Best Shared Day Trip To Essaouira From Marrakech

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Marrakech to Essaouira Full Day Tour

Take a day trip to Essaouira from Marrakech to discover one the the hidden gems of the Atlantic coast. Essaouira, or Mogador is famous for its Medina fortification and fishing port. The artsy and hippy atmosphere of Essaouira, the cool weather all year long and the easy 2 hours and 30 minutes drive from Marrakech make Essaouira a very popular day trip. This excursion departs every day, and only one person is required per booking.

Day Trip to Essaouira from Marrakech - Highlights:

  • Walk to the fishing port of Essaouira and watch the blue boats
  • Visit Skala Kasbah, which was a citadel in the times of war
  • Explore some of the beautiful Essaouira art galleries scattered in the Medina
  • Stroll in the Medina of Essaouira, which can be explored at ease
  • Treat yourself to a seafood lunch at a local café terrace
  • Sunbathe at the 6 km long sandy beach

Shared Marrakech to Essaouira Day Tour Itinerary:

  • Day 1: Marrakech - Essaouira

    (5 hours Drive)

    Your day trip to Essaouira from Marrakech will begin with a drive along the Haouz plains. Once in Chichaoua village located half way, stop for a cup of coffee before you continue your Journey. Upon approaching Essaouira, you will cross the Argan trees forest, where you will spot some goats climbing the trees. Stop and take some photos before you carry on to Essaouira.
    To watch how the Argan oil (also called the liquid gold, or Moroccan oil) is extracted, you will visit a local ladies’ cooperative to learn how some fine cosmetic products are locally made out of the rich Argan oil.
    From here, we will carry on to Essaouira. Upon arrival, you will explore the beautiful city at leisure. Out of experience, Exploring Essaouira is easy on your own: Locals are very friendly, the Medina is pretty small (compared to other old towns in Morocco), and its streets are in order.
    You definitely do not need a guide for the tour of the city. You can easily explore the Medina on your own as its streets are aligned opposite to each other unlike every other maze-like Medina in Morocco. Should you insist on one, your driver will help you hire a local guide.
    First, you can visit the harbor with its fishing port and old Portuguese fortifications. You can still see medieval war cannons aligned in order and overlooking the Atlantic Ocean. Continue to the Medina ( old city ) with its well kept fortification dating to the 18th century. The major landmark of the Medina is La Scala, which was built against foreign attacks from the sea. You can continue to Bab Laalouj ( One of the main gates of Essaouira, then to the Mellah ( the old Jewish quarter.
    Along the way, various art shops, galleries, souvenir shops and Thuya wood craft shops are aligned in order. Choose one of the local cafes for a delicious seafood lunch and head to Kasbah famous for having served as a military bastion.
    If you are a beach lover, enjoy a walk along the sandy beach of Mogador, and maybe watch locals playing beach ball. If you are brave enough, why not join a game for a few minutes. People from Essaouira are very friendly!! If not you can sunbathe while watching waterspouts amateurs kitesurfing or windsurfing.
    Late in the afternoon, drive back to Marrakech, and your full day tour to Essaouira will end with a drop off at your hotel or the nearest car accessible point to your riad.

Included
Pick up from your hotel / or the nearest car accessible point to your Riad in Marrakech
A/C modern minibus (no more than 17 passengers) driven by an English speaking driver
Drop off at your hotel or Marrakech city center.
Not included
Lunch & beverages
Local guide
Know Before You Go:
  • Essaouira might be windy an cold, even when Marrakech is extremely hot
  • If you choose to hire a local guide, please do so at your own discretion, they do not work for us
  • Please kindly note this is not a guided tour. However, you will have an English speaking driver
  • People looking after goats climbing Argan trees expect a tip from you when taking photos
Frequently Asked Questions
Reviews
Ahmad F – Nov 2021:

Wonderful journey! Although one day is clearly insufficient in this lovely coastal resort-city, the journey will not disappoint. Following a visit to an all-women cooperative where we learnt how Argan oil is created. Before arriving to ESSAOUIRA, the driver pulled over to the side of the road to show us the goats on the Argan tree from which the oil is produced. Once there, we hired a local guide (recommended by our driver) expert He took us on a tour of the harbor and the medina. (Walled City, in Arabic) leaving us with little time to go shopping! The city is a jewel, the merchants are considerably less pushy, and the product is much cheaper than in Marrakech; this is the spot to get your mementos. At the end, we realized there was no need to hire a local guide in Essaouira, we could have explored it our own at our pace.

Maria A – Nov 2021:

This was the trip we had been looking forward to. It was essentially self-contained, with three or four stops. The first and last stops were at huge convenience shops with restrooms. The second stop was at the goat-climbing trees. The last trip was at an Argan oil cooperative, where they demonstrated how they manufacture argon oil and convert it into various items for sale. Then you're dropped off at Essaouira, where you have around 4 hours to stroll about and explore. I thoroughly loved this trip and thought it was adequately described as a driver to get you from point A to point B and back. Not much else to say. I believe it was worthwhile. The bus was fairly new, clean and air conditioned, the driver was responsive to requests and queries, but not overwhelming or excessively chatty. Would I do this trip again or recommend it to friends and family who are self-sufficient and don't mind going on their own adventure: Yes.

Julia D – Nov 2021:

This trip is an incredible deal! (We paid 22 Euros per person.) Seeing and photographing goats in Argan trees was incredible; there were twelve of us on a a van in total, and it was always exciting to meet new people. Essaouira itself was pleasant to roam around, and we had four hours to eat, drink, and rest. It's a 5-hour round drive, but it's a good value for money. If you want to see goats in the trees, this is a must-do day trip from Marrakech. (Be prepared to tip the man herding the goats!)

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€19/person
Good1389 Reviews4.9
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