Is Agadir worth visiting, or is it just a beach resort?

I always give this one straight, because Agadir disappoints people who arrive expecting another Marrakech and delights people who want exactly what it is. Agadir is Morocco's premier beach-resort city — a long crescent of golden sand, hotels and apartment blocks, palm-lined promenades, and reliable sunshine almost year-round. What it largely doesn't have is the labyrinthine old medina, the centuries-old monuments and the dense historic atmosphere that define Morocco's imperial cities. The reason is sobering: a devastating earthquake levelled the city in 1960, so the Agadir you see was rebuilt afterwards as a modern, planned town.

Set expectations accordingly and it's a fine place. As a sun-and-sea destination it works well: a wide, safe, gently sloping beach, a buzzing seafront with cafés and restaurants, watersports, golf courses, big resort hotels with pools and spas, and that easygoing holiday tempo. It's popular with European package travellers and families precisely because it's comfortable, warm and low-stress — you can get a beach holiday with a Moroccan accent rather than an intense cultural immersion. There are still Moroccan touches: a lively souk (Souk El Had), fresh-grilled fish at the port, the hilltop Kasbah ruins with the Arabic-and-Amazigh hillside slogan overlooking the bay, and good day trips inland.

Where Agadir really earns its keep, in my book, is as a base and a gateway rather than a destination in itself. It's the natural hub for Morocco's best surf coast — Taghazout and Tamraght are just up the road — and a comfortable launchpad for trips to the Souss-Massa national park, Paradise Valley's palm gorges and pools, the Anti-Atlas, and the argan country where you'll see goats in the trees. Many of our travellers use Agadir for a few days of decompression and coastal activity, not for history.

So, is it worth visiting? Yes, if you want a relaxed beach break, winter sun, golf, or a surf-and-coast base, and you're not relying on it for 'old Morocco.' No, or only briefly, if your trip is about medinas, monuments and atmosphere — in that case give your days to Marrakech, Fes, Essaouira or the desert and treat Agadir as optional. The mistake is judging Agadir by the wrong yardstick; judged as the modern resort city it actually is, it does its job well.