Marrakech → Essaouira
A private car from Marrakech to Essaouira costs €95 per vehicle, not per person, and takes about two and a half hours to cover the 175 km on the N8. There is no train on this route. Your realistic choices are a Supratours or CTM coach, a shared taxi, or a private car - and below we compare them without pretending the bus is bad, because it isn't.
€95 per vehicle
Reviewed September 2026 by Ahlam Giyat, travel editor at Taxi Maroc Aéroport, Marrakech.
Route details checked in August 2026 by Ahlam Giyat, travel editor at Taxi Maroc Aéroport.
📖 Not sure whether to drive, train or take the bus? Read the full Morocco transport guide →
📖 The complete Marrakech to Essaouira guide - coaches, costs, the wind and when to go →
✈️ Landing at Marrakech airport? Go straight to Essaouira without entering the city →
✈️ Arriving by air? Essaouira Airport to Marrakech →
Essaouira’s medina is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, inscribed in 2001 as an exceptional example of a late-18th-century fortified town built on European military principles in a North African setting.
The road, and why it is worth staying awake for
The N8 runs west out of Marrakech across flat, dry plain, then climbs gently into argan country. This is one of the few places on earth where the tree grows, and where you will pass the women's cooperatives that press the oil. Roughly two and a half hours of easy driving, no motorway tolls, and the light in the last half hour before the Atlantic is genuinely beautiful.
Essaouira itself is a walled eighteenth-century port with a working fishing harbour, ramparts you can walk, and wind that made it a windsurfing capital. It is about fifteen degrees cooler than Marrakech in August, which is why half our summer bookings on this road are people escaping the heat.
Coach, shared taxi or private car
Supratours is genuinely good on this route and we will say so. Here is the comparison.
| Option | Cost | Door-to-door time | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Supratours coach | ~140 MAD + taxi in Marrakech | 3h + transfer | Solo travellers - stops at the medina wall |
| CTM coach | ~140 MAD + taxis both ends | 3h + transfers | Similar price, station further out |
| Shared grand taxi | Negotiated | ~2h30 | Confident negotiators, no luggage |
| Private transfer (us) | €95 per vehicle | ~2h30, door to door | Families, groups, luggage, surfboards |
Where the bus actually drops you - this matters
Supratours stops right outside the medina wall at Bab Marrakech, a two-minute walk from the old town. CTM's station is roughly a twenty-minute walk further out, which is fine with a backpack and much less fine with two suitcases in the sun.
Supratours runs around seven departures a day from its office on Avenue Hassan II, next to Marrakech train station - convenient if you are arriving by rail from Casablanca, awkward if you are staying deep in the medina. CTM runs far fewer services on this route. Tickets are roughly 140 MAD per person, and they sell out: travellers are regularly turned away at the counter in high season. Book ahead.
There is also a small luggage fee, and you must have your bags labelled before boarding. None of this is a reason to avoid the bus - it is a reason to know about it before you are standing at the counter.
The day trip versus the transfer
Many people do Essaouira as a day trip. If that is you, our Essaouira day tour is the right product: the driver waits and brings you back the same evening.
This page is for the one-way transfer - you are moving to Essaouira for a few nights, or coming back to Marrakech to fly home. Different job, different price.
What is included
- Fixed price per vehicle - the same for one passenger or five
- Fuel and any road costs
- Door to door: riad to riad, including the gate closest to your Essaouira accommodation inside the walls
- A free stop at an argan cooperative on request
- Drivers who speak English, French, Spanish and Arabic
- Free child seats, fitted before pick-up
- Surfboards and kite gear carried at no extra charge - tell us in advance so we send the right vehicle
- No deposit, free cancellation up to 24 hours before
Getting into the Essaouira medina
Like Marrakech, the old town inside the ramparts is closed to cars. We drop you at the nearest gate - usually Bab Doukkala or Bab Marrakech depending on your address - and the walk is short and flat, unlike the Marrakech medina. Give us the riad name and we take you to the right one.
Carrying on down the coast? We also drive Marrakech to Agadir and the surf coast.
Frequently asked questions
How far is Essaouira from Marrakech?
About 175 km on the N8, roughly two and a half hours of driving.
Is there a train from Marrakech to Essaouira?
No. There is no railway to Essaouira; the options are coach, shared taxi or private car.
How much is the Supratours bus to Essaouira?
Around 140 MAD per person, with about seven departures a day. It stops right by the medina wall at Bab Marrakech.
How much is a private transfer to Essaouira?
€95 per vehicle for up to 3 passengers, with larger vehicles available. Fixed at booking, no deposit.
Can you carry surfboards?
Yes, at no extra charge. Tell us when you book so we send a vehicle with the space.
Can we stop at an argan cooperative?
Yes, one stop is included on request. It is the most interesting thing on this road.
How do I get from Essaouira back to Marrakech?
The same route and the same €95. Tell us your pick-up point in Essaouira - most riads are inside the car-free medina, so we collect you at the nearest gate, usually Bab Marrakech or Bab Doukkala.
Can you collect me from inside the Essaouira medina?
Not by car - the medina is car-free. We meet you at the closest gate and the walk is short. Give us the riad name at booking and we tell you exactly which gate.
How much is the Supratours bus?
Around 140 MAD per person, with seven departures a day: 07:45, 09:00, 10:45, 12:00, 14:45, 16:45 and 19:00. CTM runs five. Both take about 3 hours.
Where does the Supratours bus drop you in Essaouira?
At Bab Marrakech, right beside the medina wall - one of the best drop-offs in Morocco, because you walk straight in. That is genuinely a point in the bus's favour.
Should I take the bus or a private car?
For one or two people travelling light in daylight, the bus is good value and lands you at the medina gate. From three passengers, with luggage, or outside the seven departure times, the car costs about the same per head and goes door to door.
Do the buses sell out?
Yes, regularly in July, August and around Eid. Book Supratours three to five days ahead in high season, or take a car if your dates are fixed.
Can I do Essaouira as a day trip from Marrakech?
Yes, and many people do - 3 hours each way leaves five or six hours in the town, which is enough for the medina, the port and the ramparts. It is a long day but it works.
Is it worth staying overnight in Essaouira?
If you can, yes. The town changes completely once the day-trippers leave: the ramparts at sunset and the fish grills in the evening are the reason people come back.
What is the drive like?
Flat and easy. West on the N8 through Chichaoua, then argan country - the tree grows almost nowhere else on earth, and the women's cooperatives along this road press the oil by hand. A twenty-minute stop at one is included on request.
Is Essaouira windy?
Famously. The trade winds blow most of the year, which is why it is a kitesurfing centre and why the beach is cooler than you expect. Bring a layer even in summer.
How much cooler is Essaouira than Marrakech?
Often 10 to 15 °C cooler in July and August. That temperature gap is the main reason Marrakchis drive out here at weekends.
Can you take us on to Agadir from Essaouira?
Yes. Agadir is about 175 km south of Essaouira along the coast - ask and we quote the direct run rather than routing you back through Marrakech.
Do you go to Sidi Kaouki or Diabat?
Yes, both are short hops south of Essaouira. Tell us at booking so the driver knows before leaving Marrakech.
Sources & official information