Practical info
What to Pack for Essaouira (It Is Windier Than You Think)
Almost every packing list for Morocco is really a packing list for Marrakech: linen, sandals, sun. Then you step off the bus in Essaouira, the Atlantic hits you sideways, and by the second evening you are in the souk buying a jumper you did not budget for. The town sits on an exposed Atlantic bay where the trade winds blow for most of the year, and that one fact rewrites the whole list. Here is what we actually tell guests before they fly.
Pack for the wind, not for the temperature
The forecast will tell you Essaouira is mild. It is right, and it is misleading. Air temperature here moves in a fairly narrow band all year while the wind does all the work: the Atlantic trade winds, the alizés, funnel down this coast and blow hardest from spring through early autumn. That is what made Essaouira a windsurf and kitesurf capital, and it is why a town that reads as warm on your phone can feel genuinely cool on the beach at five in the afternoon.
Three things follow from that, and they are the three things people get wrong:
- You will wear a windbreaker far more than a coat. A thin shell that blocks wind beats a thick jumper that does not.
- The wind hides the sun. You stop feeling hot, so you stop reapplying sunscreen, and you burn on a day you would have sworn was overcast.
- Anything loose leaves. Wide floppy sun hats, sarongs, loose paper, cheap sunglasses. A cap with a strap, or a beanie in winter, is the hat that survives here.
What to bring, season by season
Nights are cooler than days all year round, and the gap is bigger than people expect on the coast. Whatever month you come in, bring one warm layer for evenings on a rooftop.
| When | What the days feel like | What to put in the bag |
|---|---|---|
| November to February | Mildest winter you will find on an Atlantic coast, but windy, and the evenings are cold once the sun drops | Jeans or trousers, a proper jumper, a windproof jacket, closed shoes, and a scarf you will end up wearing every evening |
| March to May | Wind building towards the summer pattern, long bright days, sea still cold | Layers: t-shirts plus a mid layer plus a shell. Trousers for evenings, shorts for the middle of the day |
| June to August | The windiest and busiest stretch, and the reason the bay is full of kites. Warm, rarely oppressive | Light clothes for the day, a warm layer for the rooftop after dark, and sun protection you will actually reapply |
| September to October | The all-rounder: wind easing, water at its least unfriendly, town quieter | The lightest packing of the year, still with one windproof layer and one warm one |
If you are still choosing dates rather than packing for them, our month by month guide to Essaouira goes through wind, swell and crowds in more detail.
Not sure what your week actually needs?
Tell us your dates and what you want to do, and we will tell you what to bring and what is already waiting for you here. Lessons in our packages come with the equipment, so a lot of what people plan to carry never needs to leave home.
Ask us on WhatsApp See the packagesSeven things not to bother packing
- A wetsuit. The Atlantic here is cold enough year round that you will want one, and every surf and kite lesson in our packages includes board and wetsuit. Carrying your own across a continent to save a rental is a bad trade unless you are staying for a season.
- A hard suitcase with small wheels. The medina is a walled 18th century town and cars do not reach most doors, ours included. Whatever you bring, you carry over uneven paving for the last few hundred metres. A backpack or a soft duffel makes that a non event.
- A hammam kit. Black soap, ghassoul clay and a kessa glove are sold within a few streets of here and cost very little. Do not fly them in.
- More than two pairs of shoes. One pair you can walk five kilometres in, one pair that does not mind sand. That is the whole requirement.
- Anything formal. Nothing in this town needs it, including the nicest places to eat.
- Inflatables, beach umbrellas, kites that are not kites. The wind will take them, and it will be funny for about four seconds.
- A month of toiletries. Supermarkets and pharmacies in the new town stock the ordinary things. Bring what you need for the first few days and prescription items you cannot replace.
What is genuinely worth the space
The short list of things that make a difference here specifically, rather than on any trip anywhere:
- A windproof shell. The single highest value item in your bag, in any month.
- A scarf or a light shemagh. Sun, wind, sand and dust, one object. You will also see half the town wearing one.
- A small padlock. Our dorms have secure lockers and a padlock weighs nothing, so you never have to think about it.
- Earplugs. An honest hostel tells you this: dorm life and a living medina both make noise, and the call to prayer is part of the soundtrack. Ten grams solves it.
- A reusable bottle. There is a fully equipped shared kitchen, so filling and cooking are both easy, and you are not buying plastic every day.
- Cash in dirhams, in small notes. Cards work in the new town and on our direct booking page, but the medina runs on cash and nobody at a grill stall wants to break a 200 note at lunchtime.
- A power bank. Days here are long and spent outside, and you will be navigating and photographing with the same phone.
On sockets: Morocco runs on 220V with the European two pin plug. If you are coming from France, Spain, Germany or most of continental Europe you need no adapter at all. From the UK, the US or anywhere else, bring one.
What to buy here instead of carrying
Essaouira is a craft town before it is a beach town, and a few things are both better and cheaper bought within ten minutes of the door. Wool blankets and throws, the kind that end up on your bed at home. Babouches, which are the correct footwear for a tiled floor. Scarves. Argan oil, which is produced in the region and sold by cooperatives you can visit. A woven basket bag that will carry your market shopping and then your beach things.
The one thing we would not leave until you arrive is anything medical or prescription. Everything else, let the souk handle it.
The list, by what you came to do
Most people are here for one of four reasons. Pack for the one that is yours.
| Your trip | The things people forget | What you do not need to bring |
|---|---|---|
| Surf trip | Rash vest, reef safe sunscreen, a dry bag, flip flops, a towel that dries fast | Board and wetsuit, both included with lessons in our surf package |
| Kite or wingfoil trip | Sunglasses with a strap, a warm layer for after the session, something to protect your ears from wind | Kit, which is included with lessons and is a lot to fly with |
| Food and culture trip | A tote for the market, an appetite for the 18:00 tea time, modest layers for the souks | Anything kitchen related: the shared kitchen is fully equipped |
| One month of remote work | Your own laptop stand and a good pair of headphones, a second charger, a warm layer for working on the terrace | Office furniture logic: see our guide to a month here before you overpack |
One last thing that is not clothing. Check in is at 14:00 and check out at 11:30, reception is open 24h and there is no curfew, so a late flight or an early bus is not a packing problem. And there are two resident cats, which is the only reason anyone has ever needed a lint roller here.
Frequently asked questions
What should I wear in Essaouira?
Layers, with wind protection as the priority. Essaouira sits on an exposed Atlantic bay where the trade winds blow for most of the year, so a thin windproof shell is more useful than a thick jumper, and evenings are noticeably cooler than days in every month. A practical base is t-shirts plus one mid layer plus a windbreaker, trousers for the evening, and a scarf that handles sun, wind and sand. Nothing in town requires formal clothing.
Do I need to bring a wetsuit to Essaouira?
No. The Atlantic here is cold enough year round that you will want a wetsuit in the water, but every surf and kite lesson in the Chill Art Hostel packages includes board and wetsuit, and rental is widely available otherwise. Carrying your own is only worth it if you are staying for a whole season.
Is Essaouira cold at night?
Cooler than most people expect, in every season. The coast loses its warmth quickly once the sun drops and the wind keeps blowing, so evenings on a rooftop or a terrace call for a real layer even in summer. From November to February you will want a jumper, a windproof jacket and closed shoes after dark.
What power adapter do I need in Morocco?
Morocco runs on 220V with the European two pin plug, the same standard used in France, Spain, Germany and most of continental Europe, so travellers from those countries need no adapter. Visitors from the UK, Ireland, the US, Canada, Australia or anywhere with a different plug should bring one, and a power bank is worth the space since days here are long and spent outdoors.
Should I bring cash to Essaouira?
Yes, in dirhams and in small notes. Cards and online payment work for accommodation, including the Chill Art Hostel direct booking page, but the medina itself largely runs on cash: market stalls, port grills, taxis, small shops and craftspeople. Withdraw in the new town, keep small notes for daily spending, and do not count on splitting a large note at a food stall.
What is the best bag to bring to a medina hostel?
A backpack or a soft duffel, not a hard suitcase with small wheels. The Essaouira medina is a walled historic town with uneven paving and lanes that cars cannot enter, so the last stretch to any door inside the walls is on foot and carrying is easier than dragging. Anything you can put on your back for ten minutes is the right choice.
Pack light, we have the rest
Boards and wetsuits come with the lessons, the kitchen is equipped, the lockers are secure and the rooftop is where you will want that warm layer. Live availability and rates on our own booking page.
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