Essaouira: The City of Trade Winds

Why this experience

Essaouira is one of Morocco's most beautiful coastal cities, a UNESCO World Heritage site. Located 2h30 from Agadir via the N1 highway, this 16th-century fortified city captivates with its unique blend of history, art, and Atlantic culture. The blue-and-white medina houses art galleries, thuya wood marquetry workshops — an ancestral craft unique to the region — and riads converted into charming guesthouses. The fishing port, still active today, offers a daily spectacle: colorful sardine boats, hundreds of seagulls, and open-air fish grills where you'll taste Morocco's freshest fish for just a few dirhams. Essaouira is also Morocco's wind capital, making it a world-class spot for kitesurfing and windsurfing, especially at Sidi Kaouki beach, 25 km south. Every June, the Gnaoua World Music Festival attracts international artists and transforms the medina into an open-air stage. With a GadiWaze rental car, the drive from Agadir is a pleasure: endemic argan tree landscapes, women's cooperatives to visit along the way, and stops in coastal villages. The car also gives you freedom to explore the surroundings: the Portuguese ruins of the Skala, Mogador Island, and wild beaches south toward Sidi Kaouki and Imsouane. Without a car, you're limited to the CTM bus — with your own vehicle, you explore at your own pace.