Landmark · Port
Port de pêche d’Essaouira
Essaouira’s fishing port is a workplace, not a visitor site: the National Ports Agency publishes no hours and no ticket for it. It landed 4,572 tonnes from January to the end of April 2026, up 26% year on year (ONP). No official source gives the time of the fish auction. Our advice: an hour, in the morning.
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What you see, quay by quay
The basin covers about 2 ha behind a 375 m main breakwater and a 285 m secondary one (National Ports Agency, undated sheet). You walk in through the Porte de la Marine, Bab el-Marsa, at the far end of Place Moulay Hassan. The blue boats of the small-scale fleet crowd the 50 m north quay. Trawlers and sardine boats tie up along the two west quays, 137 m and 113 m long.
When the boats return, the crates go from deck to quay and on to the fish hall. The new hall was opened on 28 July 2023 by Mohammed Sadiki, Minister of Agriculture and Maritime Fisheries, at a cost of 24.7 million dirhams. It sells to wholesalers, not to passers-by. The town council names the three catches the port lives on: sardines, above all in summer, mackerel and shrimp.
Volumes swing hard from year to year. From January to the end of October 2025 the port landed 14,098 tonnes, down 26% on a year earlier. From January to the end of April 2026 it climbed back to 4,572 tonnes, up 26%. Pelagic fish made up 3,380 tonnes of that (National Fisheries Office).
Our view: come in the morning, when the boats come in. The sun rises at 6:43 in mid-October and 7:34 on 21 December, by our calculation. Allow an hour, without lunch.
The boatyard: timber and a travel lift
At the back of the port, on the Skala side, hulls are hauled out for repairs. A public guide published in 2012 said small boats and trawlers were still being built here by traditional methods. We found no recent source confirming that wooden boats are built here today.
The sources describe different equipment. The undated National Ports Agency sheet lists a 6.6% slipway with two 120-tonne winches. On 29 January 2019 the press reported a 280-tonne travel lift, bought for 17 million dirhams in 2018 for a 1.5 ha boatyard. The yard was said to be in service after tests by an accredited laboratory, and the lift was meant to replace the slipway, which only worked with the tide. In May 2019 the port director credited the new yard with 40 boats handled in the first quarter, against 8 a year earlier. No more recent source says whether it is working in 2026, and the sheet probably predates those works.
Our view: watch the boatyard from the quay. No source says it is open to the public, and people are working there. Ask before you photograph a shipwright or a crew.
Before you go: works, the ticket next door, lunch
The port has been under works, phase by phase, since 2015. A first phase, from 2015 to 2017, cost about 127 million dirhams: new platforms, new quays, floating pontoons and protection for the Skala. In 2023 the World Heritage Committee asked for views from the Porte de la Marine once the fishermen’s stalls are in place. In 2025 the National Ports Agency commissioned a study for a marina basin, and the Committee asked again for a study of traffic and parking around the port. No dated source says how far the stalls had got by October 2026.
No ticket is published for the port. The Skala du Port above it does, and it belongs to the walk around the ramparts and landmarks. To eat what came ashore that morning, our guide to the fish market covers the weighing and the prices. Other addresses beyond the gate are on our page for the port quarter.
Our view: the port first, the Skala du Port next, grilled fish at lunchtime. In that order, you see the fish arrive before you choose it.
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Frequently asked questions
Can you visit Essaouira port freely?
No official document answers that: the National Ports Agency, which runs the port, publishes no hours, ticket or access rules for visitors. The way in is through the Porte de la Marine, 3 minutes’ walk from Place Moulay Hassan, and the harbour master’s office at the entrance to the quay is the place to ask.
What time is the fish auction at Essaouira port?
No official source publishes it, neither the National Fisheries Office nor the National Ports Agency. Our advice is still to come in the morning, when the boats come in, and to ask at the harbour master’s office at the entrance to the quay.
Where can you buy fish at Essaouira port and have it grilled?
At the stalls and grills lined up between the port and Place Moulay Hassan. Our fish market page explains the weighing, the cooking and the prices.
Does the Essaouira boatyard still build wooden boats?
A public guide said so in 2012, but no recent source confirms it. A 280-tonne travel lift, reported in service in January 2019, was meant to haul boats out for repairs. No more recent source says whether it is working in 2026.
Is Essaouira port under construction in 2026?
A restructuring followed by UNESCO has been running for several years, and a marina study was commissioned in 2025. No dated source says where the works stand in October 2026: Morocco’s next report to UNESCO on the medina is due by 1 December 2026.
How long do you need for Essaouira port?
About an hour without lunch, by our estimate. Add the Skala du Port just above if you want to see the basin from the ramparts.