Getting around Morocco: taxi, train, bus or private driver

In the city you take a petit taxi. Between the big cities there are trains and the buses of CTM and Supratours. For the Atlas and the desert, a private driver is the easiest. Morocco is bigger than it looks: from Marrakesh to the Sahara is a nine to ten hour drive, and to Fes a little over six. So how you get around shapes a large part of your trip.

From the airport

Marrakesh Menara Airport is about 6 km (4 miles) from the medina. You have three options:

• Official taxi at the exit. There is a fixed price to the medina and the new town; ask for it or check the sign. Pay cash in dirham.
• Transfer through your riad or hotel. It costs a little more, but someone is waiting with your name and takes you right to the door, including through the narrow alleys no taxi can enter.
• City bus line 19 to Jemaa el-Fna. Cheap, but with suitcases and after a long journey not the most pleasant start.

If you travel with us, Soukayna picks you up. That saves you the haggling and searching on your first day.

Petit taxi

Petit taxis are the small taxis that only run within the city. In Marrakesh they are beige. They can take a maximum of three passengers. The rules:

• They are required to use the meter. If the driver says the meter is broken, get out and take the next one.
• After 8 pm there is a surcharge of about 50 percent.
• Drivers sometimes pick up other passengers along the way. That is normal and it doesn't make your fare any lower.
• Rides within Marrakesh cost about 20 to 40 dirham during the day.

As a woman, sit in the back and keep the map open on your phone. Then you see right away whether the route is correct.

Grand taxi

Grand taxis run between towns and villages. Usually they are old Mercedes sedans or newer minivans. They leave when they are full, with six passengers. You can also hire the whole taxi, which works well for a small group of friends. You agree on the price beforehand. For short rides to the Ourika valley or Imlil this is a cheap option, but it is not comfortable.

Train

The Moroccan railways (ONCF) connect the big cities. The high-speed Al Boraq runs between Tangier, Rabat and Casablanca in about two hours. A regular train runs to Marrakesh from Casablanca and takes about 2.5 to 3 hours, and there are trains on to Fes and Meknes. First class is not expensive and it is quieter. There is no train to Essaouira, Chefchaouen, Ouarzazate or the desert.

Bus

For longer distances without a train, the buses of CTM and Supratours are reliable. They run on a fixed schedule and have air conditioning. You have your own seat and your luggage goes in the hold. From Marrakesh it takes about three hours to Essaouira, four to five to Ouarzazate and twelve to Merzouga. Book ahead in high season. Local buses are cheaper, but they only leave when they are full and they stop everywhere.

Driving yourself

With a rental car you are free to go wherever you want. The main roads are good and the highways are quiet. City traffic is chaotic, though, with scooters coming from every direction. On mountain roads like the Tizi n'Tichka, trucks crawl uphill, and at night there are animals on the road and cyclists without lights. Police checks are normal; stay polite and keep your driver's license and car papers at hand. You can't park in the medina. You leave the car at a guarded parking lot on the edge.

So it can be done, but it is not relaxing.

Private driver

A private driver solves that. These are the differences from the options above:

• The driver picks you up at your riad and drops you off wherever you want, including places that buses and trains don't reach.
• You stop when you want: for a photo, a cup of tea, a walk or simply because it is beautiful.
• You don't have to arrange or negotiate anything, not even in villages where no tourists come.
• You have someone with you for the whole trip who speaks the language and knows the people.

Soukayna drives herself and knows the routes through the Atlas and to the desert like the back of her hand. On a day trip to Aït Benhaddou, a trip to the Sahara or a tour of the imperial cities, that makes a big difference in comfort and safety.

Practical tips for the road

• On long drives through the Atlas you can get carsick. Sit in the front if that affects you and bring motion sickness tablets.
• Roadside restaurants are simple but fine. The restrooms are not always clean, so bring tissues and hand sanitizer.
• Bring water, in winter too.
• Flying into Casablanca instead of Marrakesh? The train to Marrakesh leaves directly from the airport, with a change in Casablanca.

For more on safety on the road, read is Morocco safe for women.