Transfert privé de Essaouira à CasablancaLuxury Travel

Plan on about 3h40 for the 350 km between Essaouira and Casablanca, following the N1 / coast road, the R301 coastal road and finally the A1 motorway. Essaouira is a whitewashed, walled fishing port on the Atlantic — Portuguese-era ramparts, a working harbour full of blue boats and a steady trade wind that made it Morocco's windsurf capital.

Who makes the Essaouira to Casablanca trip

Why this trip? Most departures from Essaouira are the second half of a coast-and-city trip, or surfers and kiters moving on once the wind drops. As for Casablanca, most visitors come for business, a stopover to see the Hassan II Mosque, or because their international flight lands at Mohammed V. Plenty of the bookings on this corridor are business trips, where a fixed pickup time and Wi-Fi in the car matter more than scenery — though there is some on the way.

The road from Essaouira to Casablanca

North of Essaouira the road crosses the Had Draa farmland and then follows the coast past Souiria Kdima's beach into Safi. Between Safi and El Jadida the R301 follows the coast past salt pans, market gardens and the Oualidia lagoon, famous for its oysters. From El Jadida the A1 motorway runs north past Azemmour, where the Oum Er-Rbia river meets the sea, to Casablanca. Good places to break the drive: Souiria Kdima beach, an oyster lunch at Oualidia and the Oualidia lagoon.

Arriving in Casablanca

Casablanca is Morocco's economic capital — a sprawling Art Deco port city, home to the Hassan II Mosque on its seafront and the country's main business district. City traffic is the main variable — the A1 ring and Boulevard d'Anfa jam at rush hour, so add half an hour on weekday evenings.

Before you go

Once you are in Casablanca, Rabat is an hour up the coast, and Marrakech under three hours down the A7. Temperate all year; winter is grey and damp more often than it is cold. The return leg, Casablanca to Essaouira, has its own page and the same per-vehicle pricing.