Asilah

Overview

Located on Morocco’s North Atlantic coast, seaside Asilah is very popular with Moroccan vacationers who flock to its sandy beaches during the hot summer months. The city walls are covered in colorful murals and the houses are painted  white, evoking the whites-washed towns of the Greek Islands. Every August, artists, musicians and street performers converge in Asilah for the town’s vibrant annual Arts Festival. Parts of the medina date back to the 8th century, while the impressive ramparts are relic of Portuguese colonial rule.

The tortilla, paella and rioja (Spanish wine) served in most of Asilah‘s restaurants are reminders that this compact town was Spanish territory for a long time. Today, it’s an easy introduction to Morocco, offering a good selection of budget and midrange accommodation and an extremely pretty medina to explore. There are also plenty of clean swimming and surf beaches close by.

The town is sleepy for most of the year, but in the summer months its population triples and the streets and town beach are crammed with sun-seeking Moroccan and Spanish families, some of whom retain holiday houses here. The best time to visit is in spring or autumn when the weather is still pleasant but the holiday hordes have left.