Fortunately, the city didn’t disappoint, with it’s spacious medina, grand coastal fortifications, atmospheric fishing port and modern beachfront bars and restaurants.
Essaouira,’ which literally means ‘the beautifully designed,’ with the old town home to the only pre-planned medina (market area) layout of any city in Morocco.
This gives the place a unique feel, with the streets of the old town feeling pleasantly spacious and a lot less claustrophobic than other famous ancient Moroccan medinas, such as that of Marrakesh or Fes.
The shops of Essaouira are, in my experience, generally very competitively priced in comparison to some of the other more tourist visited cities of Morocco, making it a great place to pick up some souvenirs or gifts for people back home.