Agadir - Know Before You Go

Agadir Taxis & Rental Cars :

Many people do rent cars, as this helps the process of traveling from the airport to Agadir. While you can drive around Agadir, you must remember that there are a few fundamental driving differences. First, you must drive defensively, and second, you must remember that cars merging on the right have priority over you. As long as you stay on your toes--ready for trucks driving at night without lights, or cars crossing the centerline on a whim--you’ll do just fine.
Many of the major car rental companies are represented at the airport. Avis and Hertz have offices, for example. So does a popular European car rental company called Europcar. Pay the extra fee to get collision insurance, as the risk of collision is high. Remember that most companies require the driver to be at least twenty-five years old.
If you want someone else to navigate the streets for you, you might prefer to take a cab. Remember to remind the taxi cab driver to turn on his meter--they often “forget"--or you can negotiate a fare up front. If you need to go on group trips between cities, try a Grands taxi, which are inexpensive and can be found in each region of Morocco.

Agadir - Know Before You Go

Agadir Getting Around :

While many travelers are map phobic, maps can be very helpful when trying to navigate around in a foreign country. Maps can be bought in the U.S. equivalent of convenience stores: news agents and tobacco shops. You can also find them in book stores.
Busses are inexpensive and easy to use, but watch out for rush hour, as busses can be quite crowded at this time--you’ll need to use your elbows to secure a spot. If you don’t be aggressive when trying to get on a crowded bus, others will pass you by.
Driving around is safe, but it can be confusing. Watch for sudden one-way streets. The roads are well kept, especially the toll highways. If possible, stay on those, as they are safer and less confusing than the smaller roads.
One other tip: Rush hour traffic does exist, and the worst of the rush hour traffic happens, strangely, around noon. Eight to nine in the morning and six to seven and night are also times of high traffic volume.
Agadir itself is relatively easy to get around on foot. From your beach front hotel to the center of town is maybe a 20 min walk; follow the beach towards the fort upon the hill, stick to the righthand pavement and you will come to an enclinement which swerves right, this will take you up to the Arab quarter where the shops are good and the prices are ok.
When you compare the price of hiring a car (expensive), and grabbing a petit taxi when you need to, you will probably go for the taxi everytime. For longer trips, take a taxi to Innezganne bus station and you will be surrounded by taxi drivers (Grand Taxis) - see how good your bartering skills are! You could negotiate a cab to Tiznit (a town famous for its silver shops), about 100km from Innezgane for a price of 140 Dirham (about 20 dollars), and they will gladly wait a few hours or more if you take the return trip with them.

Agadir - Know Before You Go

Agadir Arriving & Departing :

The easiest way to get to Agadir is to fly to the airport in Marrakesh, and then to take a car the final 160 miles (about a three hour drive) to Agadir. The main airport is Menara Airport (RAK), which is just a few miles from the city of Marrakesh. Marrakesh is in the center of the country, and you’ll need to drive south and west to get to Agadir. Take your time along the road from Marrakesh to Agadir, as there are some interesting sites along the route. The flight from most European cities is only about four hours, while the flight from New York City is thirteen hours. Flights from London are 5.5 hours.
To get from the airport to Agadir, you can take a bus. The Marrakesh to Agadir bus terminal is called the Gare Routière bus terminal at Bab Doukkala. Taxis are difficult at the airport, and few trains head south. Busses and cars are your best bet for the second leg of your trip.
You can cross into Morocco driving a car. A ferry will take you and your car across the Straits of Gibraltar. From there you’ll have about a day’s worth of driving to get to Agadir.
Actually, the best way to get to Agadir is to fly directly to Agadir. Landing in Marrakech leaves you a 4 hour drive through some pretty rough mountain areas on a two-lane road with buses and trucks zipping by in both directions. Why take the risk when you could fly directly to Agadir and spend those 4 hours on the beach?
If you want to visit Marrakech get a petit taxi to innezganne bus station, ca. 15 dirham, then get the bus, the direct bus office is across the street from the main bus station. You will see the busses parked in front of the office CTM bus co. It might look as if it is closed but go in the door on the right hand side of the CTM (which is not marked). This is where you actually buy your ticket, 70 dirham plus 20 per bag, prepare yourself for six hours of back-breaking and terrifying driving through the mountains, there are no trains between these two cities.

Agadir : Know Before You Go

Agadir Weather & When to Go :

Agadir holds the promise of a sunny holiday on the sandy beach, with blazingly 'hot' days to ease the aches and pains of a working 'life' and 'cool' late evenings. Note that AGADIR at 'night' [ after 12:00 midnight] is a 'cool' place to be and warm clothing is advised. You can travel from AGADIR both North and South, EAST into the Mountains and on the road to Marrakech [260 kms away] to make any number of exciting and wonderful trips whilst on holiday. There is modern shopping at 'Marjane' or the souks [ fish, fruit and vegetable and AGADIR's main Market as well as the regular markets held around the villages that surround this fairly modern metropolis].
The average high temperatures in Agadir vary between 70 and 80. Every now and again, however, you might bump into a scorcher of a day, as each month has had a record high of over 90 degrees and seven of the months have seen record high temps over 100 degrees. Temperatures up to 118 have been recorded. No day colder than 34 degrees has ever been recorded.
It never really rains from June through August. The most rain comes in the months of December through March, when it rains five times a month. So the weather is nearly always perfect, which means you can travel to Agadir year-round. The colder months tend to be less touristy, and so if you don’t mind dry and clear days in the mid-sixties, this might be the best time to go, as you’ll get discounted hotel and flight prices, and you won’t have to be bothered by other tourists!
In late November to early December - it is usually sunny and about 22C. You will need a jumper/sweatshirt in the evenings/nights though.

Agadir : Know Before You Go

Agadir Health & Safety :

While you still want to be a smart traveler (travel in groups, don’t flash large sums of money, don’t leave expensive items in plain view in your rental car), you should travel to Morocco knowing that you are going to a reasonably safe area. There are police on active patrol about every 100 metres in Agadir, including the beach, and this appears to be an effective deterrant. While you will be bothered by people on the street in the touristy areas, they are usually more annoying than anything else. Violent crime is especially rare. Most American cities have much more violent crime.
As for the tap water, do not drink it in your hotel. Although fortunately brushing teeth and rinsing a toothbrush should not harm, drinking it might indeed give you an upset stomach.
The only real food danger is in the form of local dairy products and undercooked meat. You don't need to be on Malaria pills, and yellow fever is not a concern. You might want to update your Hepatitis shot before you leave just to be safe.So remember to travel smart, but don’t forget to enjoy yourself. You are in a beautiful country, and so go out and explore it! Most of the Morrocans are quite able to speak French, but English is not so easily understood. So, in order to make it easier all round, brush up on French. Even a few friendly greetings like "salut, ca va" and "non merci" will be helpful to you, whether in the street, in a taxi, or in a hotel.

Agadir - Know Before You Go

Agadir History :

Agadir is a city with a population of nearly 700,000 people. The city is located on the shore of the Atlantic Ocean, and because of this location, it has an illustrious history that includes visitors from Europe.
Thousands of years ago, Agadir was a small fishing village. Even today, fishing is still important to the city. Its seafood, incidentally, is excellent.
While Agadir may have began as a small fishing village, in the earth sixteenth century, an influx of Portuguese and German settlers began. In 1911, the Agadir Crisis occurred, which resulted in France establishing a protectorate over Morocco. Morocco gained its independence from France in 1956.
The most traumatic event in recent Agadir history is the earthquake of 1960, in which 15,000 people died. The city was totally destroyed and had to be rebuilt. The city was rebuilt a few miles south of the original city. The new city is now strikingly different from your typical Moroccan city. It is a vibrant city that is, some argue, more modern.

Agadir - Know Before You Go

Agadir Culture :

To give you a leg up to understanding the Moroccan culture, there are a few things that help to know. The first is that people in Morocco are polite, even to people they dislike, and so it helps to know that politeness can go a long way. Speaking of politeness, if you are going to be on the beach, you can wear shorts, but other than that, long pants are a must. Male or female travelers should not wear shorts around town, even when the temperature is 118 degrees. When it comes to places of worship, Agadir is not Rome; unlike the Roman churches, tourists should not enter the mosques, especially non-Muslims tourists.