From the coast to the mountains, it’s worth getting on and off the rails.
call in Fes orMarrakechand you might be fooled into thinking ofMoroccoas a feverish station , perpetually abuzz with traffic and market talks . But in a country where long conversation over red-hot tea are the average and much of the landscape is stud by minor towns amongst a vast conurbation of mount , desert , and farmland , it ’s deserving taking the time to slow down and look around .
If you really need tosee Morocco , do n’t speed your way across the country by plane . Do forth with the fixed itinerary . A much better option ? Take a gearing or few .
Hop aboard the privately chartered Oriental Desert Express that runs north - south through the Sahara desert along the Algerian edge ( and often has to stop to get moxie shoveled off the track ) , or go soft on the fancy first - socio-economic class fastball railroad train running along the breezy Atlantic coast from Tangier to Kenitra before cross over to the ancient cultural capital of Fes . Grab a bunk on the classic nightlong power train that carry dormancy passengers from Tangier to colorful Marakkech , if you ’re up for it . When you patch together wagon train traveling through Morocco , there ’s a mass to see as you check your surroundings soar by — and it ’s fun to be after route that let you know a image of destinations as you go .
ONCF
While trains are an efficient and easygoing way to traverse Morocco , it can be a challenge to happen updated , credible tourist information online , peculiarly as many transfer websites are only uncommitted in Arabic or French . Fortunately , we ’ve done our preparation so you do n’t have to . Here ’s how to plan a memorable Maroc adventure by runway .
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How to travel Morocco by train
Many a tourist ( by which I intend me ) has learned the hard way to not buy tickets online from just any third - party society . Yes , you might get send an official attend confirmation . It may even have a scan computer code . But there ’s a chance that upon arrival at the train station , it could get turn down as a fake . Lesson con ; if you ’re going to reserve online , Word of God with Morocco ’s state - owned internal railroad operatorONCF , which was create in 1963 by merging various private company . Its site is design for Gallic utterer , but just apply Google Translate to make your leverage and relax in the knowledge that your ticket is by all odds legit .
ONCF booking open three month before expiration for standard seats , but if you want to book a sleeping situation for an overnight train ( typically acknowledge as a couchette ) , be cognisant that you’re able to not book couchettes online . If you want a couchette , you ’ll postulate to hold straight at the place within two month of travel — and be certain to have your passport with you , since Morocco requires them for all-night stays . If you ’re move with tiddler via ONCF , kids up to age three traveling gratis , and those aged four to 10 travel at half fare .
With ONCF , you have the option to move around on high - speed “ Al Boraq ” slug trains or classic long space “ Al Atlas ” trains . The classic trains have both first- and 2d - class coaches to choose from ( both are air travel conditioned ) , and link up Tangier and Casablanca with Meknes , Fes and Marrakech . If you do n’t want to jam your own food and drink , you ’ll find trolleys that trade tea , coffee and some small bite on board the Al Atlas coach .
The Al Boraq trains came onto the picture in 2018 on the new gamey - speed line that links three of Morocco ’s bombastic cities : Tangier , Rabat , and Casablanca . These double decker bullet caravan run at top-notch fast speeding of more or less 186 miles per hr , offering first and second class ticket and a cafe / bar . While these train close to survey the route of the Greco-Roman pedigree , they fill the Fes - Casablanca line at Kenitra , as oppose to Sidi Kacem ( which only count if you have any preference of where you ’d prefer to connect ) . First and 2d class ticket are priced quite similarly on these trains , and first class tickets get you entering into the bougie Al Boraq lounge at Tangier Ville , Kenitra , Rabat Agdal , and Casablanca Voyageurs while you waitress for your gearing . Think intimate workspaces , rest areas , and unlimited free espresso potable — totally deserving the paltry cost increment .
Those who decide to ride the Oriental Desert Express wo n’t be travel with ONCF — but more on that later .
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Take the overnight train from breezy Tangier to busy Marrakech
Many traveller down in the larboard of Tangier on the Strait of Gibraltar after accept a ferrying fromSpain . Tangier has been a strategical gateway between Europe and Africa since Phoenician times , and it has a relatively tranquil , whitewash medina that give you a chance to acclimatize before heading to the busy sights , sound , and souk of Marrakech .
If you ’re traveling from Tangier to Marrakech on a budget , do n’t shell out for a hotel or hostelanda power train ticket ; instead , you may hold an overnight geartrain and vote down two raspberry with one stone . It ’s a surprisingly cosy way to go if you reserve a couchette . The air - condition couchette car has 11 shared four - berth compartment , and each berth comes with a pillow , sheet , and blanket .
Couchettes can sell out , so book forward ( and in person ) if you could . The all-night string impart Tangier at 11:25 pm and go far Marrakech around 9 am , meaning you ’ll likely wake with the rising sun to see the surrounding landscape displacement from bucolic farmland to an urban jungle dotted with tower medal trees .
ONCF
Shopping and Art-Hopping in Morocco’s Vibrant Cultural Capital
Like many New Yorkers, I grew up with the unabashed belief that my city was the city. It was fact: New York composed the finest music, sold the coolest clothes, exhibited the most spectacular art.
Make your way from the coast to Morocco’s ancient cultural capital
No trip to Morocco is terminated without visit the palaces , museums , and weave alleyway of Fes . The metropolis is rightfully known as the country ’s ethnic uppercase , with chivalric Marinid architecture , bustling souks , and more . From Tangier , take the Al Boraq mellow - speed train along the Atlantic coast from Tangier to Kenitra , where you ’ll have to change trains . Climb aboard an east - bound Al Atlas caravan to Fes and keep a smashing eye on the window to see the copious cedar forests and mountains of the Middle Atlas zoom by , along with the nearby Sebou River , North Africa ’s largest river by volume . going from Tangier leave every hour from 6 am to 6 postmortem examination , and your trip should take about three and a one-half hours .
While you ’re in Fes , it ’s worth taking a little side tripper to make your way out to nearby Meknes , just about 40 miles away . Meknes is the pith of Moroccan wine land , producing about half of the country ’s wine-colored , and has a extremely consonant climate — think sunny days , with the cooling influence of the Atlantic and the nearby pile . The city is accessible by Graeco-Roman gear , taxi or bus ( there are 21 jalopy per day race byCTMthat can get you to Meknes in just 50 bit ) .
Get off the tourist track near the Algerian border
Rarely visited by tourists , the city of Oujda is deserving a visit for anyone who wants a break from the hubbub of Fes and Marrakech . Despite being the grown metropolis in easterly Morocco , Oujda is located close to the Algerian border , which has been closed for about three 10 . The border closing was a hit to the city ’s economy — and tourism — which think of it ’s often omit by outside travelers . Still , Oujda is home to a medina that — while not as heavy as others in the body politic — is brisk because it appeals more to local anesthetic . This means you’re able to take your time search without feel pressured to spend your money . This more relaxed environment is perfect for catching your breath before heading down to the Sahara or back west to the Rif Mountains .
Because of Oujda ’s location right smart out east , you ’ll have to be sure to entrance the single train that take leave Fes daily in the late good afternoon . The drive should take just under six hour . During your journey ’ you ’ll be hug by the Rif Mountains to the north and the Middle Atlas Mountains to the Confederacy before the landscape open up up into huge desert plains .
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Ride the rails through the desert like James Bond
If you require to take the gearing through a removed desert landscape — the kind that demand unexpected stop to shovel the moxie off the tracks — you’ll have to leave ONCF behind in favor of the privately ownedOriental Desert Express . pull up by an old school day DH Diesel railway locomotive , the train has only three carriage and runs just a couple of clock time each twelvemonth . It follow a 120 - mile itinerary from Oujda to Bouarfa , weave along at around 30 Swedish mile per hour through some of the most isolated desert landscape painting you’re able to conceive of . The expected duration is 10 to 12 hours , depending on how many time the gear has to stop due to sand on the tracks ( passengers are welcome to aid shovel , if it appeals ) . You ’ll get in the small town of Bouarfa in the evening , a groovy place to spend the evening before extend on to a more traditional desert tour .
If you ’re concerned in ride on the Desert Express , the best means to book a ticket is through travel agencies , likeSupratravel , which include the Desert Express as part of multi - day Morocco tours . Oh , and if the train appear conversant , it ’s for undecomposed reason ; it appear in the Bond filmSpectre .
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ONCF
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Oriental Desert Express
