We are flying in to Madrid late this summer, and seeing Seville, Granada, Costa del Sol, etc. but also want to spend about 4 days in Morocco - Marrekech for sure, perhaps also Fez and/or Casablanca. I wanted to drive ourselves in Morocco, but not sure that is safe / the best thing for us to do, since parking in these cities might be hard / worried about rental car theft, etc. Has anyone rented a car in Spain, taken it over on the ferry to Morocco, then driven it in Spain (I am not sure rental car companies will even let us take car from Spain into Morocco?). Any advice on renting a car (perhaps even in Morocco) versus flying into Marrekech or Casablanca, then taking trains between cities if we choose to? We are well travelled all over Europe (and always drive ourselves, never go with a tour group), however, my husband is leery of us going around on our own in Morocco (that is, not with a tour group), much less driving ourselves around. My opinion is that tour groups are too restricting, and it is not something I want to even consider. Thoughts?
Posted by
Houston
26 posts
We are flying from Madrid to Marrekech on Easyjet in September. Prices were great, you can then take the train to Casablanca if you want.
Posted by
Austin
203 posts
Sorry, I have the same questions and no answers. I also want to go to Spain and Morocco next March. I've already bought the Rick Steves Spain book. If anybody out there in Rick Steves-land has some wisdom on the matter (or some great links or book recommendations), they can e-mail me or respond on the Graffiti Wall.
Posted by
vancouver, bc, canada
421 posts
Well you could fly from Madrid to Marakesh I believe with Easy Jet.
my fav web site www.whichbudget.com has not been working lately so I can not check for sure. I know I was also looking at one point flying and I believe you can also fly into Fez or Casablance but I am sorry I can not remember from what city.
Posted by
Vancouver, BC, Canada
191 posts
Hi there I am also planning a similiar trip going from Madrid to Marrakech. There are several budget airlines and also more expensive airlines. I will be flying easy jet from Madrid to Marrakech and then to London with them. A few others include Atlas Blue, Air Europa and the more expensive Royal Air Maroc. From my research I don't believe you can rent a car to take from spain to morocco. What you could do is fly easy jet madrid to casablanca (they only fly madrid to casablanca and vise versa) and drive or take the train to Marrakech and then fly out of Marrakech. Hope that helps
Posted by
Taxco, Guerero, Mexico
1 posts
I am researching this very route for a November trip. Sorry, I have no experience to report. I bought Lonely Planet (sorry, Steve!) for Morocco, and it has much info of use. I am choosing Malaga (on the Costa del Sol) because I can fly there on miles, and it is a ferry connection to Melilla (6-7 hrs.), which is Spanish territory. From there, it is a short connection by bus to Morocco and from there a bus service called Supratours goes to the train to Fes (8-9 hours total) and sells the passage as a continous connection. (it is th eCasablanca trian beyond Fes.) Fes seems to be the closest, oldest, and most historic city. It has an airport, too, so I plan to fly out to Barcelona.
Question: Tried the Ryanair website, and all bookings at any date I tried were rejected. Anybody know how to book with them?
Posted by
Ottawa, Canada
4555 posts
I don't know of any rental car company that will allow you to take your vehicle into Morocco. You'd likely have to rent in Morocco and return the vehicle before crossing back to Europe. Flying and taking the train would be your besst bet.
Posted by
Trieste, Italy
171 posts
I am considering a 15 day tour to Morocco (though not usually my preferred method of travel). I plan to spend another 15-20 days after the tour ends in Morocco and Spain. I'm wondering if anyone knows if there is ferry service from Morocco to Seville?
Posted by
Ottawa, Canada
4555 posts
Seville is actually quite a ways inland, and the river's really not navigable for large vessels. You can take the ferry from Tangiers to Tarifa or Algeciras and head to Seville from there.....probably by bus, since rail connections aren't that good.
Posted by
San Diego, CA
1 posts
I am doing research on getting around Morocco too. My husband and I are leaving for Casablanca in September. We were planning to take the trains in between Casablanca, Essouira and Marrakesh. I believe the train system is very reliable. Check out
http://goafrica.about.com/od/morocco/a/moroctraveltips_3.htm. There is a schedule of the train departure from cities (it's in french, but you might be able to read the simple words). Also a lot of complains about driving a car - take the petit taxi with metered fares. Have fun.
Posted by
Oregon
111 posts
Tangier, Fez, Marrakech, and Casablanca are all served by train (www.oncf.ma), which is the best transport choice where it exists. If you wanted to travel further into the Sahara or mountains where trains don't run, then bus or car rental work fine. Driving in Morocco has the same rules as in Europe, but small towns or old city centers can be crowded with a lot of pedestrian traffic (or even donkeys). On the narrow highways out toward the desert, beware of trucks and buses "taking their half out of the middle" of the road; they won't move for you.