Essaouira Group Day Trip from Marrakech

Duration: Full day, approximately 11 hours (departure 08:30, return 19:00-20:00)
Tour type: Shared / Group Tours
Tour category: Cultural Tours
Availability: Daily departures at 08:30. The town works in any month, though spring and autumn are the pick of them, and summer runs warm with more wind.
Languages: English, French

Overview

The coast for the price of lunch. A shared run out to Essaouira and around four hours of your own time in a medina far gentler to walk than Marrakech.

Tour highlights

Around 4 hours of free time in Essaouira, entirely your own
A UNESCO World Heritage medina that is easier going than the one in Marrakech
The Skala de la Ville, a sea rampart still carrying its 18th-century bronze cannons, which stood in for Astapor in Game of Thrones
A working fishing port, blue boats drawn up and fishermen at their nets
Fish picked out fresh at the port's open-air grills, or a seafood tagine on a medina rooftop
Artisan souks of galleries, leather goods, silver jewellery and Thuya woodcraft
A stop that costs nothing at a women's argan oil cooperative, where the oil is worked out by hand
A long sandy beach south of the medina, where the trade winds bring out kitesurfers and windsurfers
Cafes on Place Moulay Hassan, mint tea and Gnawa music in the street
A coffee break at Chichaoua village halfway out
Argan tree forest and the wide Haouz plains along the road west
An air-conditioned minibus capped at 17 passengers

About this tour

Essaouira, the old port town once known as Mogador, lies 190 km west of Marrakech, and this shared day trip runs there and back on a fixed daily departure at 08:30 in an air-conditioned minibus carrying no more than 17 passengers. The road west stops for coffee at Chichaoua village, then at a women's argan oil cooperative, where every stage is done by hand, the nut cracked open and the kernels pressed. The visit costs nothing. You are dropped near the medina entrance at about 12:00, and the next four hours or so are unstructured: the UNESCO-listed medina; the Skala de la Ville, whose sea-facing ramparts carry 18th-century bronze cannons and stood in as Astapor in Game of Thrones; the blue boats of the fishing port; the artisan souks; the long sandy beach. The bus turns for home around 16:00, 2.5 hours through the argan forests, and Marrakech comes back into view between 19:00 and 20:00. The price is EUR 19 per person.

Itinerary

Print this itinerary

Marrakech - Haouz plains - Chichaoua - argan oil cooperative - Essaouira (Mogador) - Marrakech

2- 30, hotel pickup. Everyone boards a modern air-conditioned vehicle seating no more than 17, and the road turns west across the Haouz plains toward the coast.

Two stops break the 2.5-hour drive. The first is coffee at Chichaoua village, roughly halfway. The second comes as the land turns to argan forest, at a women's cooperative where the whole process is done by hand in front of you, the nut cracked open and the kernels pressed. Nothing is charged for looking, and whatever you buy carries local prices.

Approx. 12:00, Essaouira. Arrival in the town historically called Mogador, with drop-off near the medina entrance, and from there the time is yours.

The next four hours or so are unstructured. Old gates let you into the UNESCO medina. The Skala de la Ville runs along the sea wall with its 18th-century bronze cannons still in place, and this is the rampart that played Astapor in Game of Thrones. In the artisan souks you find galleries, leather goods, silver jewellery and Thuya woodcraft. Down at the fishing port the blue boats and the working fishermen are the draw, and the outdoor grills will cook whatever you pick from the morning's catch; alternatively, rooftop restaurants in the medina serve seafood tagines with the Atlantic in view, at around 80-150 MAD. South of the medina a long sandy beach stretches away, busy with kitesurfers and windsurfers using the trade winds, and the cafes on Place Moulay Hassan pour mint tea while Gnawa music plays in the street.

Approx. 16:00, departure. The minibus pulls away close to the medina entrance and takes 2.5 hours home through the argan forest, breaking for comfort stops. Drop-off in Marrakech is between 19:00 and 20:00, at your hotel or the nearest accessible point.

What's included

Included

Collection from your Marrakech hotel or the nearest point the minibus can reach
A modern air-conditioned minibus, 17 passengers maximum
A driver who speaks English
French
The stop at the argan oil cooperative on the way out
Approximately 4 hours of free time in Essaouira
The return drop-off at your Marrakech hotel

Not included

Lunch and drinks, at your own expense, 80-150 MAD
A local guide in Essaouira, optional
Any entrance fees that apply, though the Skala is free
A tip for the driver, entirely optional

What to bring

Something light to put on, since the sea breeze leaves Essaouira several degrees down on Marrakech
Swimwear if you intend to get in, bearing in mind that the water is cool and the wind steady
Money for lunch and drinks, 80-150 MAD, and for anything you buy at the cooperative

Good to know

Price as published: EUR 19 per person, daily departures, 17 participants maximum. It is a single flat price with no tiering by group size, so no other participant-count rows exist
Outside the EUR 19: lunch and drinks at roughly 80-150 MAD; a local guide in town, if you want one; any entrance fees that apply, though the Skala costs nothing; a tip for the driver, if you feel like it. Buying argan products at the cooperative is entirely up to you, and they carry local prices
Shared departure with a hard cap of 17 passengers in an air-conditioned minibus
The departure time is fixed at 08:30 daily, with return to Marrakech between 19:00 and 20:00 depending on traffic
No single supplement is stated, since pricing is per person only
Distance and driving: 190 km each way, roughly 2.5 hours in either direction. Coffee is taken at Chichaoua outbound, and the return leg breaks for comfort stops
Free time in Essaouira comes to approximately 4 hours, from around 12:00 until the 16:00 departure near the medina entrance
Seasons and what to wear: any month works, with spring and autumn the pick of them and summer warm but windy. Carry something light to put on, because the sea breeze leaves the town several degrees down on Marrakech
Price verified date: to be confirmed by MTT operations
How cancellations are handled, and any requirement on age or fitness: to be confirmed by MTT operations

Frequently asked questions

How far is Essaouira from Marrakech?

Roughly 2.5 hours each way, 190 km, running across the Haouz plains, through Chichaoua and into the argan forests.

What time do we leave and get back?

Departure is 08:30, with return between 19:00 and 20:00 depending on the traffic.

What can I do with the time in Essaouira?

Walk the UNESCO medina, see the Skala ramparts where Game of Thrones filmed, visit the fishing port, eat seafood, browse the artisan souks, walk the Atlantic beach and watch the windsurfers and kitesurfers.

Is the medina worth the time?

Yes. Old Mogador's UNESCO-listed medina is a calmer place to walk than Marrakech, full of workshops and galleries, and the vendors leave you alone.

When is the best time to go?

Any month will do. Spring and autumn are the pick of them; summer is warm with more wind. One light layer deals with the sea breeze, which leaves the town cooler than Marrakech.

Does the price include lunch?

No, lunch is on you. Seafood is served both down at the port and up in the medina. Budget around 80-150 MAD.

Is the beach swimmable?

Yes. A long sandy beach runs south of town and you can swim from it, though the water stays cool and the wind picks up. That same wind is what draws the kitesurfers and windsurfers.

How big is the group?

Up to 17 passengers in a modern air-conditioned minibus.

Guest reviews

No reviews yet

Be the first to tell others how it went.