Essaouira

Essaouira is Morocco's coastal antidote — Atlantic wind, white-and-blue medina, no traffic, and the country's most relaxed dining scene. Three nights here at the back end of a Marrakech week resets everything.

The town is small enough to walk in 20 minutes, and the hotel scene splits between medina riads and beachfront resorts a kilometre south.

Essaouira is Morocco's calm, windswept Atlantic counterweight to the inland medinas — a fortified 18th-century port (built by Sultan Sidi Mohammed ben Abdallah on the bones of a Portuguese trading post), a UNESCO-listed medina that is small enough to walk in 30 minutes, and a 3km sweep of beach that has been the country's surf and kitesurf capital for two decades. The 2.5-hour drive from Marrakech (or a 45-minute flight) is the genuine reason most Marrakech itineraries should add 2 nights here for the climatic and cultural change.

The accommodation runs at a quieter scale than Marrakech. Heure Bleue Palais (the most polished medina riad, with the city's only proper rooftop pool), Villa Maroc (the original 1990s European-restoration boutique), Riad Watier (smaller, more atmospheric), and the Sofitel Mogador Essaouira on the beach south of town for travellers who want resort-style pool-and-spa access. A junior suite at Heure Bleue runs €280–450; a beach room at the Sofitel €180–320.

The wind is the variable that defines the trip. Essaouira is in the trade-wind zone — the alize wind (locally called the taros) blows steadily from the northeast for 200+ days a year, which makes the beach a top-rated kite and windsurf destination (Skyriders, Magic Fun Afrika and Explora Watersports all run lessons and rentals at €60–120 per half-day) but also means lounging on the beach itself is a sand-blasting experience for half the year. Visit the medina, the ramparts and the harbour daily; do beach time in protected coves (the Sidi Kaouki cluster 25 minutes south) or accept the wind as part of the kite-surf appeal.

The seafood is the city's other specialism — the harbour-side blue-painted grills next to the fishing boats serve the catch of the morning at €15–25 per head; Restaurant Elizir (one of the country's most refined contemporary Moroccan tasting rooms) and La Table by Madada (the more design-led modern menu) run the serious dinners. The Gnaoua World Music Festival (last weekend of June) is the city's defining annual event — book a year out or skip it. Season runs all year — the wind is most consistent April through August (the kite-surf peak), the most pleasant beach weather September through November, and the quietest medina time December through February.

Getting to Essaouira shapes the trip. The drive from Marrakech is 2.5–3 hours via the new toll road through the argan groves — pleasant, frequently broken up by argan oil cooperative stops and the famous tree-climbing goats (the goats are real but increasingly staged for tips; €1–2 if you photograph). Direct flights from Paris (Transavia, three weekly) and London (Ryanair, two weekly) land at the small Mogador airport 15 minutes from town. The Supratours bus from Marrakech is the budget option (€10, 3 hours, books at the CTM station). Inside town, the medina is fully walkable in 20 minutes end-to-end and entirely flat — a relief after Fes or Marrakech. Park outside the Bab Doukkala or Bab Marrakech gates; cars are not permitted in the medina. The Gnaoua music festival in late June is the single date worth planning around — book accommodation four months out.