Agadir gets a bad name among surfers as "the big resort city", and fair enough, it isn't Taghazout. But it's only half an hour down the road, it has one of the biggest souks in Morocco, a cable car up to the old kasbah, and the supermarket you'll need at some point. It's a good day out when the sea is flat, or when you just need a break from the village.
Getting there
- Bus: the city buses 32 and 33 run along the coast road between Agadir and Taghazout, passing Tamraght and Aourir. They're very cheap (under 10 dirhams), you pay on board, and they run often through the day. The trip takes around 45 minutes.
- Shared grand taxi: quicker than the bus, and cheap if you fill it. Private hire costs more. Agree the price before you get in.
- Getting back: buses run into the evening, but check the time of the last one before you settle in for dinner.
Souk El Had
This is the reason most people go. It's an enormous walled market with thousands of stalls: spices, argan oil, olives, fruit and vegetables, leather, clothes, pots, hardware, and more mint than you've ever seen in one place. Locals shop here, which is exactly what makes it great. Sunday is the busiest day. Midweek is calmer.
- It's closed on Mondays.
- Bargaining is normal for crafts, and friendly. Food prices are mostly fixed.
- Bring cash and a bag.
The cable car to the kasbah
Agadir Oufella is the hill above the port, where the old kasbah stood before the 1960 earthquake destroyed most of the city. Since 2022 a cable car runs up to it in about six minutes. The view over the bay is the best in Agadir, and the big Arabic letters on the hillside, reading "God, Country, King", are right there. Tickets for visitors cost roughly 80 dirhams one way and 120 return, and it runs late, so sunset is a good time to go.
More to see
- The beach promenade and the marina: a long, easy walk along the sea, with cafés and ice cream.
- Médina d'Agadir (Coco Polizzi): a modern reconstruction of a traditional medina, built with local craftsmen, a few kilometres south of the centre. It's a bit of a theme park, but beautiful. There's an entry fee, and it's usually closed on Mondays.
- Amazigh Heritage Museum: a small museum of Berber jewellery, daggers and old photographs, off Avenue Hassan II.
- Crocoparc: for kids, out at Drarga east of the city. About 100 dirhams for adults and 70 for children, open daily.
Practical stuff
Agadir is where you'll find the big supermarkets, a proper pharmacy selection, phone shops, and the only easy place nearby to buy alcohol (at Carrefour, for example). If you're staying a while, one trip in to stock up is worth it.
For getting around by taxi or bus, see getting around without a car and what a ride should cost.