A windswept port with a gentle pace
After the intensity of Marrakech, Essaouira feels like a deep breath. The whitewashed, blue-shuttered medina sits inside 18th-century sea walls, fishing boats crowd the harbour and the reliable Atlantic wind draws kitesurfers. Eat grilled sardines at the port stalls, browse the galleries and let the afternoons slip by. It's an easy three-hour drive from Marrakech.