Agadir
Currency
MAD
Language
Arabic, Berber, French
Timezone
Casablanca
Continent
Africa
Discover Agadir
Agadir was destroyed by an earthquake in 1960 — fifteen thousand dead in fifteen seconds — and entirely rebuilt afterwards. That is why it resembles no other Moroccan city: no old medina, wide avenues, low white buildings. What it offers is a ten-kilometre beach facing due west, sheltered by a bay, and three hundred days of sun. The Kasbah of Agadir Oufella on the hill is the only ruin predating the earthquake; you climb it for the view over the bay. Souk El Had, one of Morocco's largest, lines up six thousand stalls behind its walls. The Museum of Amazigh Culture tells the story of the region's Berber world. And Taghazout, twenty kilometres north, has become a recognised surf spot.
When to go
All year, which is the argument: twenty degrees in January, twenty-eight in August, and the Canary current keeps the water cool — eighteen to twenty-one degrees, which surprises those expecting the Mediterranean. Spring and autumn are best. Summer is hot but tempered by the westerly; inland, at Taroudant or Marrakech, it is far more stifling. Rain is rare and falls mainly between November and February.
Getting around
The seafront and promenade are walkable for several kilometres. Small city taxis are cheap and metered, but you have to ask for the meter. Souk El Had is a twenty-minute walk from the seafront. Al Massira airport is twenty-five kilometres out. For Taghazout, Paradise Valley or Essaouira three hours away, you need a long-distance taxi or an excursion. There is no train to Agadir.
Where to eat
Grilled fish at the port is the thing: sardines, bream, squid, served plainly in the fishing port's stalls for very little. Tagine and Friday couscous are everywhere. Argan oil, produced in the region, is sold in the souk — the culinary version is roasted and the cosmetic one is not, and confusing them is expensive. Ninety-one restaurants and thirty cafés are listed. One address is tagged halal, though Moroccan cooking almost entirely is.
Good to know
The Moroccan dirham is the currency and cannot be taken out: change on arrival and spend it before leaving. Bargaining is expected in the souk, not in shops with marked prices. The beach is patrolled in season and the flags matter: the Atlantic swell is stronger than it looks. Agadir is a seaside town rather than a historic one — for medinas, go to Marrakech or Essaouira.
Where to Stay in Agadir
Top Activities in Agadir
landmarkAgadir
Souk El Had
Kasbat souss
lieu plongeur
Bianca Beach
terrain abdelaziz refkki
Free
dinosaur anza
Jardin Talborjt
Free
God, the Homeland, the King
Kasbah Agadir Oufellah
Agadir Oufellah
Free
Beth El Synagogue
Bibliotheque municipale
Complexe culturel Mohamed Jamal Addorra
تزرزيت و الرباب
La Médina d'Agadir
Dinosaur's Footprints ANZA
Geopark
Musée de Géologie
Jardin Taddart (Charaf)
Free
Vallée des Oiseaux
Free
Jardin Ibn Zaïdoun
Free
Jardin d'Olhao
Free
Jardin Lalla Meriem
Free