Morocco Guide
Marrakesh
Arrival
Arriving at the train station, on the edge of the new town Guéliz, a petit taxi is a good idea, unless you fancy a fifteen-minute walk to the Guéliz hotels, or a longer walk or bus ride to the Medina; the taxi fare should be no more than 15dh to the Medina, less to hotels in Guéliz. Buses #3, #8, #10 and #14 run from the bus stop opposite the station to the Place de Foucauld, alongside Place Djemaa el Fna. The youth hostel is very close to the station – just five minutes on foot.
The gare routière (for long-distance bus services other than CTM or Supratours) is just outside the walls of the Medina by Bab Doukkala. Most long-distance collective grands taxis arriving in Marrakesh terminate immediately behind this bus station, though they may drop you off in front of it on Place Mourabiton. You can walk into the centre of Guéliz from the gare routière in around ten minutes by following Avenue des Nations Unies (to the right as you exit the bus station, then straight on bearing right). To the Place Djemaa el Fna it's around 25 minutes: follow the Medina walls (to your left as you exit the bus station) down to Avenue Mohammed V, then turn left. A petit taxi is about 10dh to the Djemaa el Fna, less to Guéliz. Alternatively, catch bus #16, from outside the station, which runs through the heart of Guéliz, or buses #3, #8, #10, #14 or #16, which stop directly opposite Bab Doukkala (though the bus stop is not obvious), and head south to the Koutoubia.
Supratours services from Essaouira, Agadir, and the Western Sahara arrive next to the train station, CTM services at their office in Guéliz. Grands taxis from the High Atlas villages of Asni, Imlil, Setti Fatma and Oukaïmeden arrive at their own gare routière, 2km southwest of Bab er Robb – a 15dh taxi ride from the Djemaa el Fna, 20dh to Guéliz.
The city's airport is 4km to the southwest. Bus #19 (20dh) leaves on the hour every hour from 7am to midnight bound for Place de Foucauld (by the Koutoubia) and Avenue Mohammed V (Guéliz). Petits taxis or grands taxis are a more comfortable option, though you will have to haggle for a reasonable fare – petits taxis in particular will try to overcharge you, but you should be able to get one into town for 50dh (the price on the meter, if they used it, would be under 20dh). Grands taxis currently charge a fixed rate of 60dh for up to six passengers for the trip from the airport to the Djemaa el Fna, double at night.