Essaouira

Essaouira trades the intensity of Morocco's inland cities for something calmer — a fortified port town of blue-shuttered white houses, art galleries, and a working fishing harbor that supplies the daily catch to grills along the port.

The Atlantic wind that gives the city its nickname, "Wind City of Africa," makes it a favorite for surfers and kitesurfers, while the ramparts and medina — a UNESCO World Heritage site — reward slow, unhurried wandering.