Curious, colourful and absolutely delicious, Essaouira is a charming little place on the Atlantic coast, warmly inviting you get lost in its wonders.

“The windy city of Africa”, as it’s know, Essaouira hides a lot of traditional character through the narrow lanes of its fortified medina, mixed with mellow vibes and artistic notes. Add to this the popular wind surf scene and the place becomes a true gem!

As all Moroccan adventures this one of course started with a cup of sweet mint tea on our arrival in perhaps one of the most colourful arabian-boho style riads in town. (Not sure if that’s a thing, but surely felt like my thing!)  A long with a warm welcome (and several scrumptious cookies) we were given a precious map revealing all of Essaouira delicious treasures (which believe me despite all the sand, the wind and the spilt tea it went through, I am keeping it safe until present day!)

Wandering and intentionally getting lost is a must in Essaouira! However you’ll soon find yourself devoted to a particular mission… like taking pictures for your (still non-existent) beautiful doors collection or just exploring the tiny arts and crafts galleries….

Or looking for your favourite colourful cafe (and cat attached to it)…..

0r discovering the difference between the 7 different sorts of dates on the local market and finding all about some unfamiliar spices….

While having a tea with the locals…

Trying not to eat all of the warm and so so delicious complimentary bread or just give in and totally indulging in a traditional tagine (or take a cooking lesson to make it yourself) or perhaps treat yourself to a bit more high end modern Moroccan fusion cuisine! Don’t forget to add a relaxing and skin- brightening hammam!

We also caught the last day of the traditional Gnaoua music festival, gathering local and foreign artists every year. It was a bonus to our stay, although to be honest we were happy to see the crowds go away.

The time in Essaouira should really be left to getting lost in its magic and discovering your own little wonders there. Therefore there are no must-visit sights, just plenty of chilled and colourful vibes, waiting to be embraced.

And a lot of hip cafes and tempting restaurants that should not be missed! Here are some of our favourites, along with some other places marked on my precious map, which we simply didn’t had the time to discover:

The loft and its brother – Mega loft – pretty arty decor, live music, super fresh mint tea, interesting menu and Berber yoghurt to die for.

One up – with a gourmet hint, amazing decor (one of the prettiest toilets I’ve ever seen). A bit fancy and totally worth it.

Ocean Vagabond – super chilled place on the beach, great for lunch or lazy evenings. Lot’s of fresh seafood dishes (if you are one of those fans) and it’s one of the few places that offer beer & wine (for the rest of us).

Triskala Cafe – great little place with cool eclectic interior, mellow vibe and Jimi Hendrix  peaking from here and there.

Miyame – didn’t visit this one, but apparently the chicken tagine, the fish in orange sauce and the apple pies are great!

Triskala – another funky miss, with good vegetarian food. (I have a “surprise” written next to it, totally open for interpretations!)

Taros – again we didn’t go to this one, but the key words here are wine and oysters!!

I am leaving the discovery of the rest of those places to you! Finding your own wonders is the best bit, isn’t it!