Things to do in Essaouira on foot: self-guided walking tours

Things to do in Essaouira on foot: self-guided walking tours

Show the 10 stops ▾

1Essaouira port — The working fishing port that was the whole reason the city exists. A working fishing port — open, free to walk around; busiest in the morning.
2Sqala of the Port — The 18th-century artillery platform guarding the harbour mouth. Usually open to walk up; a small entrance fee is sometimes asked at the port platform.
3Bab El Minzah — The main square lined with cafés, the social heart of the town. A public square, always open and free; cafés around it charge café prices.
4Bab Sbaa — One of the medina's gates, a seam between the planned town and the old quarters. A street gate — open, free, walk through it.
5Sidi Mohammed ben Abdallah Museum — A 19th-century mansion on Rue Laâlouj, now the city's history museum. Temporarily closed — told from the street; nothing to pay, nothing to queue for.
6Cooperative artisanale des marqueteurs du bois de thuya — The woodworkers' cooperative where thuya root is cut and inlaid. A working craftsmen's cooperative — free to look, items for sale; hours vary.
7Skala De La Ville — The seafront rampart walk, with its old cannons and ocean view. An open-air rampart walk along the sea wall; normally open and free. Very exposed to wind.
8City Walls — The long fortified wall enclosing the medina, the city's defining structure. Seen from the public walkway along the wall; always open, free.
9Chaim Pinto Synagogue — The home and synagogue of Rabbi Chaim Pinto, in the old Jewish quarter. There is no Jewish community left in the city; the synagogue is opened for pilgrims and Jewish tour groups, so tell it from the street and go in only if it is open.
10Fish Market — The market hall where the day's catch is sold and grilled on the spot. A working market — free to walk through, busiest in the morning. Buy fish by weight, then pay one of the small stands nearby to cook it. Agree every price before you hand over money.

When to go: Morning, before ten, for the fish market and cool ramparts; the port and bastions are windy and fully exposed all day.