Morocco has a good train network, excellent coaches and a shared-taxi system that covers everything else. Here is which one to use for which leg — and when a private driver actually earns its cost.
Morocco is easy to travel around, but the options are not interchangeable. The train is excellent on the routes it serves and useless everywhere else; coaches fill most of the gaps; grand taxis cover the rest; and a private driver is either an indulgence or a necessity depending on where you are going. Here is the practical breakdown.
Morocco’s railway is the best in North Africa and the right choice whenever it goes where you are going. Carriages are clean and air-conditioned, departures are broadly punctual, and fares are low.
The line runs Tangier – Rabat – Casablanca – Marrakech, with a branch to Fes and Meknes and another to Oujda. The high-speed Al Boraq service covers Tangier to Casablanca in around two hours.
| Route | Approx. time |
|---|---|
| Casablanca – Marrakech | 2 h 40 m |
| Casablanca – Rabat | 1 h |
| Tangier – Casablanca (Al Boraq) | 2 h 10 m |
| Rabat – Fes | 2 h 40 m |
| Marrakech – Fes | 7 h |
| Fes – Meknes | 40 m |
Essaouira, Chefchaouen, Merzouga, Ouarzazate, Agadir, the Dades, Todra Gorge, Ait Ben Haddou, the Atlas villages — in other words, most of what people come to see. The train is for moving between big cities, not for sightseeing.
These two companies are the backbone of long-distance travel where the train does not go, and they are genuinely good: modern, air-conditioned, reserved seats, hold luggage, and departures that leave on time.
Between them they reach Essaouira, Chefchaouen, Merzouga, Ouarzazate, Agadir, Tinghir, Zagora and almost everywhere else of interest. Book a day or two ahead in high season, and note that hold luggage sometimes carries a small extra charge.
Avoid the unbranded local buses unless you are adventurous: they are much cheaper, much slower, stop constantly and are often uncomfortable.
| Coach route | Approx. time |
|---|---|
| Marrakech – Essaouira | 2 h 45 m |
| Marrakech – Agadir | 3 h 30 m |
| Marrakech – Ouarzazate | 4 h 30 m |
| Marrakech – Merzouga | 11–12 h |
| Fes – Chefchaouen | 4 h |
| Tangier – Chefchaouen | 2 h 30 m |
The system that covers everything else. Old Mercedes sedans (increasingly newer vans) run fixed routes between towns from designated ranks, leaving when full — traditionally six passengers, which means four in the back.
Small colour-coded city taxis (red in Marrakech, blue in Rabat, and so on), metered, very cheap, limited to three passengers, and not permitted to leave the city limits.
Practical for the coast, the Atlantic route and the imperial cities; more demanding in the mountains and the deep south.
In favour: total flexibility, useful for families, cheap enough for a small group.
Against:
The most expensive option and, on some routes, the only sensible one.
Where it genuinely earns its cost:
Where it is unnecessary: Casablanca–Rabat–Fes (take the train), Marrakech–Essaouira (take Supratours), and within any city (petits taxis).
Because the vehicle is a fixed cost regardless of occupancy, private touring is expensive for a couple and reasonable for four or six. Get a quote before assuming it is out of reach.
| Journey | Best option |
|---|---|
| Casablanca → Marrakech | Train |
| Casablanca → Fes | Train |
| Tangier → Casablanca | Al Boraq high-speed train |
| Marrakech → Essaouira | Supratours coach |
| Fes → Chefchaouen | CTM coach or private driver |
| Marrakech → Merzouga | Private driver (multi-day tour) |
| Marrakech → Ourika / Imlil | Grand taxi or private driver |
| Fes → Volubilis / Meknes | Private driver or grand taxi |
| Within any city | Petit taxi or walk |
| Airport transfers | Official taxi rank or pre-booked transfer |
Our itineraries use private vehicles with local driver–guides for the routes where that matters, and we will tell you plainly when a train or coach is the better choice for a particular leg. Tell us your route, or browse our multi-day Morocco tours.
Yes, the best in North Africa, running Tangier to Rabat, Casablanca, Marrakech, Fes and Meknes, with the high-speed Al Boraq covering Tangier to Casablanca in about two hours. The limitation is coverage: it does not reach Essaouira, Chefchaouen, Merzouga, Ouarzazate or Agadir.
A Supratours coach, which takes about two hours 45 minutes, is comfortable, has reserved seats and costs very little. A private transfer is worth it only if you want to stop at an argan cooperative on the way.
A shared long-distance car, usually an old Mercedes, that runs a fixed route from a designated rank and leaves when full with six passengers. It is cheap and fast, and you can buy extra seats or the whole car for comfort. Ask your riad the local rate first, since tourists are routinely overquoted.
It works well for the coast and the imperial cities and is economical for a family. It is harder in the mountains, where roads are winding with sheer drops, and you should not drive at night outside cities because of unlit vehicles and livestock. Medinas are closed to cars entirely.
On the desert route, where the stops at Ait Ben Haddou, the Dades and Todra Gorge are the point and no coach makes them; on Atlas mountain roads; on multi-stop itineraries; and whenever four or more of you share the fixed vehicle cost. For Casablanca to Fes or Marrakech to Essaouira, take the train or coach instead.
