Marrakech to Fes: private transfer

The train is a good choice for one or two people with light bags. It is a long day in a seat, and the station in Fes is in the new town, so you still need a taxi to a medina gate.

A car takes about as long once you add a lunch stop, but it leaves when you want, stops where you ask and drops you at the gate nearest your riad. For a family, that last part matters most.

The fast route is motorway all the way: north to Casablanca, up the coast to Rabat, then inland past Meknes to Fes. It is the route the drive time is measured on.

There is a slower inland road through Beni Mellal, Khenifra, Azrou and Ifrane, across the Middle Atlas. It is mostly two-lane and winding, so it takes much longer. Ask the office if you want it; the price changes with the route.

Most guests stop for lunch around Rabat, roughly halfway. Rabat's Kasbah of the Udayas or the Hassan Tower fit into an hour's break. Meknes, the last city before Fes, is the other usual stop.

Tell the office which stops you want when you book. It adds the time and confirms the price in writing.

Hotels in the new town get a door drop-off. For a riad in the medina, Fes el-Bali, the driver stops at the nearest gate or car park, and someone from the riad or a porter walks you in. The medina lanes are a maze, so let them guide you rather than searching with suitcases.

Ask your riad which gate to use and send it to us with the booking. Arrive in daylight if you can; the walk in is easier.

If you have three or four days, you can reach Fes through the Sahara instead. The Merzouga desert trips can end in Fes rather than back in Marrakech, so the drive north becomes the last day of the trip.