Our Essaouira day trip with kids: quaint, but too far

I almost never say an experience isn’t worth it while traveling. But we do want to be honest about our experience, and hope it helps other families who are planning their Morocco itinerary. Our day trip to Essaouria wasn’t *bad*, by any means – we actually had a lovely time and the town was very charming, but… underwhelming. The return drive from Marrakesh was SO long (almost 7 hours of the day!) and for several hours of exploring the historical Medina and beach, did not feel worth the payoff.

In hindsight, I would not recommend Essaouira as a day trip, especially with kids. If your Morocco itinerary is already very busy, we would suggest skipping this coastal town without FOMO. If you are looking for a seaside vibe and a laid-back beach, we *do* recommend Essaouira. Make it your base, and spend a few days to savour the spot as it was meant to be experienced – laid back and unhurried.

Where and what is Essaouira?

Essaouira is a small city along Morocco’s Atlantic coast. It is just under a 3 hour drive from Marrakesh, but can be significantly longer with Marrakesh’s city traffic. It served as Morocco’s main port back in the 18th century, and has significant Portuguese and French influences.

The main attractions in Essaouira are its Medina (walled “old” town), which is now a UNESCO heritage site, its fortress and rampants, active fishing port, and long stretch of beach.

A visit to Essaouira is a very popular day trip option from Marrakesh, even though we feel it pushes the limit for a day excursion. Unless you are gunning for the coast and a beach vacation, it makes sense to combine Essaouira with your stay in Marrakesh. Otherwise, Essaouira is in the opposite direction from popular routes to the Sahara, to Fez, and even Casablanca. (This was especially true, as we flew into Marrakesh and out of Casablanca, driving in a reverse “c” shape that took us further and further from Essaouira.)

Is Essaouira worth visiting with kids?

Morocco, for its small size, packs such a big punch. There is so much to see and do, from cities to deserts, from exploring marketplaces to hiking waterfalls. And every city feels so different, it can be hard to pick and choose where to go. I think whether Essaouira makes it on the list depends on what the rest of your itinerary looks like, and what you want to do.

If your base is Marrakesh, it’s definitely worth the contrast to spend a few days in Essaouira. Marrakesh can be a lot and quite overstimulating for kids. Essaouira is more quaint, laid back, and I would say “tourist friendly” compared to Marrakesh. It’s a good way to unwind, and enjoy some beach time. Our kids enjoyed the fortress and rampants, and had a blast at the beach.

If you are planning to travel more extensively through Morocco, I wouldn’t say Essaouira is a must visit spot. Even though every city is different, you can find “tourist friendly” vibes in Chefchaouen, and get your coastal fix in Tangier and even Casablanca. (We spent several days in a beachfront airbnb near Tangier, as logistically it worked out better for our itinerary.)

Overall, we preferred the uniqueness of the Sahara, the oases and Morocco’s rocky, acrid interior to its coast. But we would never say no to quality beach time. Essaouira is a quintessential coastal town, with a beautiful stretch of beach. The area is fairly windy – good for surfing – but the water is shallow and safe for kids. But if you want to do more surfing, you may want to look at Taghazout (more of a backpacker’s haven). And if you want to really “beach”, consider Agadir, which has most of Morocco’s all-inclusive beach resorts.

What is included in an Essaouira day trip from Marrakesh

You can usually book an Essaouira day trip directly through your hotel or riad. There are also numerous options through Viator, and almost every Morocco tour company offers Essaouira day trips. All of these trips are very similar. To keep things simple, we booked our day tour with the same tour company we used for our Sahara camel trek (Sahara Camel Trips). We traveled as a group of 8, with 4 kids ranging from 7-10. While we would say our camel trek was outstanding, our Essaouira trip was standard.

The cost of a day trip from Marrakesh to Essaouira is around 25-30 Euros per person. This is mostly for transportation/the driver, who will usually pick you up right from your hotel. There are a few brief stops along the way, commonly to visit an argan oil cooperative. Some day-trips will also offer a guided tour of the Essaouira Medina. Most tours drop you off near the Medina, and give you free range to wander for 4-ish hours, before pick up time for your drive back.

You can opt to take a private tour (which we did because we were a group of 8), or a group tour. For our private tour, we had a grand taxi (seats maximum 8). Group tours will have a grand taxi, a mini-bus, or a tour bus.

Our Essaouria day trip experience

Our driver picked up our group of 8 from our riad at 8:30am. This felt like it was at the height of Marrakesh traffic, and it took us over 1 hour just to get out of the congestion. We made 1 stop at a gas/service station to use the restrooms. The kids actually had a great time here, as there was also a small petting zoo, and a playground.

Argan oil cooperative and tree climbing goats

One of the reasons we chose our tour was because it did not automatically include a trip to an argan oil cooperative. We knew this was not something the kids would be interested in, particularly if we were travelling with others and the stop was long.

This region of Morocco is known for its argan trees, and argan oil is used in cosmetics, hair care products, and cooking. The cooperatives are groups of women that process the argan nuts and make the products. While we did not stop at one in this region, we did visit one later as we travelled through Morocco. The women will show you how to nuts are prepared, and take you to a showroom where you can pursue and buy the products. (Surprisingly, the kids enjoyed this more than the men-folk did!)

It is also possible to see goats that climb argan trees. This do this in the wild, but given it is now more of a tourist attraction, farmers will take herds of goats and place them in areas for tourists to visit. Our tour *did* include this in the description, but our driver told us it was bad for the trees. (I am not sure if there are animal welfare concerns as well.) We did not end up taking this detour.

Essaouira Medina

We arrived in Essaouira just before 12pm. Our driver dropped us off in front of the Medina, which is walled and pedestrian only. Essaouira is very easy to navigate. There is the Medina in one direction, the fishing port in another, and the beach in the other.

Essaouira’s Medina is picturesque, with whitewashed buildings and blue accents. It has the vibe of a Greek island town. It is more pedestrian friendly than Marrakesh, with carts and bicycles, but no motorcycles. We also felt it was more tourist-centred, with mostly visitors wandering the streets, and cafes and restaurants that catered to tourists. While it felt quaint, it did not feel as authentic as Marrakesh, or Fez.

We had read that Essaouira is known for fresh seafood. It is recommended to buy the fish from the port, and take it to one of the restaurants for them to cook on the spot. This is very good in theory, but hard to do when you’re not familiar with the area and have 4 hangry kids in tow! We stopped at a cute restaurant that looked busy, tucked in a picturesque courtyard, but it was unfortunately the worst meal we had on our trip. I ordered a fish soup that had almost no fish, and the fish and shrimp dishes were very bland. Big S got the calamari, which was good – it’s hard to go wrong with battered and fried! We were serenaded by street buskers, which was entertaining but an obvious tourist trap.

Essaouira rampants and fishing port

Directly in front of the ocean you exit the Medina and find yourself on the fortified seawall, with a view of one of the fortress’s watch-houses. You can take a stroll up on the rampants (where there are canons, for littles who are interested!) There is a row of shacks here selling fresh seafood, which was recommended to us (we probably would have eaten here if we had been able to find it earlier)!

A short walk takes you to the fishing port, with the iconic view of the fishing boats and fortress tower you frequently see in photos of Essaouira. This is only a small part of the port – in the other direction is a sprawling market of fish and seafood stalls, and *so* many boats. You can see all different kinds of seafood fresh off the boats – from sea urchins to stingrays, and even small sharks.

We enjoyed the walk, but the kids were definitely ready to hit up the beach.

Essaouira beach

The long strip of sand beach starts right outside the fishing port. There are clusters of beach loungers and umbrellas available for rent, but no water sport rentals (at least not in our stretch of beach). It was surprisingly quiet, with a group of locals playing beach soccer, and scattered tourists taking walks.

Big S and Lil S and their friends enjoyed this! The water was pretty chilly (we visited in October), but they did some wading and had a great time playing in the sand. However, an hour seemed to be enough for them (at least they didn’t protest when it was time to meet our driver). With a day trip, we didn’t bring any beach toys, and had limited snacks and drinks.

We met our driver around 3:30pm for our long drive back to Marrakesh. We made 1 stop along the way back for a bathroom break, at a restaurant/convenience shop. It was just after 7 by the time we arrived back at our riad.

Our overall thoughts on our Essaouira day trip

What we liked

– The pedestrian friendly Medina. While we loved the vibes in Marrakesh, navigating the Medina with kids is stressful. It is chaotic and busy, and you always have to be on the lookout for motorcycles. The Essaouira Medina is very pretty, with lots of picturesque alleyways and corners (very instagrammable!) And, very importantly for the kids, LOTS of cats. We did not feel like we needed a guided tour, and had an enjoyable time exploring the Medina on our own.

– The fishing port was an unique experience – some of the seafood at the stalls I had never even seen before! It was also interesting to watch the fishermen and fishmongers at work.

– The kids enjoyed the beach! Though if you want to stay longer, you’d have to rent an umbrella for shade, and bring along your own snacks.

What we didn’t like

– THE DRIVE. If Essaouira had been closer to Marrakesh, I would be more enthusiastic to recommend it. But with the 3 – 3.5 hour drive (including rest stop), it made for a *very* long day with the kids. It felt even longer than our 7 hour direct drive from the Sahara to Fez! Unlike driving in the opposite direction (eg. towards Ben Ait Haddou and the Sahara) where it is easier to get out of the city, this drive takes you across Marrakesh, where you can be completely snarled by city traffic. And the landscape is pretty barren in this area, which makes the drive feel longer.

While ~ 4 hours is enough to explore the Essaouira highlights, the experience feels too much like sightseeing and less about savouring. In my opinion, I feel Essaouira is best done by staying in a beachfront hotel or riad in the Medina, and really slowing down for a day or two.

Tips on taking an Essaouira day trip with kids

If time does not allow for an overnight stay, and you really do want to experience a taste of Morocco’s coast, keep these tips in mind for a smooth day trip to Essaouira:

1) Consider a private tour

Private drivers offer a little more flexibility in terms of timing and stopping along the way. This can take some of the stress out of a long travel day.

2) Prepare for car entertainment

I think we’ve hammered this point home – this is a very very long road trip. Luckily, we traveled as 2 families and the kids could keep each other occupied. We brought along a portable speaker to play music (essential to every fun road trip). We packed drawing pads and games like Uno and Spot It. Lil S always packs Bop It and Simon on her trips, and it was a huge hit. And of course, screen time. We try to limit screen time in intervals, but for such a long trip, you gotta do what you gotta do.

3) Pack water

Morocco’s tap water is not safe to drink, so you need to carry water bottles and buy bottled water. For such a long day, we recommend bringing a large jug (you can buy 5L jugs) to leave in the car. You can refill along the way and after your Essaouira exploring.

4) Pack snacks

For the car and for the beach. We always bring our own nuts, granola bars, and meat jerky from home. For Essaouira, you can also bring pastries, bread, cookies, etc – which you can pick up in Marrakesh the day before.

5) Pack swimwear and travel towels.

For the beach.

6) Scout out locations for lunch and make a plan

We wanted to experience the fresh seafood, but having been dropped off in a completely new city, had no idea where to go. (And it was already lunch time so the kids were *hangry*.) We googled several recommended spots, but they were either closed, or we could not find them in the maze of the Medina.

If you want fresh seafood, head to the fishing port. You can pick the seafood you want and buy directly from the fishmonger. Then look for the grilling stations nearby (or ask for directions), where they will prepare and grill the meal for you.

Another spot for fresh seafood are the restaurant tents along the seawall right by the ocean. (Just outside the Medina).

Planning an epic family trip to Morocco? Be sure to check out our series on Morocco with kids.