Two and a half hours west of Marrakech, Essaouira is Morocco's Atlantic breath. Portuguese ramparts, a UNESCO medina drawn in the 18th century, gnaoua music, wind-blown beaches, and a table of oysters, sardines and Moroccan wines — it is the country's most relaxed few days.
What to do in Essaouira
Walk the ramparts at sunset, visit a thuya-wood marquetry workshop, spend a private evening with a gnaoua maâlem, and take a small boat out with a Diabat fisherman for lunch on the water.
The Oualidia lagoon, an hour and a half north, is one of the best oyster stops in Morocco.
When to go
Year-round destination. Cool and windy in winter (bring a jacket in December-February), warm and breezy in summer. The wind is why the town feels three degrees cooler than Marrakech any day of the year.