How to Get to Essaouira, Morocco: Your Transport Guide
Last Updated on 24th January 2026 by Jessie
Heading to Essaouira? This transport guide lays out your best travel options – whether you’re coming from Marrakech, Agadir, Taghazout or nearby surf towns – plus top tips and travel times.
Essaouira is one of the most established coastal cities on Morocco’s surf coast, with its own international airport. However, flight routes to Essaouira are limited and often more expensive than other cities. This guide explains how to get to Essaouira from Casablanca, Marrakech and Agadir. Plus, all the transport options from the southern surf villages of Tamraght and Taghazout for my beach-dwelling travellers.
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Moroccan Travel Essentials
- First and foremost, get travel insurance with SafetyWing. They’re super affordable and one of the few companies that let you buy insurance mid-trip.
- Book the dreamiest Moroccan abode on Booking.com. They’re my go-to for accomodation because you can save loooaads with their loyalty discounts.
- Or if you’re after the one-stop-shop, BookSurfCamps is the best place to find surf camp packages in Morocco.
- Find the best local tours with GetYourGuide. It’s the easiest way to visit places like Paradise Valley or Timlalin Dunes.
- Make sure you’re connected as soon as you get off the plane with Airalo’s Moroccan eSIM.
- Set up a Wise travel card to save on international transaction fees.
- And if you’re working online (or want to watch Netflix in your downtime) I highly recommend getting set up with a SurfShark VPN.
And you’re sorted.
Flying into Essaouira Airport
Essaouira-Mogador Airport is located 17km (about a 20-minute drive) from the Medina. Essaouira has direct international flight connections with the following cities:
- London Stansted, UK
- Madrid, Spain
- Brussels, Belgium
- Düsseldorf, Germany
- Bordeaux, France
- Marseille, France
- Paris Orly, France
Taxi from Essaouira Airport to Medina
A taxi rank is located to the left of the arrivals exit at Essaouira airport. From here, you can catch a taxi to the medina for a fixed rate of 150dh (€15). This is the price for the whole car, so the bigger your party, the cheaper it will be. You don’t need to worry about bartering.
Note that taxis in Morocco only accept cash. So make sure you withdraw/exchange some Dirhams on arrival.
How to Get to Essaouira from Casablanca
Casablanca Mohammend V Airport offers far more international connections, making it a popular entry point for tourists. You can get to Essaouira from Casablanca via bus, private transfer or rental car. But the intercity buses are by far the most cost-effective option.
Both major Moroccan bus companies – CTM and Supratours – run between Casablanca and Essaouira. The bus journey takes a minimum of 6 hours.
- CTM has 9 daily bus routes from Casablanca to Essaouira. Tickets cost 190dh (€19), plus baggage.
- Supratours runs 5 buses each day. Tickets start at 235dh (€23.50).
CTM and Supratours buses arrive at different terminals in Essaouira. The Supratours bus station is a 5-minute walk from Bab Sba (the Medina entrance). Whereas the CTM station is 2km away.
See this guide to catching intercity buses in Morocco.
Private Transfer
You can book a private driver online with GetTransfer. Prices start at €178 for a sedan with room for 3 passengers.
How to Get to Essaouira from Marrakech
Many travellers choose to commence their holiday in the tourist capital of Morocco – Marrakech. Once again, your options for travelling from Marrakech to Essaouira are bus, private transfer or rental car.
Bus
The bus journey from Marrakech to Essaouira takes 3 hours. Note that CTM and Supratours depart from different terminals in Marrakech.
- Supratours operates 6 buses daily from Marrakech to Essaouira. Tickets start at 100dh (€10), plus baggage.
- CTM only has one bus to Essaouira each day. Tickets cost 90dh (€9).
Taxi
You can pretty much catch a taxi anywhere in Morocco, as long as you’re prepared to fork out the cash. To catch a taxi from Marrakech to Essaouira, simply head to the nearest Grand Taxi station and ask one of the drivers. The standard rate is 600dh (€60) for the whole car, but expect to barter a little.
See this post for help navigating taxis in Morocco.
For those who prefer to organise things online, you can book a private transfer with GetTransfer. Prices start at €72 for a car with room for 3 passengers.
How to Get to Essaouira from Agadir
The stretch of coastline from Agadir to Essaouira is well worth exploring leisurely over a couple of days or weeks. But if, for whatever reason, you need to head directly from Agadir to Essaouira, your options are bus, shuttle, private transfer, or rental car.
See my 10-day travel itinerary from Taghazout to Essaouira for a more relaxed approach.
Bus
Only CTM buses travel between Agadir and Essaouira. There are 3 buses daily, with tickets costing 95dh – 100dh (€9.50 – €10). The journey takes a minimum of 3 hours 15 minutes.
Shuttle
Souk to Surf runs a shuttle service throughout Morocco’s central surf coast. They’re super reliable and fairly cheap, and they have room for surfboards. Souk to Surf runs two daily shuttles from Agadir to Essaouira, departing at 9.25am and 3.45pm.
The journey takes 4 hours and tickets cost €18. I recommend booking in advance to ensure you get a seat.
Taxi
You can catch a taxi directly from Agadir Airport to Essaouira for a fixed rate of 1000dh (€100). This price is for the whole car, and you pay 20dh (€2) extra for each large piece of luggage.
Alternatively, you can book a private transfer with GetTransfer. Prices start at €82 for 3 passengers.
How to Get to Essaouira from Tamraght or Taghazout
Essaouira offers the perfect city fix for travellers basing themselves in Tamraght or Taghazout. A little more variety for shopping and dining, but nothing too chaotic on the senses. You can get to Essaouira from either of the two surf villages by bus, shuttle or rental car.
Bus
Neither CTM nor Supratours offers direct routes from Tamraght or Taghazout to Essaouira. However, you can book a local bus from Taghazout online at Markoub.ma.
See how to get from Tamraght to Taghazout.
Alternatively, you could backtrack and catch a taxi to Agadir, then catch the CTM bus from there.
Shuttle
My preferred way to get from Tamraght or Taghazout to Essaouira is with Souk to Surf shuttle. Tickets from Tamraght or Taghazout cost €18, and the journey takes 3 hours 30 minutes or 3 hours 15 minutes, respectively.
- From Tamraght: Shuttles depart at 10.00am and 4.15pm from Hey Yallah or Let’s Be Healing cafe.
- From Taghazout: Shuttles depart at 10.15am and 4.30pm from Surf Maroc.
Make sure you book at least a few days in advance.
Check out my full travel guide for Essaouira.
For more help with travel planning, check out my Moroccan travel info.
More tips:
For more Maroc info and a little less of my own opinions, I’ve created a travel wisdom-sharing hub over on Reddit. Join the group here.
