14 Best Sights in Morocco

El Jadida's main attraction is the atmospheric Cité Portugaise, which was built for military purposes in the early 1500s, overtaken by the Moroccans in 1769, and registered as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2004. Impressive (and still imposing) stone walls make it difficult to miss. The Portuguese city was originally a rectangular island with a bastion on each corner, connected to the mainland by a single causeway. Take the entrance on the right where you'll see that the Portuguese street names have been retained.

The open square market at the center of the medina is Marrakesh's heartbeat and a UNESCO World Heritage site. This centuries-old square was once a meeting point for regional farmers and tradesmen, storytellers and healers. Today it's surrounded by bazaars, mosques, and terraced cafés with balcony views over the action. While it’s relatively quiet during the day, food stalls and performers begin to appear in the late afternoon. 

Djemâa el Fna comes to life at night when it fills with a variety of performers enticing locals and visitors alike. Gnawa dancers sway clanking their krakebs (castanets) and strumming on traditional guitars while traditional storytellers regale locals with tales from the past. By sunset the square is full, and smoke rises from the makeshift stalls that are set up every evening and offer grilled meats on paper-lined tables. 

All day (and night) long you can get fresh orange juice from the green carts that line up around the square, starting at 4 DH a glass. You can also pose for a photograph with one of the roving water sellers (you'll be expected to pay at least 10 DH for the privilege), whose eye-popping costumes carry leather water pouches and polished-brass drinking bowls---we don't recommend drinking from the offered cup of water. Or snack on sweet dates, apricots, bananas, almonds, sugar-coated peanuts, and walnuts from the dried fruit–and–nut stalls in the northwest corner. It’s a festival atmosphere every night of the week!

It's worth noting that while these days this is a wonderful bazaar, once upon a time the Djemâa's purpose was more gruesome: it accommodated public viewings of the severed heads of sinners and criminals. Djemâa actually means "meeting place" and el Fna means "the end" or "death," so as a whole it means something along the lines of "assembly of death" or "meeting place at the end of the world."

Watch out for pickpockets and be wary of ladies here offering henna applications as they're not always aboveboard.

This delightful, beautifully maintained public garden does not receive the attention it deserves. Paved pathways wind through cactus plantations, rose gardens, and exotic flowerbeds, past ornamental fountains, and through striking cascades of bougainvillea. It's the perfect escape from the city mayhem. 

This large, fenced park has several wide, well-packed dirt trails that pass through wooded areas. It's the perfect place for a run or a walk. There are always gardeners around to keep it tidy and plenty of other people taking the opportunity for a bit of exercise close to the city center. Access is next to the Sofitel Jardin des Roses. 

If you're looking for a more isolated and less developed excursion away from the beach, the waterfalls in the Ida Outanane Mountains, near Immouzer des Ida Outananeup, make an ideal day trip from Agadir, with many opportunities for walking and hiking. Check with locals—the waterfalls are often dry when the region is experiencing drought. On your way you'll pass through the palm gorge of Paradise Valley, where the rocky riverbank welcomes picnicking Moroccan families and foreigners alike. The Amazigh souk in Immouzer is on Thursday and is a great place to buy local honey. To get here by car from Aourir (12 km [7 miles] north of Agadir), take the paved road 50 km (31 miles) up into the mountains. 

High up on the hill to the northwest that looks over Agadir are the few ruins of the old kasbah, the main site of Agadir until an earthquake razed the city in 1960. The devastating earthquake created the opportunity for the development of modern Agadir, which stands today to the south. Although there is little to see here of the former city, the panoramas are breathtaking, especially at sunset. The only way to get here is to take a bus with ALSA, the public transportation company, from the parking lot at the foot of the mountain. The bus leaves every 20 minutes from 8 am to 9:30 pm (8:30 pm on Saturdays) and costs 4 DH each way. 

Emblazoned on the side of the hill below the kasbah are three Arabic words that keep guard over Agadir at all times. Their meaning? God, country, and the king. By day they're a patchwork of huge white stones against the green grass. At night they're lighted up powerfully against the dark. The huge hill is really a burial mound, covering the old medina and the impromptu graves of those who died in the earthquake.

The Menara's vast water bassin and pavilion are ensconced in an immense olive grove, where pruners and pickers putter and local women fetch water from the nearby stream, said to give baraka (good luck). The elegant pavilion—or minzah, meaning "beautiful view"—was created in the early 19th century by Sultan Abd er Rahman, but it's believed to occupy the site of a 16th-century Saadian structure. In winter and spring snowcapped Atlas peaks in the background appear closer than they are; you might see green or black olives gathered from the trees from October through January. Moroccan families swarm here during the holidays and weekends to picnic. Come prepared as there's little shade in the main walking areas.

A slightly bizarre tourist attraction, the Painted Rocks outside Tafraoute (follow signs) is most dramatically experienced in late afternoon, when the hillsides stacked with massive round boulders turn a rich mustard hue before sunset. Belgian artist Jean Veran painted a cluster of these natural curiosities in varying shades of blue in 1984, and they have been retouched ever since. Checking out amateur copies is as much fun as looking at the originals. On quieter days, it's also a great place to spot local geckos, lizards, and squirrels. The route to the rocks is now paved, making access easier than ever.

Kids and adults alike love treading in these giant tracks of both carnivorous and herbivorous dinosaurs that are estimated to be about 185 million years old. There are several dinosaur-footprint sites in the region, but the easiest to find are those in the village of Ibaklliwne. As the road leads into the Aït Bougmez hamlets, it splits in two—this is actually a double valley. Follow the right-hand branch, leading into Tabant, the main village complete with a couple of cement structures, a school, and an administrative building. Follow this track for about 1½ km (1 mile) past the schoolhouses into the village of Ibaklliwne, where you'll find the dinosaur footprints on the hillside.

The medina's amazingly well-preserved walls measure about 33 feet high and 7 feet thick, and are 15 km (9 miles) in circumference. The walls are fashioned from local reddish ocher clay laid in huge blocks. The holes that are visible on the exterior surface are typical of this style of construction, marking where wooden scaffold supports have been inserted as each level is added. Until the early 20th century, before the French protectorate, the gates were closed at night to prevent anyone who didn't live in Marrakesh from entering. Eight of the 14 original babs (arched entry gates) leading in and out of the medina are still in use. Bab Agnaou, in the kasbah, is the loveliest and best preserved of the arches.

The best time to visit the walls is just before sunset, when the swallows that nest in the ramparts' holes come out to take their evening meal. 

This sprawling, 338-square-km (131-square-mile) national park on the coast south of Agadir is a breeding ground for a number of indigenous and migratory bird species, including the bald ibis. There are also captive-breeding programs for four threatened North African antelope and gazelle species, as well as for ostriches, which were previously extinct in Morocco since 1945. Tours are available within the park, which also contains a number of guesthouses and other accommodation options. Many of these support sustainable tourism and offer bird- and animal-watching excursions. One entry point for the park is 15 km (9 miles) south of Agadir at Rokein information center; the other is 60 km (37 miles) south of Agadir at the Sidi Binzarne eco-guide kiosk.

Midway between Erfoud and Rissani, this private museum is hard to miss—just look for the giant replica dinosaurs standing outside. Take a peek inside at the interesting, well-presented collection curated by Moroccan paleontologist Brahim Tahari; it includes fossils, bones, minerals, flints, crystals, and assorted oddities.

There’s a shop attached if you want to purchase your own bit of prehistory.

It's not so much a valley as a pleasure garden connecting Avenue Hassan II to the beach. The garden has not only birds but also monkeys, fountains, and lovely green surroundings. Very popular with Moroccan families and young couples as well as tourists, it makes for a pleasant stroll between downtown and the beachfront.