Short answer
Cars cannot enter most lanes of the Marrakech medina, so drivers stop at the nearest point a car can reach, such as Bab Agnaou, Bab Doukkala or the Riad Zitoun area. A porter with a handcart or someone from your riad walks you the last few minutes. Ask your riad for its drop-off point and send it to us.
Why the car stops short
The medina is the walled old city, on the UNESCO list since 1985. Most riads open onto lanes too narrow for cars, some under a metre wide.
So almost every medina transfer ends with a short walk. How short depends on your riad: some are a minute from a street, others ten minutes into the lanes.
Where drivers stop
Drivers stop at the closest point a car can legally reach, and the right one depends on which side of the medina your riad is on. A riad near the Kasbah and a riad near Bab Doukkala use different drop-off points. The common ones are the gates, such as Bab Agnaou by the Kasbah, Bab Doukkala and Bab Jdid, and the streets of the Riad Zitoun area near Jemaa el-Fna.
Your riad knows which point is closest. Ask it before you travel, and send us the name of the point or a map pin. A pin dropped on the riad itself is less useful, because the car cannot follow it into the lanes.
Who carries the bags
Many riads send a member of staff to meet the car. Tell your riad your flight number and landing time.
Otherwise, porters with wooden handcarts work at the main drop-off points and take your bags to the riad door. Agree the tip before they load the cart, and pay in dirhams.
What to send us
Send the riad's name, its phone number, the drop-off point it recommends and your flight number. With those, the driver goes straight to the right place and can call the riad if anything changes.
The price does not change with the drop-off point: 300 MAD by sedan from the airport, 400 MAD by van, 600 MAD by minibus.
Night arrivals
The lanes are quiet and dark late at night, and finding a riad door without help is hard. For a night landing, make sure your riad has someone waiting at the drop-off point and that they know your flight. Pickups in the 23:00–04:59 window carry a 20% supplement.
Hotels outside the walls
If you are staying in Gueliz, Hivernage, Agdal or the Palmeraie, none of this applies. Those districts have ordinary streets and the driver stops at your door.
A few hotels and riads just inside the walls have a street entrance a car can reach. Ask yours before you travel.
If you get lost in the lanes
If you lose the porter or arrive before the riad's staff, stay at the drop-off point and call the riad. Strangers who offer to walk you to your riad often expect payment.
Keep the riad's number saved on your phone and written on paper, in case your battery runs out after a long flight. A screenshot of the riad's own directions from the drop-off point also helps.
Leaving
For the return to the airport, the driver waits at the same drop-off point. Ask your riad to walk your bags out to the car, and give yourself time for the walk when you choose the pickup time.
The same applies in the Essaouira medina: the car stops at a gate and someone walks you in.
A checklist before you fly
Riad name and phone number. The drop-off point the riad recommends, as a name or a map pin. Your flight number. The number of guests and suitcases. Whether someone from the riad will meet the car.
Send all of it to the office with your booking. The office confirms the price and pickup details in writing, and the driver has everything before you land.
Common questions
Can a car reach any riad in the Marrakech medina?
A few riads sit on streets a car can use, but most do not. Ask your riad whether a car can reach its door.
How long is the walk from the car to the riad?
From a minute to around ten, depending on the riad. Your riad can tell you.
Do I need to pay the porter?
Yes, porters work for tips. Agree the amount before they load the cart.
