Agadir travel guide: what to know, see and do

Agadir is Morocco's big beach city: a long sandy bay, mild weather in every season, a busy fishing port and an easy base for surf villages, palm gorges and a coastal national park. It is not an old medina town. An earthquake flattened it in 1960 and it was rebuilt as a modern city, so come for the sea, the light and the day trips rather than for ancient lanes. This guide covers what to see, when to go, how to get there, where to stay by area and what things cost in 2026.

A city rebuilt after 1960

On the night of 29 February 1960, a shallow earthquake of moderate magnitude (about 5.7 to 5.8) struck almost directly under Agadir. Being so close and so shallow, and with many fragile buildings, it destroyed most of the city in seconds. Estimates of the dead run from 12,000 to 15,000, around a third of the population at the time, and tens of thousands were left homeless. The old kasbah on the hill and the dense Talborjt quarter were among the worst hit.

The new Agadir was built about 1.6 km further south, to strict building standards, by Moroccan modernist architects linked to the GAMMA group, including Jean-François Zevaco and Elie Azagury, who consulted Le Corbusier. Ground judged unstable was left unbuilt. That is why the centre feels planned and spacious, with wide boulevards and gardens rather than walls and alleys. Today Greater Agadir has more than a million inhabitants and is Morocco's second tourist centre after Marrakech.

Tip: Start your stay at the small museum about the earthquake, next to the Olhão garden. Its old photographs of the lost city make everything you see afterwards easier to read.

What to see and do in town

The beach and the promenade

The city's main draw is a beach of about 10 km, curving south from the port, with a seafront promenade lined with cafés, restaurants and hotels. It is wide and rarely packed. It can be very windy, especially in February. Vendors walk the sand selling sfenj, a fried doughnut; if one is handed to you without asking, a polite "no thank you" is enough.

Kasbah Agadir Oufella and the cable car

Above the port stands the hill of Agadir Oufella, the "upper Agadir". The Saadian dynasty fortified it in the 16th century and the old city lived inside its walls until the 1960 earthquake destroyed it. The restored walls and the view over the whole bay are what you come for; on the hillside, a large inscription reads "God, Country, King". A cable car opened in October 2022 and climbs about 1.7 km from the Tildi bridge area to the kasbah. You can also go up by taxi or on foot. Late afternoon is the best time for the light.

Souk El Had

Souk El Had is the region's largest market and one of the biggest urban markets in Africa, with several thousand stalls behind a walled enclosure: spices, argan oil, dates, fruit and vegetables, carpets, leather, household goods. It opens Tuesday to Sunday and is closed on Monday. Bring cash, expect to bargain, and ask before photographing stallholders. Some travellers report being steered toward friends' shops at the busiest gates; entering by a quieter gate and wandering freely avoids most of that.

The fishing port and the marina

Agadir is one of Morocco's main sardine ports and the home port of most of the country's deep-sea fishing fleet. Around the fish market in the Anza direction, Avenue du Port is lined with canneries and small, simple fish restaurants. Next to the port, the marina is a calmer, polished pleasure-boat harbour with shops and Moorish-style architecture, good for an evening stroll.

Museums and gardens

• Memory of Agadir museum: a small museum of photographs of the city before and after 1960, beside the Olhão garden, which has a café and a playground.
• Amazigh Heritage Museum: a compact collection of Amazigh (Berber) objects and crafts.
• The Valley of the Birds: a free little park with birds and a few animals, stretched along an avenue in the centre.
• La Médina at Bensergao: a recreated traditional medina built in 1992 as a crafts space, about 4.5 km from the centre; take a taxi and arrange the ride back.

Day trips from Agadir

Taghazout and the surf coast

Taghazout, about 20 km north, is a small coastal village known worldwide for surfing, with famous point breaks for experienced surfers and gentler beach breaks around the neighbouring villages of Tamraght and Aourir for beginners. The biggest swells come roughly from October to April; summer waves are smaller and kinder to learners. Just south of the village, the Taghazout Bay resort adds a promenade, a golf course and large international hotels. City buses 32 and 33 run along the coast from Agadir.

Paradise Valley

About an hour inland on the road to Imouzzer, Paradise Valley is a rocky gorge of palms and natural pools. The pools depend on rainfall and can be low or dry by late summer; a little further up the valley, the Tizgui area keeps water for longer. Public transport is awkward, so most visitors go with a driver or a group trip. Wear shoes with a good grip, and after heavy rain ask locally about the river before setting off.

Souss-Massa National Park

The park, created in 1991, protects about 338 km² of coast, dunes, steppe and wetland between the Souss estuary just south of Agadir and Aglou further south. It is famous for the northern bald ibis: together with a site at Tamri, north of Agadir, it holds almost all of the world's truly wild breeding birds of this endangered species. Around 250 bird species have been recorded. The visitor centre is near the Oued Massa, roughly 40 km south of the city.

Weather all year

Agadir is sunny and mild almost all year, with around 3,000 hours of sunshine and about 230 mm of rain a year, falling mostly in winter. Ocean breezes keep summer heat in check, while nights in winter are cool. Long-term averages:

Tip: Even in summer, pack a light layer for the evening promenade, and in winter something warm for the night.

Getting there and around

By air

Agadir-Al Massira airport lies about 20 to 25 km south-east of the city. The ALSA airport line (AE Aerobus) links it with the Vallée des Oiseaux hub in the centre via the beach area: about 50 minutes, 50 MAD one way or 80 MAD return, roughly hourly from early morning to late evening (earlier last bus on Saturday). Tickets are sold on board or at the ALSA desk. An airport taxi to the hotel zone costs around 200 MAD, plus a charge for bags. The cheapest route is city bus 37 or a shared taxi to Inezgane, then a connection into Agadir. Travellers from outside Europe often connect in Casablanca, and some fly to Marrakech and take the bus.

By road

There is no train to Agadir. Coaches (CTM, Supratours and others) link it with Marrakech in about 3.5 hours and Essaouira in about 3 hours. Inezgane, about 10 km away, is the regional bus hub with cheaper, more frequent departures.

Around town

The tourist centre is walkable. City buses cost a few dirhams; keep your ticket until you get off, as there may be checks. Orange petit taxis should run on the meter; ask for it at the start. Ride-hailing apps also work in the city.

Where to stay, area by area

• The seafront: the long strip of hotels and resorts behind the beach. Best for a beach holiday on foot, with the widest choice of pools and the most expensive restaurants.
• Founty: the southern end of the bay, with large hotels, villas and holiday homes. Calmer and greener, good for families and long stays, but further from the souk and the port.
• New Talborjt: the district rebuilt after the earthquake, with simple hotels, the cheapest eateries and everyday city life. Good for budget travellers.
• Around the marina: polished and quiet, next to the port and below the kasbah hill, with shops on the doorstep.
• Taghazout, Tamraght and Aourir: surf villages 15 to 20 km north, with hostels, surf camps and guesthouses, plus the big resorts of Taghazout Bay. Best if you want waves and a village feel, and you don't mind commuting into Agadir.

Compare stays in Agadir by area and check the walking distance to the beach before you book.

Agadir with children, and staying safe

Agadir is one of Morocco's easiest cities for families: a wide beach, flat promenades and mild weather year-round. Children usually enjoy the cable car, the Valley of the Birds, the playground in the Olhão garden and an early-morning walk around the fishing port.

Swim with care. Official travel advice notes that many Moroccan beaches have limited or no lifeguard cover and that strong currents and unexpected waves occur along the Atlantic coast. Swim where others swim and where flags or lifeguards are present, keep children close, and stay out of the water when it is rough.

Petty theft such as pickpocketing and bag-snatching happens in busy tourist places, as elsewhere in Morocco, so keep valuables out of sight at the souk and on the beach. Morocco is in an active earthquake zone; official advice is to learn the basic precautions. In an emergency, call police 190 (or 19), ambulance and fire 150 (or 15), and the gendarmerie 177 outside towns. Check the latest official travel advice for Morocco before you leave.

Costs in 2026 and a quick checklist

Indicative prices for 2026, collected from travel sources updated between 2018 and 2026. They change often, so confirm on the spot.

• Airport shuttle bus: 50 MAD one way, 80 MAD return. Airport taxi: around 200 MAD plus bags.
• City bus: about 3.5 to 5 MAD. Bus to Taghazout: about 7 MAD; a seat in a shared taxi about 10 MAD; a private taxi about 150 MAD.
• Coach to Marrakech: about 70 to 100 MAD; to Essaouira about 70 MAD.
• A basic double room in New Talborjt: from about 150 to 400 MAD a night; mid-range hotels from about 700 MAD; beachfront resorts well above.
• Set menu in a simple New Talborjt restaurant: from about 35 MAD; the seafront costs more.
• Memory of Agadir museum: about 20 to 30 MAD; La Médina at Bensergao: about 40 MAD; kasbah walls and Valley of the Birds: free; a taxi up to the kasbah about 30 to 50 MAD. Check the current cable car fare at the lower station.
• Group surf lesson in Taghazout: about 30 euros; group trip to Paradise Valley: about 20 euros.

Checklist

• Cash for the souk, small shops, buses and many surf schools.
• Sun cream, a hat and a light jacket in every season.
• Souk El Had is closed on Monday.
• Ask for the meter in petit taxis.
• Before Paradise Valley, ask whether the pools have water.
• Save the emergency numbers in your phone.

Ready to plan? Browse places to stay in Agadir and read all our guides to Morocco.