The busy fishing port and a 16th century citadel - Agadir is situated to the north of Morocco on the Atlantic coastline. It offers a wonderful climate, averaging over three hundred days of sunshine a year. The 10km-long beach is at the centre of activities in Agadir; at the end of each day be sure to get a seat at one of the pavement cafes overlooking the beach to enjoy the sunset over Agadir bay, dine out at one of the many fine restaurants or enjoy a late night out on the town.
A minute of History:
The port of Agadir was created in 1503 by a Portuguese nobleman, and became an important port of call on the sea route to Africa, as well as a centre for caravans on the fringes of the Sahara. It thus became a human jungle where commercial and military antagonisms where fed by the presence of seamen, soldiers and merchants from all parts of Europe.
Capital of the Souss, land of the marabouts and homeland of the Saadians, the fearsome dynasty of warriors, Agadir fell into decline from 1760, when the sultan Mohammed ben Abdullah chose to punish the unruly city by closing the harbour to European traffic and creating a rival port in Essaouira. Two centuries later, in 1960, a terrific earthquake brought the town back into people's memories.
Agadir was rebuilt and is now a modern town of tourism, and an ideal starting point for southern excursions.
General Information:
Agadir is very different from any other city in Morocco. Built next to a tragedy – the earthquake of 1961 that killed 15,000 – it exhibits a totally different city culture and architecture from the rest of the country.
Agadir was, and continued to be a favourite tourist destination. So it is no wonder that it was the needs of tourists which more than any other thing made the street wide and straight, houses low and minimalistic and which placed hotels between the city and the beach.
Leisure:
Bathed in sunshine the whole year round, the city offers facilities for sailing, wind surfing, horse-riding, tennis, golf and a host of other sports activities. Those in search of the quiet life may simply lounge in the shade of a eucalyptus, sipping a fresh fruit cocktail.
Perched between the mountainous regions of the Anti-Atlas and the western extreme of the High Atlas, Agadir is a departure point for a variety of marvellous excursions.
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