You can enjoy the souks without getting bugged by the merchants. There are two main roads in the souk. One of them (the larger street) is more authentic (less touristique) but the street was in bad condition (repairs) when I went. Some parts of the street can be smelly too. Still, it's worth to do it. I love Essaouira's medina.... More

Essouira is small, but it looks lovely!. The whole center of the small old town is white and blue!. What makes the (old) town special is the fact that it is still surrounded by a city wall, that it is located on the coast, that is has some nice towers with canons that are freely accessible and then there is... More

If you like authentic - this is it! We spent a day here visiting the shops and artisans (leather, copper etc etc). The only thing we found disappointing was that there were drainworks going on in the whole medina when we visited and the smell was unholy! However, the colours, atmosphere and general friendliness of the people is to be... More

For us this was our first stop in Morocco, and compared with the bigger medinas of Marrakesh and Fez the Essaouira medina is smaller and more manageable - a great "starter" medina. We spent 3 days here, and that was the right amount of time we felt... More

Much more relaxed and laid back than Marrakech. Plenty of shops and cafes. Well worth a visit. More

Lovely to explore. Very little hassling by traders and what there was very very good natured. Lots of cafes for mint tea. More

Not good for walking very uneven paths and in need of repair. Like everywhere else in the narrow passages motor bikes and cycles push there way along the narrow passages. The Medina is very busy and the tour guides move quickly through and you miss a lot by having to watch where there a holes in the paths. Very interesting... More

After a few days fighting off the very friendly but insistent 'guides' and sellers in Marrakesh, a visit to rather more calm Essaouira is a welcome change. The medina (old city) has great riads ( traditional bed n breakfast small hotels) quite a few souk market shops selling everything from shoes to art. The bad news is its got less... More

I am at the end of a three week Moroccan adventure and find myself in Essouria. I have found the people to be quite pushy and rude in this town and on five separate occasions we have been verbally abused by the locals for not wishing to buy their wares/products. I find this amazing as I would expect this from... More