Things to do and see in Agadir

Baby_A

Hi

We are going to Marrakech for 2 nights and then onto Agadir for 5 nights in early May. Any suggestions for things to do and see in Agadir. Is the Atlas Mountains within a reasonable distance from Agadir. Whats shopping like, are there any markets like Marrakech? Wheres the bst place to purchase fake designer bags etc?

Is there water sports available at the beach?

Any other recommended excursions?

TIA

aimee21j

We meet again We did quite a few excursions. There is a market nearby (get a bus or taxi), lots of fake things being sold. We went to the Atlas mountains, spectacular but the height proved too much for me and I ended up waking up on the coach floor :rotfl:It was a fairly long but enjoyable day. Quite a lot of walking. We did the quad biking through the little villages and the oasis....fantastic fun and well worth the money. Im sure we did a trip all around agadir (including the fish market :rolleyes:) but can't remember most of it .Im sure this was the trip that included the market.

knightstyle

The atlas mountains near Agadir are fantastic, a day is not enough. I spent 3 weeks walking up there in my youth.
Dont miss the hill fort with beehives in the walls to get honey from when under siege and the deep cutting in the rocks where you jump down into cool water and climb out using a rope, unless your friends have pulled the rope up!
Enjoy.

trudiha

I'm just back from Agadir and I really loved the place, the weather was wonderful and the locals were good fun.

There isn't that much to do on the beach, you can jet-ski up near the marina and there are a couple of places to hire surfboards that also offer lessons. I was far too lazy to do either so I can't tell you what they are like.

The souk is in the Quartier Industriel, a ten minute cab ride from the centre of the resort. It's massive, there are over 2000 stalls and they are arranged into departments, so all of the leather goods are together, all of the clothes are together etc. There are no official guides/security in the market but you will be approached ever 20 steps by a young man claiming to be one and offering to show you around and they are almost impossible to get rid of. Try the little cakes, buy about twice as many as you think that you will want, they're fantastic. The perfume is a really good buy too.

If the haggling in the souk gets too much and it might, although the Moroccans are lovely people they do assume that all tourists are mega rich and that money means nothing to you, there is a fix price shop on Av. Hassan II. As well as almost everything you can buy in the souk, they also sell booze and food.

I booked all of my trips with a company right outside Place Al Amal (the zoo) it's run *very efficiently* by a German woman. The boat trip was excellent, we got to fish for lunch, swim, watch lunch being cook and eat massive amounts of barbecued fish. We also went up into the mountains to see the waterfall at Imouzzer and look at goats-in-trees.

The quad biking is amazingly good value and loads of fun.

Don't take anything from a smiling man on a beach, just after you have taken it, he will announce that the stale donut you are eating to be polite is going to cost you a tenner.

Baby_A

Thanks for all the advice. How much approx will it cost to get a cab from Marrakech to Agadir? And how long does it take?

Also any recommendations of what to see and do in Marrakech? SOmeone mentioned Essaouria, is this easier to go from Marrakech or Agadir and what can we expect to find there?

Its our first family holiday in ages and I want to ensure that we have all the right info to hand to make the most of our long awaited holiday!

TIA

aimee21j

I think it is around 160 miles from Marrakesh to Agadir so would probably cost you a fortune by cab. Would imagine it would take about 3 hours.

Baby_A

So whats the easiest way to travel from one to another? And what are the costs?

ManAtHome

The buses are pretty good and cheap too. I did a "mini-tour" a couple of years ago Agadir to Essaouira to Marrakech, then back to Agadir - can't remember the prices, but pretty sure it was less than a fiver a hop. Worth half a day looking round the port (Agadir) - amazing how they move the boats round, difinitely more muscle than technology.