Essaouira

Essaouira is Morocco's most enchanting coastal medina, a wind-swept Atlantic port city enclosed within Portuguese-built ramparts and designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Its blue-and-white painted lanes, active fishing harbor, and laid-back creative atmosphere have attracted musicians, artists, and surfers for decades — it's where Jimi Hendrix famously lingered. The squelching sound of the Atlantic trade winds fills the medina's arched passageways year-round.