Essaouira
Morocco
A walled Atlantic port of white and blue, with trade winds that made it a kitesurfing town
Photos by Brent Olson, Olle August, Raúl Cacho Oses and Jennifer Deacon on Unsplash
Best time to visit all of Morocco
April to June, and September to October — the wind blows hardest in high summer and it is cool and grey in winter
Climate month by month
The next sixteen daysOpen-Meteo
Average high and low · °C
Rainfall · mm per month
Best months to visit This month · wettest 55mm in Dec
Where it is
31.51°N, 9.77°W Open in Google Maps
Things to do
A week easily- Walk the ramparts at sunset, which is the postcard
- Eat at the harbour grills, agreeing the price by weight first
- Learn to kitesurf, or watch people who can
- Get down to Sidi Kaouki for an empty beach
- Buy argan oil from a cooperative rather than a shop
Essaouira travel tipsthe general rules
Currency budget Morocco
ExpensiveA closed currency — you cannot buy dirhams before you arrive and you should spend them before you leave. Cash for the medina, cards in the riads and the bigger restaurants.
ATMs & cards
Use Attijariwafa, BMCE or Banque Populaire. Every machine charges around 25 dirhams and most cap at 2,000 a withdrawal, so take the maximum each time.
Avoid these
- the exchange booths on the ramparts
Use these instead
- Attijariwafa
- BMCE
- Banque Populaire
The harbour grills, the medina stalls and the argan cooperatives are all cash. Spend your dirhams before leaving the country — they cannot be exported.
Wherever you are: if the machine offers to charge you in your home currency, decline. That is dynamic currency conversion and the rate is set by the ATM's operator, not your bank.
Safety all of Morocco
SafeSafe and easy-going — the hassle is a fraction of Marrakech's. The wind is the thing to plan around: it makes the beach unpleasant for sunbathing most afternoons and is the reason the kitesurfers come. The Atlantic here has strong currents and is cold.
Where to walk, and where to pay attention (7 areas)
Comfortable, including after dark
Worth more attention
- the wind — it blows most afternoons and makes the beach unpleasant for anything but kitesurfing
- the Atlantic here — cold, with strong currents, and not a swimming sea for most people
- the harbour grills — agree the price by weight before anything goes on the fire
The easiest Moroccan city for a first visit: walled, flat, small, and with a fraction of the hassle of the inland cities..
Our own assessment, not a sourced index.
Entry & visa Morocco visa rules
No visa neededup to 90 days
Other passports
e-Visa required~€50
Morocco operates an e-visa for a growing list of nationalities.
Entry rules change often and depend on your passport, not where you live — the official page above is the authority, and the airline checks before you board.
Health & emergencies all of Morocco
Good but costlyRequired to enter
- Yellow fever certificate, but only if you are arriving from a country where yellow fever is present
Jabs worth having, and what happens if you need a doctor
Worth having
- Hepatitis A
- Typhoid
- Tetanus up to date
- Rabies for longer stays — stray dogs and cats are everywhere
Getting treated
Private clinics in Marrakesh and Casablanca are reasonable and inexpensive, and expect cash or an insurance guarantee up front. Public hospitals are basic. Pharmacies are excellent, widespread and can dispense a lot without a prescription.
Do not drink the tap water. Stomach upsets are the most common complaint by a distance.
Orientation, not medical advice — entry rules change and what you need depends on your own history. Check with a travel clinic four to six weeks before you go.
Food tip
Very goodThe harbour grills: pick your fish off the ice, watch it cooked, eat it at a trestle table. Argan oil and amlou are from here. The medina cafés are relaxed in a way Marrakech's are not.
Getting around
Workable- CareemWorks here
- YangoWorks here
- HeetchWorks here
- UberNot here
- BoltNot here
Careem Casablanca and Rabat · Heetch Casablanca
- Against a taxi
- The petits taxis are metered by law and frequently are not in practice. Insist on the meter or agree the fare first.
Uber left Morocco in 2018. In the tourist cities the apps barely operate and the petit taxi is the system.
Time zone and your working day
Africa/Casablanca — 4 hours ahead of you
4 hours of overlap with a 09:00–17:00 day where you are — 09:00–13:00 your time, 13:00–17:00 theirs.
No overlap with a 09:00–17:00 day where you are. Working from here means one of you keeps odd hours — their day starts at 05:00 on your clock.
office hours both at once night
Their 09:00–17:00 is 05:00–13:00 on yours.
The difference from the UK, Europe, the US and ten more
Worked out against America/New York, which is where this request looks like it came from.
Internet speedall of Morocco
Why these are Morocco's numbers and not Essaouira's
Home broadband — Fair. Video calls and streaming for one or two people — fine for a holiday, thin for a household working. Broadband here runs at 44% of the global median of 130 Mbps.
Mobile data — Fair. Maps, calls and streaming; tethering a laptop works for an hour, not a day. Mobile runs at 64% of the global median of 109 Mbps.
Ookla publishes no separate figure for Essaouira, so these are medians for all of Morocco. Cities usually beat the national number and remote islands and national parks fall well below it — treat this as the country's shape, not as a measurement of the street you will be staying on.
A median is the middle of every connection tested there, old copper and new fibre together — so in a country part-way through laying fibre it sits well below what a fibre line actually delivers, and a rental on one can run several times this number. Half of the connections are slower; a fibre flat is rarely one of them. It says what a place can do, not what your rental does, so every listing on Holistay carries its own measured speed and the date it was tested.
Getting online: Airalo or Holafly — a data eSIM for Morocco, installed before you fly and working the moment you land.
Source: Ookla Speedtest Global Index · measured June 2026
Must-see
Nearby day trips
Say a few words
Arabic
- Helloمرحبا — MarhabaMAR-ha-ba
- Pleaseمن فضلك — Min fadlakmin FAD-lak
- Thank youشكرا — ShukranSHOOK-ran
- Yes / Noنعم / لا — Na’am / LaNA-am / la
4 more phrases
- Excuse meعفوا — AfwanAF-wan
- How much is it?بكم — Bikam?bi-KAM
- The bill, pleaseالحساب — Al-hisabal-hi-SAB
- Welcomeأهلا وسهلا — Ahlan wa sahlanAH-lan wa SAH-lan
Inshallah, meaning God willing, follows nearly any statement about the future and is conversational rather than religious.
Religion
Sunni Muslim
Islam is the state religion and the king holds religious authority. Non-Muslims may not enter most mosques — the Hassan II in Casablanca is the main exception. Ramadan changes opening hours everywhere.
Do's and don'ts
Do
- Haggle in the souks — the first price is an opening, and good humour is part of it
- Dress modestly, particularly women and particularly away from tourist areas
- Use the right hand for eating and giving
- Accept mint tea; it is the standard gesture of welcome
Don't
- Do not follow unofficial guides who offer to show you the way in the medina; the help ends in a demand
- Do not photograph people, market stalls or performers without asking — payment will be expected
- Do not enter mosques unless you are Muslim; almost all are closed to visitors
- Do not show public affection, and avoid discussing the monarchy critically
Where to stay in Essaouira
No Holistay rentals in Essaouira yet — the platform is just opening up. Every listing here will have a video tour and the option to negotiate the nightly price directly with the host.
In the meantime, here is Essaouira on the sites that do have the inventory — each search is already filled in:
- Booking.com hotels, guesthouses and apartments — the widest coverage almost everywhere
- Airbnb whole homes and apartments, and the better option for a week or more
How to get there
Fly into Essaouira Mogador ESU
20 minfrom the airport· 15 km as the crow flies
20 min into town.
Also worth pricing: Marrakech RAK — 3h by bus, which is how most people come.
Google Flights · Rome2Rio for the trains, buses and ferries as well as the flights
