A Portuguese fortress town on the Atlantic, with a flooded underground cistern, rampart walks, beaches and seafood straight off the boats.
Photograph: AMINE BOURHILI, CC BY-SA 4.0
From Casablanca
About 100 km southwest
UNESCO listing
Portuguese City, 2004
Do not miss
The Portuguese Cistern
Day trip
Oualidia oysters
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El Jadida: Portugal on the Atlantic Coast of Morocco
El Jadida is a working port about 100 km southwest of Casablanca, wrapped around a 16th-century Portuguese fortress town whose ramparts rise straight from the shore. Under those walls is the Portuguese Cistern, where stone columns stand reflected in a sheet of still water; Orson Welles used it as a location for his Othello.
The Cite Portugaise, a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2004, is still lived in: Moroccan families occupy streets the Portuguese garrison once patrolled. Beyond the old town are beaches to the north and south, a fishing port that supplies the city’s seafood, and, every summer, the Moulay Abdallah moussem with its tbourida horsemen.
This guide covers the Portuguese heritage, the beaches, culture and food, and day trips. Prices are starting prices in Moroccan dirhams (MAD) and vary by season; opening times can change during Ramadan and national holidays.
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Portuguese City & Heritage
The Cite Portugaise is the heart of El Jadida: a 16th-century fortress town from Portugal’s expansion along the African coast.
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Underground Portuguese Cistern
Inside the Cite Portugaise · UNESCO World Heritage
Entry
Ticketed
Time
30-45 minutes
Best time
Morning, before 11 AM
The site most visitors come for. The Portuguese built this vaulted hall in the early 16th century beneath their fortified town. Stone columns carry ribbed vaulting over a thin sheet of water on the floor, and a single round opening in the roof lets in a shaft of daylight that the water reflects around the chamber.
Orson Welles filmed scenes of his 1952 Othello here. The columns and arches, doubled in the still water, are what draw the photographers.
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Cite Portugaise (Portuguese City)
UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2004
Entry
Free, open access
Time
1-2 hours
Best time
Morning or late afternoon
The fortified Portuguese quarter, the fortress of Mazagan, was inscribed by UNESCO in 2004 as an example of the exchange between European and Moroccan cultures. The Portuguese built it from 1514, and the walls and bastions rise from the Atlantic shore.
Inside, narrow streets mix Portuguese carved stone doorways with Moroccan arched windows, and the restored Church of the Assumption stands near the mosque. People still live here, so it is a neighbourhood rather than a museum.
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Portuguese Ramparts Walk
Historical walk · four bastions
Entry
Free
Time
45 minutes-1 hour
Best time
Late afternoon to sunset
A full circuit of the ramparts takes in four bastions: Saint Sebastian, Holy Spirit, Angel and Saint Antoine. On the sea side the Atlantic breaks against the wall; on the land side the Moroccan medina spreads out below. Cannons still point out to sea from several bastions.
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Church of the Assumption
16th-century Portuguese church · inside the Cite Portugaise
Entry
Free
Time
20-30 minutes
Best time
Morning
The parish church of the Portuguese garrison, with a plain stone interior, ribbed vaulting and carved stone details in the late Portuguese Gothic manner. It fell out of use after the Portuguese left in 1769 and has since been restored; it now hosts occasional exhibitions and events.
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El Jadida Jewish Cemetery
Heritage site · beside the Portuguese City
Entry
Free
Time
20-30 minutes
Best time
Morning
El Jadida had a significant Jewish community that played a large part in the town’s trade. The cemetery beside the Portuguese City holds whitewashed tombs with Hebrew inscriptions. The old mellah no longer has a Jewish community but keeps its balconied houses and narrow lanes.
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Beaches & Coast
Beach season runs from May to October. The coast can be windy; mornings are usually calmest.
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Sidi Bouzid Beach
About 5 km south of the centre
Entry
Free
Time
2-4 hours
Best time
Morning to mid-afternoon
The most popular beach around El Jadida: a curve of sand below low cliffs, backed by beach cafes and seafood restaurants. In summer it fills with Moroccan families. The cafes serve grilled fish, salads and cold drinks on the sand. Atlantic currents can be strong.
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Haouzia Beach
North of the city, towards Azemmour
Entry
Free
Time
2-4 hours
Best time
Morning
A long, wide beach, much less built up than Sidi Bouzid, with dunes and scrub behind the sand. Out of season you can have long stretches to yourself. The waves are bigger here, which suits bodysurfers.
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Mazagan Beach & Resort Area
Resort north of El Jadida
Entry
Resort guests; ask about day access
Time
Half day to full day
Best time
All day
The Mazagan Beach & Golf Resort is a large resort with a private beach, an 18-hole golf course designed by Gary Player, a casino, restaurants and a spa.
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Culture, Food & Experiences
El Jadida is a working city: local prices and little sales pressure in the medina and at the port.
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Haras (Regional Horse Farm)
Stud farm founded in 1913
Entry
Ask ahead
Time
1-2 hours
Best time
Morning
Morocco has a long horse culture, and El Jadida’s haras, founded under the French Protectorate, breeds Barb and Arab-Barb horses. Visits take in the stables and paddocks, and the horses bred here are the type ridden in the tbourida (fantasia) charges.
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Moulay Abdallah Amghar Moussem
Annual festival · Moulay Abdallah, about 11 km south
Photograph: Mohamed EL IDRISSI, CC BY-SA 4.0
Entry
Free to watch
Time
Full day
Best time
August
One of Morocco’s largest annual festivals, held at the ribat of Moulay Abdallah Amghar south of El Jadida. The week combines a religious pilgrimage with tbourida: lines of horsemen in traditional dress charge together and fire their muskets in a single volley. Around it are markets, food stalls, music and a fair.
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El Jadida Medina & Souks
Working market · fish market by the port
Entry
Free
Time
1-2 hours
Best time
Morning
Outside the Portuguese quarter, the Moroccan medina is a working market rather than a tourist one: spices, olives, household goods and fabric, sold at local prices. The streets are wider and easier to follow than in Fes or Marrakech. The fish market is busiest in the morning, when the catch comes in from the port.
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Seafood Restaurants & Port
Grilled fish · from 40 MAD
Casual plate
From 40 MAD
Restaurant
From 120 MAD
Best time
Lunch or dinner
El Jadida has an active fishing port. In the morning you can watch the boats come in and the catch being sold. Simple grill stalls near the port serve a plate of sardines, salad and bread from 40 MAD; sit-down restaurants do seafood platters with prawns, sole and sea bass. Grilled sole with chermoula, lemon and bread is the local order.
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Day Trips from El Jadida
Grand taxis and hire cars are the practical ways to reach the towns and sites nearby.
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Oualidia (Oysters & Lagoon)
About 75 km south · full day
Shared grand taxi
From 50 MAD per person
Oysters
From 60 MAD a dozen
Best time
Leave in the morning
Oualidia sits on a sheltered lagoon, calm water inside a sandbar with the open Atlantic beyond. Its lagoon farms are known for oysters, which waterside restaurants serve freshly shucked. The lagoon is good for kayaking, and the drive from El Jadida runs past farmland and coast.
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Azemmour
About 15 km north · 2-3 hours
Grand taxi
From 10 MAD, about 20 minutes
Time
2-3 hours
Best time
Morning
A small town on the Oum er-Rbia river, with its own Portuguese-era ramparts and a medina whose whitewashed walls artists have painted with murals. The old mellah keeps its distinctive houses, and few tourists come.
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Moulay Abdallah Ruins
About 11 km south, on the coast
Entry
Free
Time
1-1.5 hours
Best time
Morning or late afternoon
Outside moussem week, the ribat of Moulay Abdallah Amghar is quiet: ruined walls, a minaret and the saint’s shrine on a windy headland above the Atlantic, with a small fishing village beside it.
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Practical Tips for El Jadida
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Most of the old town is free
The Cite Portugaise, its streets, the ramparts and the church cost nothing to enter. The cistern is the one ticketed site.
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Use shared grand taxis
Shared grand taxis reach Sidi Bouzid (from 10-15 MAD per person), Azemmour (from 10 MAD) and Oualidia (from 50 MAD). Agree the fare for a private taxi before you get in.
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Eat by the fish market
The grill stalls near the port and the fish market are the cheapest way to eat seafood that came in that morning.
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Stop on the coast road
El Jadida sits on the coast route from Casablanca to Essaouira. A half-day stop covers the cistern, the ramparts and a seafood lunch, and the road south runs on via Oualidia and Safi.
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Plan for the wind
The coast is often windy, more so in the afternoon; mornings are usually calmer. Bring a light jacket for evenings on the ramparts, even in summer.
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Sample 2-Day El Jadida Itinerary
A plan for the essentials. Adjust it to your interests and pace.
Day 1: Portuguese City, Cistern & Beach
Morning
Start at the Cite Portugaise early and visit the cistern while the light through the roof is strongest. Walk the Portuguese streets, see the Church of the Assumption and the Jewish cemetery, then the rampart circuit, ending at the Bastion of the Angel.
Afternoon
Lunch at the port: grilled sole and sardines (from 40-80 MAD). Browse the medina and the fish market, then take a grand taxi (from 10 MAD) to Sidi Bouzid beach.
Evening
Back on the ramparts for sunset, then a seafood dinner in the old town or on the corniche, and a walk along the port.
Day 2: Oualidia, Oysters & Exploration
Morning
Leave early for Oualidia (about 75 km, an hour by car), stopping at the Moulay Abdallah ruins on the way. Oysters at a waterside restaurant (from 60 MAD a dozen), then the lagoon.
Afternoon
Return to El Jadida by the coast road. If there is time, drive 15 km north to Azemmour for its ramparts and medina murals (grand taxi from 10 MAD).
Evening
A last sunset on the ramparts, dinner at the port or in the medina (from 80-120 MAD), and spices and olives from the souks to take home.
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Frequently Asked Questions
What is El Jadida famous for?
Its UNESCO-listed Cite Portugaise (Portuguese City), above all the underground Portuguese Cistern with its columns reflected in a sheet of water. The city also has Atlantic beaches, fresh seafood from its fishing port and the Moulay Abdallah moussem nearby, and it is the gateway to the oyster town of Oualidia.
How many days do you need in El Jadida?
One to two days. One day covers the Portuguese City, the cistern, the ramparts, the medina and a beach. Two days leave time for the Moulay Abdallah ruins, Azemmour and a day trip to Oualidia. El Jadida also works as a half-day stop on the Casablanca-to-Essaouira coast road.
How do I get to El Jadida from Casablanca?
El Jadida is about 100 km southwest of Casablanca, roughly 1.5 hours by car on the A1 motorway. ONCF trains run from Casablanca to El Jadida station, CTM buses run the route, and grand taxis leave from Casablanca.
Is the Portuguese Cistern worth visiting?
Yes. The columns, the vaulted ceiling and the single opening in the roof are reflected in the water on the floor, and the effect is unlike anything else in Morocco. Orson Welles filmed scenes of Othello here. Entry is ticketed; check the current fee at the door.
What are the best beaches near El Jadida?
Sidi Bouzid (about 5 km south) is the most popular, with beach cafes. Haouzia, north of the city towards Azemmour, is wider and less crowded, and the Mazagan resort has its own beach. For a longer trip, Oualidia (about 75 km south) has a sheltered lagoon beach.
What is the best time to visit El Jadida?
May to October for beach weather, and August for the Moulay Abdallah moussem. Spring and autumn are pleasant for sightseeing with fewer people. Winter is mild but can be windy on the coast.
Can you visit Oualidia from El Jadida?
Yes. Oualidia is about 75 km south, roughly an hour by car. It is known for its sheltered lagoon and oyster farms, where freshly shucked oysters cost from 60 MAD a dozen. Take a grand taxi or hire a car. It makes a good half-day or full-day trip.
