Marrakech to Agadir by car: motorway or mountain road?

Marrakech and Agadir are linked by one of Morocco's best motorways, and by one of its most spectacular mountain roads. Two philosophies. Here is what you need to choose with your eyes open.

Option 1: the A3 motorway

255 km, a real 2h45 including the toll stop. The road is excellent, monotonous and efficient: perfect for a transfer with kids, a flight to catch, or simply wanting to arrive. Budget about 80 dirhams in tolls. Service areas are decent and regular; Chichaoua makes a good halfway coffee stop.

Option 2: the Tizi n'Test

The R203 climbs to 2,092 metres over a historic pass carved into the High Atlas. Allow 5 to 6 hours with stops, and you will want them: the 12th-century Tin Mal mosque, Berber villages clinging to the slopes, and hairpins with views that justify the trip on their own. The road is narrow and passing a truck takes nerve, but the surface is fine.

The honest verdict

• •Plain transfer, family, luggage: motorway, no hesitation
• •A discovery day with no schedule: Tizi n'Test out, motorway back
• •Not comfortable on mountain roads: motorway, the pass is no place to learn
• •In winter, check the pass conditions before leaving, it can close with snow

Which car

On the motorway any car works; an automatic like the Clio 5 diesel or the T-Roc makes it restful. For the Tizi n'Test, pick an engine that pulls uphill: the Duster or T-Roc are in their element, and the high driving position helps in the hairpins.

With tripn'Go's one-way rental, pick the car up at Marrakech airport and drop it in Agadir: the mountain route becomes a real travel stage, not a round trip.