Essaouira Medina, Mellah and Fishing Port Walking Tour

About the Essaouira walking tour

Essaouira was laid out in the 1760s by a French engineer for Sultan Mohammed III, which is why its streets are straighter than in any other Moroccan medina. It became the main port between Morocco and Europe, and for a century half of its population was Jewish.

Your guide, born in the town, starts at Bab Doukkala and walks you through the Mellah, the former Jewish quarter, with its synagogues and old merchant houses. You continue through the spice and jewellery souks to the Skala de la Ville, the sea bastion lined with bronze cannons, and the workshops below it where craftsmen carve thuya wood.

The walk ends at the fishing port, busiest when the boats come in around midday, with its nets, seagulls and fish auctions.

Highlights

• Skala de la Ville ramparts and cannons
• The Mellah and its synagogues
• Thuya-wood carving workshops
• Spice and jewellery souks
• Fishing port and boatyard
• A guide born in Essaouira

Route map of the Essaouira walking tour

A breezy fortified port town with blue fishing boats, fresh seafood, art galleries and kitesurfing. All tours in Essaouira

Itinerary for the day

1. 10:00 Bab Doukkala

   Meeting point

   Introduction to the history of Mogador and Essaouira.

2. The Mellah The Mellah

   Synagogues, merchant houses and the stories of the Jewish community.

3. Souks and Skala Souks and Skala

   Spice market, jewellery souk, the cannons and the woodworkers.

4. 12:30 Fishing port

   The boatyard, the fish market and the grills where you can have lunch.

Times and driving durations are approximate and can be adapted. It is a private tour, so you can change stops with your driver-guide.

Prices for the Essaouira walking tour

Your private tour, with prices per group size. All prices are in euros and include everything listed under “What’s included”.

The more you are, the less you pay per person. Children count as travellers when they need a bed.

What's included