and other performances. The area in front of the bastion (now a parking lot) was the site of the town's original Muslim cemetery.

This shop offers a range of handmade items from all over Morocco and the Sahara, including mirrors, jewelry, leather bags, and small pieces of furniture. The kettle is always on and you'll eventually be invited to join in for a cup of sweet mint tea to seal your deal.

Just outside Ounagha, about 35½ km (22 miles) from Essaouira, is Morocco's first organic vineyard. Established by Charles Melia, an experienced winemaker of the Rhône valley in France, it covers 128 acres, 100 of which are under cultivation. The vineyard produces a selection of ranges and labels featuring red, white, rosé, and—typical in Morocco—vin gris (gray) wines. Many of the wines here are commonly featured on wine lists in Essaouira and Marrakesh restaurants. Tours and tastings can be arranged in French, English, or Arabic, and there is a restaurant on-site with a panoramic view of the vineyard and olive trees.

The first riad guesthouse in Essaouira has a private "Oriental Spa" hammam open to nonguests and offers a range of treatment packages, including massages for children. A traditional scrub with black soap and a scrub mitt plus a ghassoul (therapeutic mud) wrap and a 10-minute massage costs 600 DH per person. Forty-five-minute massages with argan oil cost upward of 320 DH.