Atlantic West Coast

Essaouira is a Moroccan port city of about 70. 000 inhabitants, situated on the Atlantic West Coast and 170 kilometers to the West of Marrakech. Traditionally, Essaouira has been a fishing village and one of the main maritime ports of Morocco, from where goods of trade caravans goings of desert and sub-Saharan Africa were distributed worldwide. Today, Essaouira has become one of the most visited tourist destinations in the country and offers lots of attractions and services. In addition to tourism, that has further developed the manufacture and trade of products of handicraft, marquetry and jewelry, the economy consists in fishing as well as lumber, textile and food industries. The medina of Essaouira is without doubt the main attraction of the city. Held since 2001 by UNESCO as a world heritage site, the walled old quarter of the city is full of charm, with its high white houses with blue doors and yellow details.

The city is at the same time quiet and vibrant. Stroll through the alleys of the medina is a real pleasure, with its quiet and friendly atmosphere, its small stalls of handicrafts, its terraces where you can enjoy traditional meal or a delicious and refreshing mint tea, the workshops of artists and artisans of all kinds, all scented by the fresh and pleasant aroma that brings the sea breeze. The old town is surrounded by a reddish wall that offers a spectacular view of the sea above cliffs. On the walls, large cannons that protected numerous maritime attacks Essaouira are preserved in perfect condition and constitute an imprint in the history of the city. The port is one of the main attractions of the city, with its innumerable fishing boats, all of them small and blue, they form a curious and beautiful S’Albufera. Also for lovers of angling, the port offers a landscape and excellent conditions for catching sardines, Conger eels and eel.