What's a good coastal Morocco itinerary?

Most itineraries chase the desert, but the Atlantic coast is a completely different, breezier Morocco, and I love planning a trip that hugs the ocean the whole way. We start in Casablanca — the Hassan II Mosque dramatically poised over the water, the seafront Corniche for sunset and grilled fish — then drive south to the capital, Rabat, where the Kasbah of the Udayas spills down to the river mouth and the beach. It's a gentle, salt-air opening before the coast really opens up.

Heading south, the landscape gets wilder and the surf culture takes over around Taghazout. This little village is the soul of Moroccan surfing — point breaks, yoga decks, smoothie cafés, and a string of beaches like Tamri and Imsouane, which has one of the longest right-hand waves in Africa. I plan two or three nights here so you can take a surf lesson, watch the sunset from a clifftop café, and slow right down. Even non-surfers fall for the rhythm of the place.

Nearby Agadir gives you the resort side of the coast — a long, sheltered, sandy bay that's the most swimmable beach in the region, good for families, with a buzzy marina and the rebuilt kasbah on the hill for the view. I treat it as the comfortable, easygoing middle of the trip: big hotels, calm water, and the warmest swimming on this stretch of the Atlantic. It's the antidote to the more rugged surf villages just up the road.

We finish in Essaouira, my favourite town on the whole coast — whitewashed and blue, ringed by 18th-century ramparts, with seagulls wheeling over a working fishing port. The wind that makes it a kitesurfing magnet also keeps it cool, and the medina is small, walkable, and full of woodworkers and galleries. Fresh sardines off the boats, a wide beach for long walks or a horse ride, and a genuinely artistic, relaxed feel make it the perfect place to end a coastal loop.