Essaouira Travel Guide |Everything You Need To Know

Imagine, sipping your favorite cocktail either on the beach or hotel pool, Essaouira is the home of all this and more. Our Essaouira Travel Guide will highlight everything you need to know before traveling to the Windy City of Morocco which is nicely situated along the Western region of the country on the Atlantic coast. Unlike Marrakesh, Essaouira pronounced Essa-wae-ra is a very small and laid back city with very friendly locals and the best Tagine on this side of the country.

Having visited the city twice in a space of 6 weeks, I feel more equipped to share the ins and outs of visiting Essaouira. The Essaouira Travel Guide will focus on our personal experiences, places we recommend, tips we picked up along the way and what to look out for. Another important piece that the Essaouira Travel Guide will focus on is the breakdown cost for two people visiting the city. Essaouira is a city that is very budget-friendly, there are so many free things you can do around the city.

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Essaouira Travel Guide |Everything You Need To Know

During our first visit to Essaouira, we were in complete awe of the place, the people and the pace at which everything moved. Knowing Marrakesh is a hectic city, I did not know what to expect from this coastal city dubbed the Windy City. The day we arrived the weather was absolutely glorious, you wouldn’t have guessed it was winter if we didn’t tell you. It was better than we have anticipated and loved walking on the beach without a winter jacket.

Because during our first time we were in awe of everything, we did not focus much on how much we were spending. Morocco is not an expensive country but the cost does add up quickly especially when you’re not being mindful of your expenditures and are not willing to haggle. Looking back, we spent more money unintentionally but we did not want to miss out on anything but glad we experienced everything we wanted to experience.

The tips I have compiled in our Essaouira Travel Guide are based off our experience not only the first time around but the second time too. Some of the things we only learned about after returning for the second time round and paying particular attention to our expenditures.

Essaouira Travel Guide |Tips for First-timers

• Whilst the Moroccan dirham is a closed currency, you can save money by either withdrawing money at the airport or changing money at an exchange bureau
• Book a Riad or hotel that includes breakfast, it is easy to overspend on eating out in Morocco.
• Learn to haggle when shopping in the market and stay away from shopping on the outskirts of the Médina.
• Bring a water bottle and fill it up at the hotel or Riad.
• Book the taxi in advance and shop around, I book via booking.com but I always check the price with the hotel in case it is cheaper
• Whilst buses are cheaper, taxis are quicker but agree on the price in advance and don’t be tricked into visiting places you didn’t ask for.
• Only one airline flies into the city – Ryanair and only flies on Saturday and Tuesday.
• Essaouira airport only accepts paper boarding passes so you have to print your boarding pass before heading to the airport.
• Visit the Port of Essaouira before 11 am otherwise you won’t see any of the blue fishermen’s boats.
• Some areas in the city charge foreigners different prices to locals
• Make sure you check hotel reviews on both booking.com and trip advisor as they give you the true representation of the hotel, not the rating the hotel has received on the booking sites.
• For influencers, I recommend checking out local photographers as they make the best tour guides and know the best places to get those Instagram shots.
• When it comes to where to eat or get Hammam including massages if the hotel or Riad does not offer one, it’s worth asking them for recommendations than taking your chances. 

Free things to do in Essaouira

• Exploring the Médina – small in size and you can walk the entire site within an hour or less
• Lounge on the beach – windy but still a beach and on better days you can hire a hammock and rest up.
• Watch the fishermen haul in their catch of the day – you have to do this early in the morning before 9 am
• Sit in and around the market square to people watch – because it’s close to the port, it makes for the perfect location to people watch
• Explore the city on foot – the Medina might be the majority of the city but the other side of the beach towards the island has a lot to offer.

The cost of visiting Essaouira

The costs mentioned in this section are not estimations but approximations as we have rounded off how much we spent during our 3 nights and 4 days in Essaouira. We went on trips around the city and visited areas that most tourists don’t often make to and hired a taxi driver to take us places. The currency conversions correct at the time of writing this post and may fluctuate over time.

• Taxi cost between airport and hotel or Riad – this may be slightly different for each but pay no more than 150dh each way or 300dh (£23, $31, €28)
• Cost of the hotel for 3 nights and 4 days – booking early in advance you might find cheaper prices but prices are generally 2,014dh {£160, $209, €190)
• The cost of food per day depends on whether you are after a full meal or something light to snack on. Lunch for two {meal and a drink} 300dh (£23, $31, €28) and dinner for two (meal and a drink} 240dh for Tagine plus drink (£19, $25, €22)
• Horse riding on the beach – 300dh (£23, $31, €28)
• Taxi to Sidi Kaouki – 300dh (£23, $31, €28)

The minimum budget to have with you is about £100 to about £200 to have a good and comfortable visit to the city but this approximation does not include the price of the hotel. Remember like most countries around the world, as a foreigner you will most probably be ripped off and you won’t even know it so its good to ask your hotel or Riad questions but still shop around.