Azemmour

While staying in El Jadida we took a short train trip to Azemmour, another city that used to be controlled by the Portuguese. We highly recommend the train; quick, clean, bathrooms on board, and about the same price as other modes of transportation. Azemmour is much smaller than El Jadida and even less touristy. It was interesting to see Essaouira, El Jadida, and Azemmour, as all three have a similar coastal feel with ramparts and an old city. However, Essaouira is much more modern, touristy, and well maintained. There's a small fee to enter the walls, which means they are clean, there are garbage cans available, and lots of people meandering around taking photos. El Jadida is less touristy, though probably more so during high season. The ramparts in Azemmour, however, appear almost abandoned. The stairway up to the walls is hidden in the north eastern corner of the city; we had to ask a local to show us the way. The Powder House ruins, the main attraction, are hard to find and boarded up. During our day there, we saw only one other tourist couple who were driving around Morocco in an RV. While it was nice to explore the walls alone in Azemmour, they were overgrown in many places, falling apart in others, and smelly throughout.

Azemmour is also known for its painted walls; local artists decorate the city and also sell art and embroidered blankets. Overall, it was a lovely day trip.

Train station: