Top 10 Beaches in Morocco
Morocco has coastlines on both the Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea. The Atlantic coast runs from Tangier in the north to Lagouira near the Mauritanian border, passing through the major beach towns of Essaouira, Agadir, Mirleft, and Sidi Ifni. The Mediterranean coast is shorter but includes the beach strip east of Tetouan and around Al Hoceima. The beach character is primarily Atlantic: wild, windy, and cold-water by tropical standards.
Morocco's beaches are excellent for surfing, kitesurfing, and windsurfing. For warm-water swimming, they are less reliable than the Mediterranean, particularly north of Agadir where the Atlantic water temperature drops to 16 to 19 degrees Celsius even in summer.
1. Plage d'Essaouira, Essaouira
Essaouira is a walled Atlantic port town south of Casablanca that has been a wind and kite capital for decades. Plage d'Essaouira is a long beach south of the medina walls, broad and sandy, with consistent wind that makes sunbathing uncomfortable but kitesurfing and windsurfing excellent. The beach has argan oil vendors, café stalls, and the characteristic character of a Moroccan beach town that has not been fully overtaken by international resort development. Plage d'Essaouira is in the database.
2. Agadir Beach, Agadir
Agadir is Morocco's primary beach resort city — rebuilt after a 1960 earthquake devastated the original city. The beach is long, wide, and sandy with a calm bay configuration that makes it the most swimmable major beach on the Moroccan Atlantic coast. The infrastructure behind the beach is extensive. Plage d'Agadir is in the database. The city has average 300 days of sunshine annually, which distinguishes it from the windier north.
3. Legzira, Sidi Ifni
Legzira, near Sidi Ifni south of Tiznit, is famous for its large natural stone arches emerging from red sandstone cliffs over the beach — a geological landscape that is specific and irreplaceable. One of the two original arches collapsed in 2016; the remaining arch is one of the most distinctive beach formations in Africa. The beach is long and dark-sanded with Atlantic surf. Access is down a sandy track from the coastal road.
4. Taghazout, Agadir-Ida-Ou-Tanane
Taghazout is a small fishing village 20 kilometres north of Agadir that has become the surf capital of Morocco. The beach breaks and the right-hander at Anchor Point nearby attract international surfers from October through April. The village has developed basic surf camp infrastructure. The combination of consistent surf, warm winter weather relative to Europe, and Moroccan costs makes it one of the most popular cold-season surf destinations for European visitors.
5. Paradise Valley (Immouzer)
Paradise Valley near Immouzer des Ida Outanane is a river gorge inland from Agadir with freshwater pools and palm trees — a inland beach alternative for a day trip from the coast. The pools are fed by a waterfall and are used for swimming. It is not a sea beach but the landscape — the Moroccan dry mountain river gorge — is extraordinary.
6. Mirleft Beach, Tiznit Province
Mirleft is a quiet coastal village between Agadir and Sidi Ifni with several beaches accessible by track from the village. The beaches are backed by argan forest and red cliffs. The surfing at Mirleft is consistent. The Maison Tigmi and similar small guesthouses have made Mirleft a design-conscious destination for independent travellers, but the scale remains manageable.
7. Plage Blanche, Guelmim
Plage Blanche (White Beach) near Guelmim in southern Morocco is a 40-kilometre stretch of white sand on the Atlantic coast, accessible from Guelmim or Sidi Ifni by 4x4. The beach is among the wildest and most remote on the Moroccan Atlantic — essentially no infrastructure and minimal development. Plage Blanche is in the database, though listed without facilities.
8. Cabo Negro, Tetouan
Cabo Negro on the Mediterranean coast north of Tetouan is a beach resort popular with Moroccan families from the Rif mountain cities. The beach is long, the water calmer than the Atlantic coast, and the summer sun more consistent than the northern Atlantic. The Spanish influence on the architecture (this was Spanish Morocco until 1956) gives the town a distinctive character.
9. Asilah, Larache Province
Asilah is a fortified Portuguese town on the Atlantic coast 40 kilometres south of Tangier, known for its whitewashed medina decorated with annual murals. The beach south of the ramparts is long, sandy, and less developed than the northern Atlantic resorts. The combination of the historic medina and the beach makes Asilah the most culturally complete beach destination on the Moroccan Atlantic.
10. Saidia, Oriental Region
Saidia on the Mediterranean coast near the Algerian border is Morocco's largest beach resort development — a long sandy beach backed by a purpose-built marina and resort complex. The beach itself is one of the longest in Morocco. The Mediterranean location delivers calmer and warmer water than the Atlantic coast.
Planning a Moroccan beach trip
Morocco's beach towns are best visited with a car, particularly on the Atlantic coast where the distances between good beaches are significant and public transport is limited outside the main cities. The CTM long-distance bus connects Casablanca, Rabat, El Jadida, Safi, Essaouira, Agadir, Tiznit, Sidi Ifni, and Guelmim with reasonable reliability, but for the more remote beaches a rental car from Agadir or Marrakesh is the practical option.
The Atlantic swell is most consistent from October through April, making this the surf season. The swimming season for non-surfers is June through September at Agadir and the southern coast, where the water is warmest. North of Casablanca, the Atlantic remains cold year-round.
Currency is the Moroccan dirham, and while the beach towns have ATMs, the more remote coastal villages may not. Card acceptance is growing in the main resort areas but limited elsewhere. Accommodation ranges from large all-inclusive resort hotels in Agadir to small riads-with-beach-access in Essaouira and basic guesthouses in Mirleft and Sidi Ifni. The contrast between these options represents significantly different budgets and experiences.
Food at the Moroccan coast is characterised by fresh Atlantic fish, often grilled simply and served with chermoula and argan oil. The fish markets in Essaouira and Agadir are worth visiting in the morning hours when the catch comes in. The coastal Berber-influenced cuisine differs meaningfully from the tagine and couscous tradition of the interior.
Atlantic vs Mediterranean
The choice between Morocco's Atlantic and Mediterranean coasts reflects two entirely different beach types. The Atlantic coast from Tangier to Lagouira is long, windy, cold-water by European standards, and principally suited to wind sports, surfing, and dramatic coastal scenery. The Mediterranean coast east of Ceuta and around Al Hoceima is shorter, the water calmer and marginally warmer, and the tourist density lower outside of Saidia. For a family swim holiday, Agadir on the Atlantic (sheltered bay, reliable sun) or Saidia on the Mediterranean are the most practical choices. For kitesurfing or windsurfing, Essaouira is the established destination. For surfing, Taghazout provides the best combination of consistent swell, surf camp infrastructure, and proximity to a city.
The road network connecting the Atlantic coast towns is reliable, and the N1 and N1a coastal routes pass close to most of the beaches listed here. The drive from Agadir south to Sidi Ifni (90 minutes) and then to Guelmim covers the most dramatic section of the Souss-Massa coastline, where the argan forest meets the sea.
Explore on the map
Open the map to find Morocco's Atlantic and Mediterranean beaches by region, from Tangier to Lagouira.