Following on from my last post with information and tips for visiting Essaouira and ways to explore the town, here are some more glimpses of this Moroccan treasure that was once the country’s biggest and most important port:
You can view the rest of my Morocco diary here and my travel section for more destinations!
Essaouira (‘essa-weera’) lies located on the Western coast of Morocco, encircled by a fortress hugging the Atlantic Ocean. The town presents a more laid-back side of Morocco and in the heat of the summer you can find respite from the inland temperatures; during my visit in July where Marrakech was reaching up to 45C, Essaouira was a full fifteen to twenty degrees cooler. The breeze from the Atlantic blows strong here making the windswept beach a watersport haven (more on that later), whilst the medina is filled with whitewashed buildings and vibrant blue shuttered windows.
Getting there: Flights only run to Essaouira airport from France so the if you’re travelling from elsewhere then it is easiest to travel via Marrakech. Buses come and go from an office located just outside of the medina and take three hours with a short stop halfway. Once a day there’s a “comfort plus” bus (100dh one way) that lives up to its name, but for the reasonably short journey the standard ones (70dh) also tend to be in good condition and not over-crowded.
Top tip: You will need buy a separate luggage ticket when travelling on the Suprabus. It is only 5 dirhams but you have to ask for it. If travelling from Marrakech to Essaouira, it can be bought from the office next door to the main station.
Where to stay: The medina has a host of accommodation options and is the perfect location being filled with cafés and restaurants and easy access to the bus station. Traditional Moroccan riads, a house with a courtyard garden and often a rooftop pool or terrace, stay cool in their interior making them an ideal option if you want something with an authentic feel in the heart of town. I stayed in Caverne d’Ali Baba and would highly recommend it for its beautiful decor, friendly owner and breakfast served on the rooftop with views over the medina.
Ways to Explore Essaouira
Walk the Waterfront
Passing through the souks in the medina, you can reach the old fortress walls. Atop the walls is a wide promenade to stroll along, lined with canons and with views out across the rocks to the ocean. Just along the waterfront from the medina walls is Essaouira’s port and fish market. The mass of blue boats and stunning views looking back on the old town make it a gorgeous spot, but be warned: the smell is something to be reckoned with.
A few minutes walk further along the coast is Essaouira’s beach, frequented by both locals and tourists alike. There are a couple of areas with sunbeds to rent or if the wind isn’t too high you can take a towel to the sand. If you are feeling fresh on your feet, you can walk the length of the beach to the sand dunes where there is plentiful opportunity to take a camel ride.
Shop the Souks
Bursting with treasures waiting to be discovered – and haggled for – the souks are a maze of pedestrianised lanes. The edges are lined with small shops selling pottery, clothing, rugs, artisan wooden crafts and paintings to name a small section of what is on offer. The main streets have a bustling market that runs during the day, a mainstay for the local population.
There are also plenty of stores selling argan oil – many of these sell oil produced by women’s collectives set up in rural villages to provide fair incomes and livelihoods. As well as cosmetic argan oil, creams and other products, you can also buy Moroccan oil for food use. The deliciously nutty flavour makes it perfect for salad dressings (expect a recipe one day soon!)
Top tip: If you are only travelling with hand luggage on your flight, make sure any oils you buy are within the 100ml limit.
Hit the Waves
Reliable winds and ideal water conditions make Essaouira a top watersports destination with surfing, kitesurfing and windsurfing possible all year round. Right through from beginners courses at the beach to more challenging conditions for pros outside of town, there are options for all levels.
Instruction is available in English and various other languages through many of the watersports centres. Always check any equipment beforehand and that instructors are fully qualified. Based in Essaouira, Explora is a kitesurf, windsurf and surf centre who are partnered with VDWS, IKO and the Moroccan Surf Federation to make sure that their staff are fully trained and safety standards are high. They offer surfing trips to six destinations in and around Essaouira, including to La Grotte which boasts the biggest waves in the area if you’re feeling confident.
Keep an eye out for more photos and foodie tips that I’ll be sharing in upcoming installments of my Morocco Diary. How do you like to explore a new place?
Walking is always my preferred method of exploring and getting to know a city for the first time. Taking a walking tour is usually a fantastic introduction; giving you insights into different parts of town, interesting anecdotal tales of history and, more often than not, straying off the more well-trodden routes. It’s no wonder then that, just before heading off to Sicily recently, I was doubly excited to hear via Twitter about StrEat Palermo Tour: a walking tour around Palermo that combines the above with a foodie twist.
Rated in the top five cities for street food, Palermo is a place to indulge and a walking tour all about food seemed the perfect way to legitimately stuff our faces learn more about the city’s street food culture.
The StrEat Palermo Tour kicks off at 10:30 from Piazza Verdi in front of the Massimo Theatre (recognisable from the closing scenes of The Godfather III I hear – I’ve been having a bit of a Godfather marathon since getting back but haven’t made it that far yet!) and the first stop is the nearby market. Before setting off, our guide Marco were presented us with our ‘Passaporto del Mangione’ or ‘Foodie’s Passport’ to prove that we were tasting everything along the way.
Snaking off the main square, the market winds its way through narrow medieval streets lined with vendors selling the freshest of fresh ingredients. Much to my delight, I spotted various vegetables I’d never seen before such as the beautiful round Tunisian aubergine and cucuzza, the near-metre long Sicilian courgette.
Our first stop, in the heart of the market, was for an array of fried goodies: Cazzilli (mashed potato croquettes with parsley and mint), Arancina (fried risotto balls with saffron and cheese – made without ham for a veggie version) and Panelle (thin chickpea fritters). Whilst our food cooked we all dipped into a nearby church to take a look around. Almost certainly one of the most impressive churches that I saw in Sicily (look out for photos coming soon!) and one we would have never spotted for ourselves, Marco also gave us some fascinating insights into Palermitans’ beliefs and their love of Santa Rosalia – whether for religious reasons or just for the hope she will support them in football…!
The next stop was at a cart serving fresh Sfinciuni. This Palermitan soft pizza has a thick soft, almost spongy base soaked with tomato then topped with oregano and (optional) chilli. The bread is fired within the cart itself giving it crisp edges that perfectly complement the fluffy interior.
Winding further through the markets, next on the list was a more alcoholic pit-stop: Sicilian sweet wines Sangue Siciliana (which translates as “Sicilian Blood” but is thankfully less gory than that sounds!) and the lighter Zibibbo. Both were sweet and warming, though not necessarily something I could drink in any great quantity. The establishment itself was a small bar run by a lively and very entertaining group of gentlemen. The longer stop also offered some welcome respite from the midday heat, leaving us all refreshed for what lay ahead…
Moving on, we got back onto the street and made our way through some interesting alleyways and squares with the odd bit of street art here and there – an area that comes to life later in the night. Our next stop had been anticipated with mixed feelings. Or it had for the rest of the group as the delicacy there was Pane ca’ Meusa…a lung and spleen sandwich. Luckily for me, I didn’t have to completely skip out on trying anything new and was presented with a much more palatable sandwich filled with slices of fried aubergine. The spleen (I’ve saved you all from any photos of it) surprisingly received rather positive reviews from the group but I was satisfied with my veggie alternative!
Finally, after a tiring morning of walking and eating (such hard work!) it was time for lunch (yes, more food!) We already had the impression that Marco had carefully selected each of the street food stops, and lunch confirmed this. Tucked away and definitely somewhere we would never have known about otherwise, lunch took place in a beautiful high-ceilinged hall where we were served chilled wine, tasty Sicilian Caponata (slow cooked aubergine, tomatoes, olives, and celery), and an array of cheeses. A standout for me had to be the pistachio cheese; the Sicilian inclination to add pistachio to almost anything is fine by me!
As if we weren’t full enough by now, there was of course just enough room left for dessert. Also hidden away from the main hustle and bustle, the bakery we visited serves freshly filled Cannoli. A Sicilian classic, Cannoli is a tube of crispy pastry filled with sweet, creamy ricotta cheese. The contrast between the two textures and flavours is heavenly. We all opted for the large ones and didn’t regret it. The store also boasted a giant Cannoli tube which led to some speculation on how anyone would go about eating it…?
Sufficiently full and then some, we ended for the day four and a half hours later with a trip into and up to the top of Palermo Cathedral. Worth it for the views, climbing all of the stairs up also made us feel a little less guilty about eating quite so much!
As we progressed throughout the day, we gained stamps in our Foodie Passport to prove we really had tried it all. This was a very nice touch and made it much easier to remember the names of everything we ate. We did manage to forget our last stamp though; I could have got away with claiming we skipped dessert but then I wouldn’t have been able to tell you how amazing it was!
Overall, the day was an absolute pleasure. I hope I’ve given you all a glimpse here but without giving everything away as I would urge you to take the tour if you are ever visiting Sicily. Both my boyfriend and I loved the day (he even seemed to enjoy the spleen…). The food was incredible and Marco was friendly, entertaining and knowledgeable; everything we could have asked for in a guide!
For me, the tour was ideal to find out what street food is veggie early in the trip and made me feel much more comfortable ordering these dishes again. I’d never thought before to specifically search for food walking tours before but this is going to be top of my agenda for future trips!
You can find out more about StrEat Palermo on their website or connect via .
*I was a guest on the tour for the purposes of this review, but it was truly a highlight of my time in Sicily :)
The Adriatic Coast is scattered with hundreds of islands so choosing which to visit can be a pretty daunting task. When I travelled to Croatia last year, it seemed like there were endless possibilities. You could quite easily spend your entire trip hopping between islands, staying overnight on any of the almost fifty Croatian islands that are inhabited or, if you were so equipped, camping on uninhabited ones.
One of the islands I visited was Korčula; a popular choice for both daytrippers and those staying overnight. Korčula Town juts out from the rest of the island, with the walls and orange roofed buildings that are typical of the region. The centre of the old town is a pedestrianised series of narrow marbled alleyways with gorgeous architectural gems just waiting to be explored by foot. Rumour has it that Marco Polo was born here and you will soon become familiarised with his visage as he and references to him crop up all over the place.
Around the edges of the old town are plenty of restaurants with terraces for al fresco dining and a small market. Further on from here are rocky beaches where you can relax or hire snorkels and kayaks in the summer.
The benefit of staying on Korčula is the opportunity to travel onwards to surrounding islands as well as offering enough time to soak in the laid back atmosphere. The island is easily reached from Dubrovnik’s bus station in a little over three hours (the same bus will take you on the ferry and through to the main old town, also named Korčula) or around twice as long travelling from Split. There are also ferries that run during the summer months.
Look out for an upcoming post on another of Croatia’s islands! Have you ever visited Croatia?
Capital of the Gyeonggi Province, Suwon is a lively city with plenty to see and do making it easily worthy of a couple of day’s visit. Located just thirty kilometres south of Seoul, Suwon is also a great option for a day trip without too much travel time if you’re based in Seoul.
One of the biggest draws is Suwon’s Hawseong Fortress. An UNESCO World Heritage Site, Hwaseong encircles the city and boasts panoramic views of the city and surrounding area. Originally built in the later years of the Joseon Dynasty between 1794 and 1796, the fortress unfortunately suffered the same fate as much of the country during the Korean War. Once considered irreparable, thankfully substantial reconstruction work in the 1970s has saved Suwon from becoming another faceless city.
The walls of the fortress are a touch over five and a half kilometres, with four major gates to mark each direction with several smaller ones straddling any waterways. Given the length of the walls, it pays to allow a good three or so hours. In summer, I’d give it a bit longer so you can take breaks to cool down… and in winter, so you can take breaks to warm up! As the fortress intertwines with the city (which has long since spilt out of its walls) you’ll come across markets, temples, and plenty of places to eat so allow yourself a little longer if you fancy hopping on and off as you go. 
It costs 1,000W to walk the city walls. They are open from 9am till 6pm (5pm in winter). Suwon city can be reached from Seoul in less than an hour by bus, train or subway – the nearest subway station being Suwon on line one. Buses also run from other cities across the country.
Keep an eye out for some more Suwon sights coming up soon! Where have you explored recently?