Safi: Medina, Ceramic Art and Coast

Safi can be explored through several themes: the old medina, pottery, ceramic collections and the city beach. If you’re looking for a hotel in Safi, it may help to first consider which of these sides of the city you’d like to include in your stay. A walk through named streets, an exploration of ceramics and a view of the city from the Kechla offer different starting points for planning.

Ceramics: Craft and Collection

At the Colline des potiers, master craftspeople work as potters, ceramicists and weavers. Their skill shapes the city’s local arts and crafts. At the school run by Safi’s artisan cooperative, visitors can follow the steps involved in making pottery: from preparing the clay, through throwing, drying and dipping, to decorating and glazing. This offers a way to see the process as a series of distinct steps—from the material and shaping it to the finishing of its surface. If you’d like to plan a visit to the school, check in advance whether visits are possible and whether booking is required.

The Musée National de la Céramique in Safi houses a significant collection of Moroccan pottery and ceramic objects, including archaeological and ethnographic pieces. This offers a collection-based perspective alongside the individual steps of the craft: the groups of objects provide a different thematic focus from the process of making. In the wider destination of Safi, the National Museum of Ceramics is located in the City of Arts; its roles include preservation, research and public outreach.

Walk through the Old Medina

A walk exploring Safi’s old medina follows the boulevard along the coast from Place de l’Indépendance to Rue du Souk. This main street of the medina runs through the city to Bab Chaâba. These named streets and places provide specific points of reference for the walk. The old medina’s narrow, labyrinthine alleyways also invite you to stroll. In this way, a route along named streets and the winding network of alleyways offer different perspectives on the medina. If you plan to follow the route, check the current condition of the path before setting out.

Panoramic View from the Kechla

A semicircular tower of the Kechla offers a panoramic view of Safi, particularly the harbor, the medina, the minaret of R’bat and the Colline des Potiers. The old medina can also be viewed from the Kechla. The view brings together several named city landmarks in a single panorama, while a walk through the medina focuses on individual streets and alleyways. This contrast may help with planning if you’re deciding between taking in the overall view and exploring the old town.

City Beach and Regional Context

Safi’s city beach is described as a Blue Flag beach. If the award’s current status matters to your plans, check it in advance. In the wider destination of Safi, a historic medina, coastal fortifications and specialized craft quarters are also part of the urban fabric.

The ceramic tradition can also be understood in the wider destination of Safi: on Potters Hill, traditional techniques of shaping, glazing and firing are used alongside gradual technical adaptations. Pottery practices are passed down within families, cooperatives and training institutions. This brings both specific production steps and the transmission of craft knowledge into focus. These regional details complement the themes of the city beach, medina and ceramics, adding another perspective to your travel planning in Safi.

Discover more destinations: Oualidia, Souira Kedima, El Jadida, Bou Azza, Sidi Bennour, Sebt Gzoula, Bir Jdid, Douar El Fersane

For the wider travel overview: Doukkala-Abda.