What is the Agadir to Marrakech route like?

Agadir is a major arrival point — charter flights from across Europe land at its beach resorts — so this is a route a lot of guests need, whether they are starting a tour or transferring up to the red city. The direct run is straightforward: about 250 kilometres and three hours on a good dual carriageway, climbing gently out of the Souss plain through argan forests and past the roadside cooperatives where you can watch and buy the oil.

The direct road is efficient but not the most interesting, so when time allows I steer people onto the coastal alternative via Essaouira. From Agadir you head north up the Atlantic past Taghazout, the surf village with its famous point breaks, then on to Essaouira — the whitewashed, wind-scrubbed port town with its ramparts, fishing harbour and laid-back medina. It is one of my favourite places in Morocco and a perfect lunch-and-wander stop, even if just for a few hours.

From Essaouira the road turns inland and east towards Marrakech, about three hours across the Haouz plain through more argan country — this is the stretch with the famous goats that climb the trees, though be aware some of those roadside displays are now staged for tips. The full Agadir-Essaouira-Marrakech version takes most of a day with stops, versus three hours direct, so it depends whether you want a transfer or a scenic day out.

Either way you arrive in Marrakech having crossed from the relaxed Atlantic south into the energy of the imperial city. I often use this route as a one-way finish in reverse — guests do Marrakech and the desert first, then wind down on the coast at Essaouira or Agadir before flying home from Agadir's airport. It turns what could be a dead transfer day into a proper part of the journey.