Adding a quick addendum to this TR, as I was in Morocco again a few months ago and visited some different areas.
As a side note, we noticed a big difference in places like Jemaa el Fnaa in Marrakech and the general souks, than from a few years ago. Due to COVID, there are curfews and in general it's a lot quieter.
EssaouiraEassaouira is a beautiful and slow paced port city on the coast of Morocco.
Essaouira is Morocco’s third biggest fishing port and is always noisy and bustling. It's a great place to see Moroccan locals going about their daily lives, returning from the sea and unloading their fresh fish.
There are amazing picturesque views of the blue fishing boats and medieval walls, with beautiful beaches in the background.
The Medina (UNESCO site) is vibrant and charming and really fun to walk around and explore.
You are surrounded by a huge amount of colorful, hand made craftwork being sold. In the souks of the city, you can easily find handmade pottery and ceramics, leather bags and shoes, hand woven carpets, musical instruments, lamps and many more beautifully made crafts.
There was a large Jewish presence in Essaouira and we were able to see which homes were Jewish based on their porches built specifically for Succos.
We visited the Beit Dakira shul which has also turned into a little museum.
El JadidaEl Jadida is also a major port city, but way more off the beaten track for tourists.
It formally was a Portuguese colony and has a few interesting old buildings from that era. There is a UNESCO fortress (a beautifully preserved coastal fortress), old churches and shuls etc.
There are more gritty and local markets that are really fun to stroll around in.