This town is the most popular of Morocco's coastal spots with independent travellers, and only rarely do you see package tours here. By the looks of things, however, this won't last forever. Essaouira has a beautiful beach that curves for kilometres to the south. Those who've had enough haggling and jostling in the big cities will be glad to hear this town can be summed up in one word: relaxing. The forts of the old city are a blend of Portuguese, French and Berber military architecture, and their massiveness lends a powerful mystique to the town. The Skala du Port, designed to protect the town's sea, has good views and was also where Orson Welles shot some of his film Othello.

What to see in Essaouira

Dye works
The city's name is derived from the lavender colouring of the natural dye works that have been a vital activity on the nearby 'Purple Islands' for centuries. Products dyed according to this natural process are sought after.

Portuguese fort
When the Portuguese established a commercial presence here in the 16th century, they built a fort and naval base at the entrance of the harbour and proceeded to control Mogador, as they called the town, for over a century. The Portuguese fort still stands.

Harbour
The ancient harbour of Essaouira still bustles with a lively fishing market, sardine and pilchard canneries, scores of brightly coloured wooden fishing boats bobbing on the water and the traditional shipyards where they continue to be built to a centuries-old method.

Artists' colony
The maze of winding alleyways that make up Essaouira's old quarter have long been a favourite of local and international artists, who find inspiration here to produce their best work.