Agadir Tours

Agadir tours come to Morocco’s main Atlantic beach resort: a wide bay, a beach of more than ten kilometres and a seafront promenade. It was rebuilt after the 1960 earthquake, which explains the wide streets and the modern look; it feels nothing like the walled old towns.

A city rebuilt

Shortly before midnight on 29 February 1960 an earthquake that lasted only about fifteen seconds devastated the old city. An estimated 15,000 people died, more than a third of the population. The new Agadir was planned afresh about 1.6 kilometres further south, with broad avenues and building rules set for safety, which is why the streets are wide and the buildings modern.

Why include it

It works as a rest between desert and mountain days: the beach, the promenade and the view over the bay from the old kasbah. The climate helps: the town gets about 3,000 hours of sunshine a year, winters are mild, and January days reach around 21 °C.

What to see

• The beach and promenade. More than ten kilometres of sand, with a seafront promenade along it.
• The old kasbah (Agadir Oufella). It dates from the sixteenth century and is often given as 1572. Only a restored wall remains after the earthquake, but it is the best viewpoint over the bay and the port.
• The port. A working harbour with fishing basins and a marina for leisure boats.
• Souk El Had. Described as the largest market in the region, and the place to see everyday Agadir shopping.

Around Agadir

Surfers head north to Taghazout, about 19 kilometres away, and Imsouane. The Souss-Massa National Park lies about 70 kilometres to the south, Tiznit about 90 kilometres south and the walled town of Taroudant about 80 kilometres inland. Essaouira is about 175 kilometres up the coast, which is why the two towns sit together on a coastal route.

Getting there

Al Massira Airport is about 23 kilometres from the city, and the coast road from Essaouira is the other usual way in.

In our tours

The 5 day coast and mountains tour visits Essaouira and Agadir, runs south along the coast through Tiznit and Mirleft to Legzira Beach, then inland to Tafraout and Taroudant and back over the Tizi n’Test pass. For more days in Agadir, or a combination with another region, use Customized Trips.