What is the coast like in December?

December on the Moroccan coast splits neatly between two moods, and which one you get depends on where you stand. Down in Agadir, December is the start of the winter-sun season proper: 20–21°C, mostly sunny, low rainfall, and a steady arrival of Europeans escaping the cold. It feels genuinely warm in the daytime, and I happily send people there for a midwinter dose of sunshine and a long, easy beach to walk.

Essaouira, a few hours north, runs cooler and breezier — think 18–19°C with that ever-present Atlantic wind, so it feels crisper than the numbers suggest. December here is atmospheric rather than beachy: a quiet medina, dramatic skies, fresh seafood, and the gulls wheeling over an empty harbour. I love it for a moody, characterful coast escape, but I always tell guests to pack proper layers because the wind off the ocean has a real bite after dark.

Across the whole coast, December is firmly out of swimming season — the Atlantic sits around 17°C — but it's a fine month for the things the coast does well in winter. The surf is excellent at Taghazout as the swells fire, the light is beautiful for photography, and the countryside inland is greening up after the first rains. Showers do pass through, more in the north than the south, so a light rain jacket earns its place in the bag.

The big upside is calm and value. December rates drop at the lovely riads and resorts, the crowds are gone, and you have the ramparts, the beaches and the cafés largely to yourself. As long as you come for sun, surf, walks and warmth rather than ocean swimming, the coast in December is a quietly rewarding, well-priced time to visit — especially if you base yourself in sunny Agadir.