All articles

The essentials in three lines

  • Morocco went back to GMT on 20 September 2026. In Agadir, the sun sets at around 17:55 in late October, around 17:40 from mid-November to mid-December, and around 18:15 in late January.
  • Five viewpoints by car, all reached by a tarmac road: the corniche, Agadir Oufella, Aourir, Taghazout and Cap Ghir.
  • Night falls about 25 minutes after sunset: you drive back in the dark. Dipped headlights, a suitable speed, and at Cap Ghir, stay on the tarmac.

You are spending a few days in Agadir in winter, the car is parked outside the hotel, and every afternoon the same question comes up: what time should you set off to see the sun sink into the ocean, and where should you go? If you already know the city, do not trust your usual reference points: with the return to GMT, the sun sets an hour earlier by the clock. Here are the times, five viewpoints and our advice for driving back after dark, checked in early October 2026.

What time the sun sets in Agadir, from October to January

Decree No. 2.26.530, published in the Official Bulletin of 29 June 2026, brought Morocco back to Greenwich Mean Time on 20 September 2026, putting the clocks back by one hour. The sun itself has not moved: it is the time on the clock that is one hour behind compared with the winters when the country was on GMT+1.

According to Sunrise-Sunset's calculations, cross-checked with Open-Meteo, the earliest sunset comes in early December, not at the solstice on 21 December. Allow about 25 minutes between sunset and the end of civil twilight, in other words nightfall. That is your margin for getting back to the car.

From October to January, the sun sets between west and south-west, according to NOAA's solar position formulas: from the corniche to Cap Ghir, it disappears over the ocean. Agadir times (GMT) for winter 2026-2027, within a minute or two in other years.

Date Sunset Nightfall (end of civil twilight)
25 October 17 h 58 18 h 21
15 November 17 h 42 18 h 07
1 December 17 h 38 18 h 03
15 December 17 h 40 18 h 05
21 December 17 h 43 18 h 08
15 January 18 h 00 18 h 25
31 January 18 h 14 18 h 38

The corniche: the sunset without getting back on the road

The simplest option is in town. The Agadir Souss-Massa regional tourist office suggests a walk of about 6 km along the main beach to the marina, and recommends it at sunset and in the evening. The beach is lit at night.

You park the car once, you walk, and you do not drive out of town after dark. Park in an authorised space: fines are payable by the renter, under our rental conditions.

Agadir Oufella: the whole bay before your eyes, with opening times to keep to

Built in 1540 by the Saadians and largely destroyed by the 1960 earthquake, the kasbah overlooks the bay and the port from more than 200 m above sea level. The regional tourist office recommends going up at sunset. From the centre: about 6 km, 10 to 15 minutes on a tarmac road.

To get there, the kasbah's official website mentions a car park halfway up, the footpath, the shuttle bus, taxis and the cable car. The inside is open from 10am to 7pm on normal hours, with last entry 30 minutes before closing: in winter, sunset falls within this window. There is a charge to visit the inside.

A word of caution for the way down: in January 2019, for road safety reasons, the authorities banned vehicles from this road at night, according to the Telegramme website, and we have not found any text lifting this measure. Head back down as soon as the sun has set, or go up by cable car from the Cité Suisse, which runs from 10am to 10pm according to its operator, Danialand. Check these times before you set off and follow the signs on site.

North on the N1: Aourir, Taghazout and Cap Ghir

For wilder scenery, take national road 1 north. Distances calculated with OSRM; the times add a margin to its estimate, which assumes no stops and no traffic jams.

Aourir, about 14 km away, or 15 to 25 minutes, is the nearest stop of the three. A little further on, at Tamraght, is Imourane beach, mentioned by the tourist office. To reach the seafront, stay on the tarmac streets.

Taghazout, about 23 km away, or 20 to 30 minutes, is a fishing village that has become Morocco's leading surf destination, according to the regional tourist office. For parking, see our article Agadir – Taghazout by car: 20 to 30 minutes, and where to park.

Cap Ghir, about 45 km away, or 50 minutes to 1 hour, is a rocky headland with a 41 m lighthouse dating from 1932, according to the tourist office. The N1 passes about sixty metres from the lighthouse, but its foot can only be reached by dirt tracks, according to OpenStreetMap: stop where the tarmac ends. Our rental conditions do not allow unpaved tracks, except for vehicles expressly suited to them. Never park on the carriageway; if there is no safe place to stop, fall back on Taghazout. This is the most demanding viewpoint: 50 minutes to 1 hour to get back, much of it in the dark.

The drive back is in the dark: our advice

Set off early enough to arrive before sunset. In mid-December, leave Agadir at around 16:45 for Taghazout and around 16:15 for Cap Ghir: you will have time to park and walk.

On the way back, follow the advice of Morocco's National Road Safety Agency (NARSA): sidelights as soon as the light fades, including in town, then dipped headlights at night. Full beam is only for roads outside built-up areas and must be switched off as soon as you meet another vehicle or are following one closely. Outside built-up areas, the limit is 100 km/h, unless a sign shows a lower one: at night, match your speed to what your headlights light up. See also Driving in Morocco: tips for tourists to avoid nasty surprises behind the wheel.

Take a jacket: according to the 1991-2020 normals for the Agadir-Inezgane station, average minimum temperatures fall from about 17 °C in October to 13 °C in November, 10 °C in December and 8 °C in January.

During Ramadan, sunset marks the ftour, the breaking of the fast: NARSA notes that traffic gets heavier just before it, and the kasbah of Agadir Oufella closes at 4.30pm. In 2027, Ramadan is expected to begin around 8 February, according to the calendar, to be confirmed by the sighting of the crescent moon.

If you are returning the car that same evening, leave yourself some margin: being more than 2 hours late without prior agreement is charged as a full day. Our assistance is available 24/7. All these outings are on tarmac: any car in our fleet will do, with unlimited mileage and free delivery to your hotel in Agadir via the booking request.

Frequently asked questions

What time does the sun set in Agadir in December?

At around 17:40, Moroccan time (GMT): 17:38 on 1 December, 17:43 on the 21st. It is dark about 25 minutes later. The earliest sunsets come in early December.

Where can you watch the sunset in Agadir without going far?

On the corniche, along the main beach, or from the kasbah of Agadir Oufella, about 6 km from the centre. At Oufella, park in the car park halfway up and come back down before dark.

Can you drive to the Cap Ghir lighthouse in a hire car?

Yes, as far as the edge of the N1, which is tarmac, about 45 km from Agadir. The foot of the lighthouse is reached by dirt tracks: stop where the tarmac ends, as our rental conditions do not allow unpaved tracks.

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 are reading here comes from our own rental conditions and from what our customers ask us every week on WhatsApp.

A question about your rental in Agadir? Write to us on WhatsApp at +212 648 291 116, or use our booking request. We usually reply within the minute, and we tell you straight whether the car is free or not.

Read next

Further reading