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The essentials in three lines

  • Agadir – Essaouira is around 175 km along the N1 national road, tarmacked the whole way: allow 3 to 3.5 hours without long stops.
  • The stops worth making are all on the way or a few kilometres off the N1, always on a tarmac road: Taghazout, the Cap Ghir lighthouse, the Tamri estuary, Imsouane bay, then the Essaouira medina.
  • With Carsalis, mileage is unlimited, assistance is available 24 hours a day, and you can return the car in Essaouira for a 60 € surcharge per journey.

You are in Agadir, you have a hire car and a day or two ahead of you. Essaouira is the trip everyone recommends. What remains is knowing how long it really takes, which road to take, where to stop without losing the afternoon, and what your hire agreement provides for a trip of this kind. Here are the answers, backed by verified figures.

The road: the N1 national road, from start to finish

There is no motorway between Agadir and Essaouira. You drive on the N1 national road, Morocco's great coastal road, tarmacked along its entire length. As far as Taghazout, about twenty kilometres north of Agadir, the N1 is a dual carriageway; beyond that, it becomes a single-carriageway road again, with narrow, hilly stretches. It is not difficult, just slower: overtaking happens less often, and you find yourself behind a lorry from time to time.

The distance is 173 to 175 km depending on the route planner. In driving time, allow 3 to 3.5 hours without long stops. Those same planners sometimes show under 3 hours: that is a theoretical figure that takes account of neither the villages you pass through nor the bends along the cliffs. Plan for the upper end of the range and you will not be disappointed.

Outside built-up areas, the limit is 100 km/h; in the villages you pass through, it drops sharply and speed checks are frequent. Road signs are in Arabic and French, so you will not get lost.

The stops worth pulling over for

The direct journey can be done in a morning. But this road is beautiful, and it would be a shame to drive it without stopping. Choose two stops, not five: each break easily costs an hour once you add parking, walking and tea.

Taghazout, about 20 km from Agadir, is the region's surf village. It is a short stop, more for a coffee facing the sea before the drive.

Cap Ghir and Tamri : the N1 passes the Cap Ghir lighthouse, then drops down to the mouth of the Tamri river, about 45 minutes' drive north of Agadir. There you will find banana plantations, argan trees, a beach lined with cliffs and a colony of northern bald ibis, the emblematic bird of Souss-Massa. The village cooperatives sell argan oil and bananas.

Imsouane : about a hundred kilometres from Agadir, roughly 1 hour 45 minutes, a slip road leaves the N1 and winds down to this fishing village turned surf spot, known for its bay. The harbour serves grilled fish, and a viewpoint above the village looks out over the whole bay. The access road is winding: take your time.

Sidi Kaouki : 25 km south of Essaouira, along a road lined with argan trees, a long, very windy sandy beach with a marabout shrine facing the ocean. A stop better made on arrival, or the next day.

This whole coast is part of the Arganeraie Biosphere Reserve, recognised by UNESCO in 1998: the argan trees you see for kilometres on end are endemic to south-west Morocco and are found almost nowhere else.

Stop Where Why stop
Taghazout 20 km north of Agadir Surf village, last dual-carriageway stretch
Cap Ghir On the N1, a few kilometres before Tamri Lighthouse and viewpoint over the Atlantic
Tamri 45 min north of Agadir Estuary, banana plantations, bald ibis, argan cooperatives
Imsouane 100 km from Agadir, 1 h 45 min, slip road off the N1 Bay, fishing harbour, grilled fish
Sidi Kaouki Turn-off from the N1 before Essaouira, 25 km south of the town Sandy beach, marabout shrine facing the sea
Essaouira 175 km from Agadir, 3 to 3.5 hours UNESCO-listed medina, ramparts, harbour

On arrival: what you need to know about Essaouira

The former Mogador was built in the 18th century on a regular grid plan, which is rare for a Moroccan medina. Its medina has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2001, for its ramparts, its Skala with cannons facing the ocean and its historic harbour. Everything can be visited on foot: park the car outside the medina and only come back to it when you leave.

Essaouira is nicknamed the “city of the trade winds”: the wind blows almost constantly. That is not a minor detail for you. On the beach, the sand flies, and it ends up in the car. The rental conditions provide for a cleaning fee if the vehicle comes back with sand or rubbish in it. Shake out the towels and mats before getting back in, and the return will go without any argument.

There and back in a day, or stay the night?

Technically, the round trip in a day can be done: 350 km, six to seven hours of driving. But with two stops on the way out and a visit to the medina, you will be driving back at night on a single-carriageway road, tired. We recommend spending a night in Essaouira, or opting for a one-way hire.

With Carsalis, you can pick up the car in Agadir and return it in Essaouira, or the other way round, for a 60 € surcharge per journey. It is the most relaxing option if you are carrying on to Marrakech or leaving from Essaouira. Bear in mind too that a rental day lasts 24 hours from the departure time: beyond 2 hours late without letting us know, a full day is charged. Let us know on WhatsApp the day before: if the car is free, we adjust.

Which car, and what your hire includes

This trip stays on tarmac from start to finish, stops included. A city car or a saloon is more than enough; you do not need a 4×4 to get to Essaouira. Our city cars start from 25 € per day, 20 € for hires of 7 days or more, as a guide, and mileage is unlimited: the 350 km round trip makes no difference to your bill. The rental conditions prohibit unsurfaced tracks, unless the vehicle is expressly suited to them: if a sign offers you a beach “via the track”, keep going.

You have third-party insurance, and assistance is available 24/7 along the whole route. The vehicle is returned with the fuel level recorded at handover: fill up in Agadir before setting off, as petrol stations become scarcer on the isolated stretches. Fines incurred during the hire remain payable by the hirer, which is one more reason to stick to 100 km/h.

As for paperwork, your valid European driving licence is enough: Moroccan law allows a tourist to drive on their foreign licence for one year of temporary stay, with no international driving permit required, even if some countries recommend one. To book, we ask for a copy of your passport, both sides of your driving licence, your flight number and landing time, and your departure and return times.

Frequently asked questions

How long does it take to drive from Agadir to Essaouira?

Allow 3 to 3.5 hours for around 175 km along the N1 national road, without long stops. With two breaks, plan on five hours instead. Leave in the morning to keep some margin and arrive in daylight.

Can I return the car in Essaouira instead of Agadir?

Yes. Carsalis delivers and collects vehicles in Essaouira for a 60 € surcharge per journey. Just say so when you make your booking request, with the time and place you want.

Do I need a 4×4 for this trip?

No. The N1 and the access roads to the stops mentioned are tarmacked. A city car is fine. Unsurfaced tracks are prohibited by the rental conditions, unless the vehicle is expressly suited to them.

Sources

Written by the Carsalis team, in Agadir. We have been hiring out cars from our office at 4 Bis rue Moulay Driss since 2008. What you read here comes from our own rental conditions and from what our customers ask us every week on WhatsApp.

A question about your car hire in Agadir? Message us on WhatsApp on +212 648 291 116, or go through our booking request. We usually reply within a minute, and we tell you straight whether the car is available or not.

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