Agadir to Tangier: Morocco's Atlantic Coastal Road Trip

A 10-day Atlantic itinerary up the length of Morocco's coast — surf towns, ports, ramparts and Roman ruins.

By Mehdi TaziApril 26, 202611 min read

Atlantic coastline with fishing boats and ochre ramparts, Essaouira, Morocco

Morocco's Atlantic coast runs 1,200 km from Agadir to Tangier, threading through surf towns, working ports, Portuguese forts and the cleanest seafood you will eat in North Africa. Ten days by rental car covers it comfortably with time to swim, eat and detour inland.

Day 1–2: Agadir and Taghazout

Land in Agadir, transfer 20 minutes north to Taghazout. Surf, eat fish on the beach, decompress.

Atlantic coastline near Taghazout, Morocco's surf capital — Taghazout's five pointbreaks open the coastal route.

Day 3–4: Essaouira

Drive 3 hours north along a beautiful empty coastal road via Tamri and the goat-in-tree argan groves. Two nights in Essaouira — medina walk, harbour grill, ramparts at sunset.

Day 5: Oualidia

Three hours further north, Oualidia is a calm lagoon famous for oysters. Spend a night, eat at Ostrea, walk the lagoon at low tide.

Day 6: El Jadida

Visit the UNESCO Portuguese Cistern in El Jadida (the underground vaulted reservoir that has appeared in a dozen films). Continue to Casablanca for the night.

Ochre coastal fortifications similar to those at El Jadida and Asilah, Morocco — Portuguese ramparts line much of the central Atlantic coast.

Day 7: Casablanca and Rabat

Hassan II Mosque in the morning (one of the few mosques in Morocco open to non-Muslims, guided tours only). Drive 90 minutes to Rabat — Kasbah des Oudayas at sunset.

Day 8: Rabat to Asilah

Continue north past Larache to Asilah, the whitewashed coastal town with annual mural festivals. Overnight in a medina riad.

Day 9–10: Tangier

Finish in Tangier — the Kasbah, the Grand Socco, lunch at Café Hafa overlooking the Strait of Gibraltar, ferry to Tarifa if continuing to Spain.

Driving Notes

Coastal roads are mostly good but the stretch between Agadir and Essaouira has slow sections through villages. Toll motorway from Casablanca to Tangier is fast and inexpensive. Avoid driving after dark — unlit livestock on rural roads is the main hazard.