Full-Day Tour of Essaouira-- The Small Fortress

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Highlights

Visit Place Joutiya to watch locals auctioning everything from teapots to trousers

Marvel at the architecture of the Portuguese fortress

Sample some super-fresh grilled fish or shellfish at one of the seafood stalls

Walk 2 miles along the beach at low tide to see the romantic fort of Borj El Barod

Discover the craftsmanship and exquisite carpentry in the little thuya wood workshops

Essaouira

romantic, historical, walking

Private Tour

1 Day

Easy

English, French, Spanish

Description

Essaouira is an exceptional example of a late-18th-century fortified town, built according to the principles of contemporary European military architecture in a North African context. Since its foundation, it has been a major international trading seaport, linking Morocco and its Saharan hinterland with Europe and the rest of the world. Explore the souks of leatherwork, metalwork, glazed pottery, jewellery, brightly coloured carpets, original art, olives, spices and rare argan oil. Visit the port and watch fishermen land their catch or learn how boats are crafted using centuries-old techniques.

Itinerary

Essaouira Tour
- Meet your tour guide and visit Essaouira, an exceptional example of a late-18th-century fortified town built according to contemporary European military architecture principles in a North African context. Since its foundation, it has been a major international trading seaport, linking Morocco and its Saharan hinterland with Europe and the rest of the world.
- Visit the souks of leatherwork, metalwork, glazed pottery, jewellery, brightly coloured carpets, original art, olives, spices, and the rare argan oil.
- See the port and watch fishermen land their catch or learn how boats are crafted using centuries-old techniques, then eat super-fresh grilled fish or shellfish at one of the seafood stalls.
- Head to Place Joutiya to watch locals auctioning everything from teapots to trousers.
- Explore the Portuguese fortress.
- Walk 2 miles along the beach at low tide to see the romantic fort of Borj El Barod crumbling into the sea.
- Relax and watch the world go by with coffee or mint tea, and maybe a Moroccan pastry, in one of the cafés on Place Moulay Hassan.
- Discover the craftsmanship and exquisite carpentry in the little thuya wood workshops under the ramparts.

What's Included

Private air-conditioned transportation

Visit of the Argan cooperative

Bottled water

Moroccan Tour Guide

What's Excluded

Lunch

Know Before You Go

The Medina of Essaouira, formerly named Mogador (name originating from the Phoenician word Migdol meaning a « small fortress. It is an outstanding example of a fortified town of the mid-eighteenth century, surrounded by a wall influenced by the Vauban model.

It was constructed according to contemporary European military architecture principles, in a North African context, in perfect harmony with Arabo-Muslim architecture and town-planning precepts. It has played a major role over the centuries as an international trading seaport, linking Morocco and sub-Saharan Africa with Europe and the rest of the world.

The town is also an example of a multicultural centre, as proven by the coexistence since its foundation of diverse ethnic groups, such as the Amazighs, Arabs, Africans, and Europeans, and multiconfessional (Muslim, Christian, etc. Jewish).

Indissociable from the Medina, the Mogador archipelago comprises many cultural and natural sites of Outstanding Universal Value. Its relatively late foundation compared to other medinas of North Africa was the work of the Alaouite Sultan Sidi Mohamed Ben Abdallah (1757-1790), who wished to make this small Atlantic town a royal port and chief Moroccan commercial centre open to the outside world.

Known for a long time as the Port of Timbuktu, Essaouira became one of the major Atlantic commercial centres between Africa and Europe at the end of the 18th century and during the 19th century.

Essaouira is fortunate to have an excellent climate, with cooling sea breezes in the summer (also suitable for water sports) and warming lowland air in winter. This lovely climate, together with its beautiful Portuguese architecture, has always attracted artists and poets, but it continues to be a traditional fishing port at its heart to this day.