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El Jadida,
Morocco.

Atlantic coast · Doukkala-Abda

Plan a El Jadida trip
From Marrakech
185 kmas the crow flies
How long
Half-day to 1 night
Nearest airport
Casablanca Mohammed V (CMN) + 1h30 drive
Best time
April–October for the coast; year-round for the cistern

El Jadida is Morocco's UNESCO Portuguese city — a 16th-century Atlantic fortress with an extraordinary cistern, 90 minutes from Casablanca.

El Jadida (once Mazagan) is a coastal city of about 150,000 on Morocco's Atlantic coast, roughly 90 km south of Casablanca. It began as a Portuguese fortified trading post in 1513 and stayed in Portuguese hands until 1769, when the retreating garrison blew up much of the town before abandoning it. The Portuguese city — a compact walled quarter — was inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2004, and at its core sits the Citerne Portugaise: a magnificent 16th-century underground cistern whose vaulted Gothic arches are doubled in a thin film of water across the floor, conjuring one of the most atmospheric interiors in Morocco. Beyond the walls, El Jadida offers a long Atlantic beach, a busy promenade and a working port — at once a heritage site and a favourite seaside escape for Casablanca families.

Where it sits

El Jadida on the map.

El Jadida is about 185 km north of Marrakech in a straight line; the road is longer. The line on the map is that straight line, not the route your driver takes.

  1. Oualidia75 km
  2. Casablanca93 km
  3. Rabat177 km

Map: Marrakech to El Jadida

Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors

What to see in El Jadida.

  1. What is the Portuguese Cistern and why is it so famous?

    The Citerne Portugaise (Cisterna de Mazagão) is a 16th-century underground chamber beneath the Portuguese city, first built as an armoury and later turned into a water reservoir. Five rows of Gothic-Manueline vaulted arches lift from columns above a floor under a permanent shallow film of water — the reflections double the apparent height and depth, an extraordinary play of light and architecture. Orson Welles filmed Othello here in 1952.

  2. Portuguese ramparts and the Cité Portugaise

    The walled Portuguese quarter is one of the best-preserved pieces of early-modern Portuguese military architecture in Africa: bastions, curtain walls, a church turned mosque, and narrow lanes of whitewashed houses inside the 16th-century circuit. Walk the rampart top for Atlantic views.

  3. El Jadida beach and promenade

    A broad Atlantic beach runs north of the old city, backed by a palm-lined promenade that fills with families in summer. The water is cooler and cleaner than at Casablanca, and the beach makes a popular city escape and a calm base for a night on the coast.

  4. Moulay Abdallah sanctuary and bird lagoon

    Seven kilometres south, the coastal lagoon and estuary at Moulay Abdallah draw wintering waterbirds including flamingos, spoonbills and many waders. The annual August moussem here is one of the most important equestrian and religious events on the Atlantic coast.

Trips

El Jadida, the way we would plan it.

Every itinerary is private and built around your dates, with a proper stop in El Jadida. Each one is priced in a written quote within 24 hours.

  1. Casablanca, El Jadida & Oualidia coastal day

    1 day

    A private day running south from Casablanca: the Portuguese cistern and ramparts of El Jadida, then an oyster lunch at Oualidia on the Atlantic lagoon.

  2. Atlantic coastal route to Essaouira

    2 days

    A two-day private drive down the Atlantic coast: El Jadida, Oualidia oysters, Safi ceramics and the ramparts of Essaouira.

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Plan your El Jadida days

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El Jadida, answered.

Is El Jadida worth visiting from Casablanca?
Yes — the Portuguese cistern alone earns the 90-minute drive. It's one of the most unusual and beautiful interiors in Morocco, and the walled Portuguese city around it is remarkably intact. Tie it to an oyster lunch at Oualidia for a perfect Atlantic day.
What is Mazagan and how does it relate to El Jadida?
Mazagan was the Portuguese name for the city during the occupation from 1513 to 1769. After the Moroccan sultan Sidi Mohammed ben Abdallah retook it, it was renamed El Jadida ('the new one'). The UNESCO listing carries both: 'Portuguese City of Mazagan (El Jadida)'.
Did Orson Welles really film Othello in El Jadida?
Yes — Welles used the Citerne Portugaise as a location for his 1952 film of Othello. The atmospheric cistern scene, all reflections and vaulted arches, is among the most memorable in the film, and a small plaque inside marks the connection.

Before you go.

Getting there
Around 1h30 (95 km) south of Casablanca on the A5 motorway, then the coastal road
Cistern opening hours
The Citerne Portugaise opens daily except Tuesday, with a small admission fee (currently 10 MAD)
Best combined with
Oualidia (40 min south for oysters), Safi and Essaouira on the Atlantic coast route

Have your El Jadida days planned by a local.

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