Essaouira is 190 km from Marrakech, 2 h 30 to 3 h by car. There is no train: the bus (Supratours or CTM) takes about 3 hours and shared grand taxis leave when they are full. A private driver takes you from your door in Marrakech to the gate of the medina in Essaouira, with a stop at an argan cooperative on the way.
Here are the options side by side, and why Essaouira deserves at least one night.
| Option | Travel time | Indicative price | Good for | Keep in mind |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bus (Supratours, CTM) | About 3 h | About 80 to 140 MAD per person | Light travellers on a budget | Set departure times, a taxi or a walk at each end |
| Shared grand taxi | Like a car, plus the wait until it is full | About 70 to 150 MAD per seat | Leaving without a booking | Leaves when full, little room for luggage |
| Private driver | 2 h 30 to 3 h, door to door | About 1,500 to 3,500 MAD one way for the whole vehicle | Families, groups, airport arrivals, riads | Book ahead so the vehicle fits your group |
The railway stops in Marrakech. To reach the coast at Essaouira, the trip is always by road.
Supratours, the coach company of the national railway, and CTM both run buses from Marrakech to Essaouira, several times a day for Supratours. Count about 3 hours and about 80 to 140 MAD a seat. It is the economical choice; the stations are not at the door of your riad, so plan a taxi or a walk with your bags at each end.
Shared grand taxis leave when every seat is taken and cost about 70 to 150 MAD a seat; agree the fare before you get in. You can also hire the whole car, at a price agreed before you leave. On a three hour drive, a full taxi is tight and there is little room for suitcases.
A private driver picks you up at your riad, your hotel or Marrakech airport and drives you to Essaouira, to the door of your hotel or to the closest gate of the medina, where the porter of your riad meets you. The 190 km take 2 h 30 to 3 h; from the airport it is 185 km and also 2 h 30 to 3 h.
A private driver from Marrakech to Essaouira costs about 1,500 to 3,500 MAD one way for the whole vehicle, not per person, depending on the vehicle. The price includes the driver, fuel, tolls, insurance and bottled water. For the way back, we pick you up in Essaouira on the day you choose, or drive you on along the coast to Agadir.
Request it from our transfer booking form, and if you land in Marrakech, see our Marrakech airport transfer page. For everything else about traveling with a private driver in Morocco, start on our home page.
Before the coast, the road crosses the argan country. Along the way, women's cooperatives make argan oil by hand and welcome visitors: you see the nuts cracked and ground, you can taste the oil and buy it from those who make it. Your driver knows where to stop.
With 5 to 6 hours on the road there and back, Essaouira in a day is a long day, and it misses the best of the town: the light at the end of the afternoon on the ramparts and the port in the early morning when the boats come in. Stay at least one night:
We drive you there and pick you up on the day you choose. We can recommend riads in the medina; you book and pay your stay directly.
From Essaouira, Agadir is 175 km south, 2 h 30 to 3 h by road. Our Atlantic Coast Tour links Casablanca, Essaouira and Agadir in 4 days.
More about the two cities on our pages on a private driver in Marrakech and a private driver in Essaouira. If Essaouira is part of a longer trip, design your private tour. And to know where a guide is worth it, read Do you need a guide in Morocco?
By car, 2 h 30 to 3 h for the 190 km, door to door. The bus takes about 3 hours. From Marrakech airport it is 185 km, also 2 h 30 to 3 h.
No. Essaouira has no railway. You go by bus (Supratours or CTM), by grand taxi or with a private driver.
It makes a long day, with 5 to 6 hours on the road there and back. Essaouira is at its best in the evening and early morning, so we recommend at least one night there: we drive you there and pick you up on the day you choose.
About 1,500 to 3,500 MAD one way for the whole vehicle, not per person, depending on the vehicle. The price includes the driver, fuel, tolls, insurance and bottled water. Send us your date and your number of passengers and suitcases for the exact quote.
At a women's argan oil cooperative, on the road through the argan country before the coast, where you see the oil being made. Your driver knows where to stop; tell us when you book.