How To Get There -Essaouira
How To Get There -Essaouira
AIRPORT
Marrakech airport is the nearest for Essaouira.
AIRLINES FROM THE UK
There are no direct flights to Essaouira from the UK, so the best way of getting there is to fly direct to Marrakech. Royal Air Maroc (www.royal-airmaroc.co.uk) flies to Marrakech from Heathrow. EasyJet (www.easyjet.com) flies there from Manchester and Gatwick, and BMI (www.bmi.co.uk) flies from Heathrow. Most hotels will arrange transfers to Essaouira for around €100 each way.
JOURNEY TIME
About a 3.5-hour flight to Marrakech from London, then a 2.5-hour drive to Essaouira.
When To Go
Essaouira is busy during the World Music Festival in June, when daytime temperatures reach about 30°C. It is better to explore the town in the autumn, when it is less crowded and not quite so hot.
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What To Do in Essaouira
What To Do in Essaouira
COOPÉRATIVE FÉMININE MARJANA
(00 212 664 69 87 82) Buy culinary or cosmetic argan where Moroccan women make it, just 15 minutes by car from Essaouira.
LES DOMAINES DU VAL D'ARGAN
(00 212 524 78 34 67; www.valdargan.com) Enjoy a meal in the bodega or buy a bottle to take away (from €5) at southern Morocco's only vineyard, a half-hour drive from Essaouira.
MUSÉE SIDI MOHAMED BEN ABDALLAH
(00 212 524 475300) A former pasha's palace, filled with Roman ruins, Jewish artefacts, Moroccan costumes and musical instruments.
FESTIVALS
Essaouira also plays host to a number of festivals, the best-attended of which is the Gnawa and World Music Festival (www.festival-gnaoua.net) in June.
HAMMAM MOUNIA
Rue Oum Rabii (00 212 24 78 42 47) is the most accessible public hammam for foreigners, offering a combined modelage (soapy scrub), massage and ghassoul (clay, seaweed or argan paste wrap).
LAND ACTIVITIES
If you'd prefer to stay on land, Cap Sim Trekking (00 212 62 20 18 98; www.capessaouira.com) can arrange outings for hours or days on foot, quad-bike, camel or horse.
L'HEURE BLEUE PALAIS
The spa here (see Where to sleep) is the best in the medina. But if you want the full treatment, head for the hammam and thalassotherapy centre at Sofitel Thalassa Mogador (see Where to sleep), which is open to non-guests.
SURFING
Océan Vagabond, plage d'Essaouira (00 212 524 78 39 34; www.oceanvagabond.com). This is one of the better surfer hang-outs, with a beachfront café. You can rent surfing, windsurfing and bodyboard equipment and be taught how to use them.
TAKE A WALK ON THE BEACH
If you want to do something more energetic, take a stroll. This is particularly recommended in the late afternoon, when the town's youth are out playing football.
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Where To Eat of Essaouira
Where To Eat of Essaouira
Rue de Agadir (00 212 524 47 21 03). 'I call it hippy chic,' says Abdellatif Rharbaoui, proprietor of what resembles a 1970s junkshop transported from the Portobello Road. After the trash-aesthetic decor, his menu seems quite conventional: oriental classics with an Italian flourish, a legacy of the nine years he spent in Bologna. Order organic chicken with fresh figs, and lemon sorbet with vodka. About €35 for dinner for two.
CAFE RESTO LE TAROS
Place Moulay Hassan (00 212 524 47 64 07, www.taroscafe.com). As well as a bar, boutique, gallery and library, Taros has a kitchen serving nourishing Moroccan food (try the chicken tagine with prunes and almonds); but this is a meeting place as much as a café, and its rooftop is the place to be seen. Cocktails from about €5. Two-course meals about €15 for two.
LA LICORNE
26 rue Scala (00 212 524 47 36 26, www.lalicorne-essaouira.com). More faux-baronial decor, this time under the ramparts of the Scala. La Licorne serves some of the finest couscous, tagines and pastillas in town.
L'HEURE BLEUE PALAIS
(See Where to stay). The most sophisticated dining in town, a mix of Moroccan and French conjured up by Sylvain Scotti, a talented chef from Lyon, and served in a Moorish-baronial dining room or outside on the patio.
RESTAURANT DU PORT CHEZ SAM
Port de Pêche (00 212 524 47 65 13). An old-time favourite, Chez Sam serves beautifully fresh seafood: oysters brought down from Oualidia, fresh sea bass, hake and sole off the boat, all served simply.
RESTAURANT FERDAOUSS
27 rue Abd Essalam Labadi (00 212 524 47 36 55). The creation of chef Madame Souad, who left Villa Maroc (renowned for some of the best food in town) to set up on her own. The food is unfussy, delicious and pure Morocco.
LE CHALET DE LA PLAGE
Mohammed V Boulevard (00 212 524 47 59 72). A local landmark since 1893, this light and airy seafront restaurant serves great seafood with bay views. Your jolly host Jeannot is a patron of the old school, straight out of the cast of Casablanca. Ask for a table on the terrace.
Each lunchtime, a string of gargottes (food stalls) opens in the park near the entrance to the port. The fish is fresh and simply cooked. Trust your nose and the warmth of the welcome. Prices are fixed and printed on a board.
morocco culture,moroccan food,morocco food,moroccan cuisine,morocco beaches,moroccan meal,beaches in morocco,moroccan culture,hercules cave,hercules cave morocco
Rue de Agadir (00 212 524 47 21 03). 'I call it hippy chic,' says Abdellatif Rharbaoui, proprietor of what resembles a 1970s junkshop transported from the Portobello Road. After the trash-aesthetic decor, his menu seems quite conventional: oriental classics with an Italian flourish, a legacy of the nine years he spent in Bologna. Order organic chicken with fresh figs, and lemon sorbet with vodka. About €35 for dinner for two.
CAFE RESTO LE TAROS
Place Moulay Hassan (00 212 524 47 64 07, www.taroscafe.com). As well as a bar, boutique, gallery and library, Taros has a kitchen serving nourishing Moroccan food (try the chicken tagine with prunes and almonds); but this is a meeting place as much as a café, and its rooftop is the place to be seen. Cocktails from about €5. Two-course meals about €15 for two.
LA LICORNE
26 rue Scala (00 212 524 47 36 26, www.lalicorne-essaouira.com). More faux-baronial decor, this time under the ramparts of the Scala. La Licorne serves some of the finest couscous, tagines and pastillas in town.
L'HEURE BLEUE PALAIS
(See Where to stay). The most sophisticated dining in town, a mix of Moroccan and French conjured up by Sylvain Scotti, a talented chef from Lyon, and served in a Moorish-baronial dining room or outside on the patio.
RESTAURANT DU PORT CHEZ SAM
Port de Pêche (00 212 524 47 65 13). An old-time favourite, Chez Sam serves beautifully fresh seafood: oysters brought down from Oualidia, fresh sea bass, hake and sole off the boat, all served simply.
RESTAURANT FERDAOUSS
27 rue Abd Essalam Labadi (00 212 524 47 36 55). The creation of chef Madame Souad, who left Villa Maroc (renowned for some of the best food in town) to set up on her own. The food is unfussy, delicious and pure Morocco.
LE CHALET DE LA PLAGE
Mohammed V Boulevard (00 212 524 47 59 72). A local landmark since 1893, this light and airy seafront restaurant serves great seafood with bay views. Your jolly host Jeannot is a patron of the old school, straight out of the cast of Casablanca. Ask for a table on the terrace.
Each lunchtime, a string of gargottes (food stalls) opens in the park near the entrance to the port. The fish is fresh and simply cooked. Trust your nose and the warmth of the welcome. Prices are fixed and printed on a board.
morocco culture,moroccan food,morocco food,moroccan cuisine,morocco beaches,moroccan meal,beaches in morocco,moroccan culture,hercules cave,hercules cave morocco
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