How many days should you spend in Essaouira?

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Some people arrive in Essaouira on a day trip from Marrakech and, by 5pm, feel ready to leave. Others arrive in the city with a vague plan to stay a few days, and end up living here for months on end as digital nomads. It’s the kind of place that suits most styles of travel, so working out how many days to spend in Essaouira is difficult to judge in advance.

We first visited Essaouira on a short break and subsequently ended up living here for an extended period, so we’ve seen it from both sides of the fence. In our opinion, a good length of time for a visit to Essaouira is three or four days, although one week is perfect. This allows you to experience the best things to do in Essaouira, but still leaves plenty of time for chilling out on a rooftop and watching the world pass by. But that’s not the entire story as this city is flexible enough to suit all visits, from one day to one year. So keep reading to find where your plans fit in.

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So 3-4 days is long enough for Essaouira?

For most people, the optimum amount of time to spend in Essaouira is either three or four days. This gives you the best of both worlds; sightseeing and relaxation, both of which Essaouira is adept at providing.

You won’t have time to do all of the things to do in Essaouira, but there’s enough time to tick off the highlights. Make sure you include the beach, fishing port and medina, all of which feature on our self-guided walking tour.

With three or four evenings in the city, you’ll be able to try a few of the best restaurants in Essaouira, plus go on afterwards for a nightcap at a bar or two (or three). Make sure you make note of sunset times for your visit, and Essaouira really does put on some epic sunsets (check out our guide to the best sunset viewpoints in Essaouira).

On at least one of the days, plan to head out of the city for a day trip, perhaps to Sidi Kaouki or Les Jardin by Villa Maroc. Or perhaps get the adrenaline pumping with quad biking or kite surfing. Although personally I always make sure I book into an Essaouira hammam at least once on every trip.

Prefer to slow down in Essaouira?

If slow travel is more your vibe and you want to allow time to unwind, then you’re in the right place.

With longer up your sleeve (two weeks plus), the pace of life in Essaouira can adapt to bring some much needed peace and quiet into your life. You now have the time to tick off all the best things to do in the city, and perhaps do a day trip a bit further afield to Safi or even Marrakech. Or maybe enrol in an Essaouira surf school or yoga retreat.

You’ll become familiar with the rhythms of the city, learning when the best time is to walk around the medina, when your favourite café opens and finding the quietest place to watch the sunset. The compact size of the city plays in your favour now; shopkeepers begin to recognise you, waiters remember your favourite table, you know what time it is not by your watch but by the call to prayer, and the city slowly begins to feel like home.

Many visitors who came before you have also found themselves absorbed into the city like this. If your schedule and visa allows, the weeks soon turn into months.

Can I just spend one day in Essaouira?

Essaouira is a popular place to visit on a day trip from the larger tourist centres of Agadir and (especially) Marrakech. They’re long days (it takes up to three hours to get from Marrakech to Essaouira) so prepare for several hours packed into a minivan.

But, if one day in Essaouira is all you have to spare, you absolutely can take a day trip to Essaouira and still experience at least something of that makes the city so special. They’ll be time for a view of the beach, wander round the medina, a quick lunch and perhaps some souvenir shopping along the ramparts.

One day in Essaouira

Do you only have one day to spend in Essaouira? Here we provide a comprehensive one day Essaouira itinerary for you to follow so that you can get the most out of your visit.

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If you’re not on a day tour but are planning to stay overnight in Essaouira, perhaps on a road trip along the coast, it’s also worth a stopover. This way, at least you get to experience the city after dark when the day-trippers have left and the city is back to its default mode of peace and quiet. Try out a bar or restaurant and wander around the atmospheric medina streets after dark.

Finally, some younger (or young at heart) travellers arrive expecting a party town but it’s not really that sort of place. The Essaouira nightlife scene is rather small, although rooftop bars like Taros try their best to fill the medina with European club music. You might find after a day (and night), you’re ready to move on.

How many days should families spend in Essaouira?

Families visiting with Essaouira with young kids will adore the city. Indeed, our first taste of Essaouira was on a family holiday when our youngest turned one. With wide open beaches, surfing, cheap crepes and snacks around every corner, and the nooks and crannies of the traffic-free medina to explore, young travellers will keep finding new things to see and do.

When you’re travelling as a family, slow travel is the way to go, so you should plan on spending a week here, ideally in a spacious Airbnb where your family can be free to take up as much space as you need.

What are the best accommodation choices for the different lengths of stay?

If you’re just visiting on a day tour from Marrakech, try and choose a reputable operator who use safe, uncrowded vehicles and follow relatively relaxed timescales. Some of the cheaper options are more interested in showing you a tourist-focused souvenir shop than the city of Essaouira. Be wary of trips that stop for photos of goats in trees as you approach Essaouira. While this is a normal situation out in the countryside, at this location the goats are coerced into climbing the trees for the tourist’s benefit.

For shorter stays of two or three days, try and choose a hotel or hostel in the centre of the medina, giving you easy access to the sights and sounds of the city. Most will include breakfast in the room rate. There are some beautiful historical riads in Essaouira that have been converted in to hotels.

For longer stays of a week or more, it’s best to book into an Airbnb in the medina. You might be surprised how much space and opulence you can achieve for little amounts of money, especially if you’re visiting Essaouira at the best time, outside the peak tourist months of July and August, and during the Gnaoua World Music Festival in June. More information can be found on our Essaouira accommodation guide.

If you’re lucky enough to be here long-term, many Airbnb riad hosts are open to offering reduced rates for several months at a time, often half the price or better. The riads will include a simple kitchen to prepare some meals, and they often have a private rooftop terrace for you to enjoy the sunrise, sunset and call to prayer across the medina. It’s an easy and admin-free way to stay several months in the city, and you can really make the place feel like home. Your host will also be able to recommend a cleaner and cook if you need them.

We tend to stay in an Airbnb in Essaouira for visits longer than a couple of days and also when we stay for months at a time.

Final thoughts on how many days to spend in Essaouira

Essaouira will adapt to your needs and is happy to welcome you for one day, one week or one year. The choice is yours.

But, for most people, visiting Essaouira will be part of a short holiday and it’s good to know how long to spend here, especially when the rest of the country has so much to offer. In this case, three or four days is the ideal time to spend here, giving you chance to see the city and surrounding countryside, but not feel like you’ve not really stopped to take in the sea air.

A day trip is do-able, and certainly better than nothing, but remember you’re only getting a snapshot. Try and factor in a return visit as soon as you can.

For the lucky few, Essaouira is an ideal place to check out of the real world for a few weeks or months, and let the cool, calming vibes of this magical place wash over you. After a couple of weeks, it’ll feel like home and you’ll be checking into the logistics of extending your visa.

However long you spend in Essaouira, you’re guaranteed a unique and memorable visit to this corner of Morocco, and you’re sure to want to come back again soon.

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