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To make your journey as smooth as possible, it’s always smart to plan how to get from Marrakech Airport to the Medina before you arrive — especially if you’re not there for long. After all, the last thing you want is to be stuck at the airport when you can be out and about sightseeing in the city!
Whether you’re after the quickest, cheapest, or most comfortable way to reach the heart of Marrakech, this guide breaks down everything you need to know about getting from Marrakech Airport to the Medina – smoothly, safely, and stress-free.
Marrakech Airport to Medina Distance and Travel Time
Getting from Marrakech Airport to the Medina is fairly straightforward. The airport sits just 3.7 miles (around 6km) from the city centre. In theory, that’s only a 15-minute drive from the terminal to the heart of the old city. Sounds simple enough, right? Well, here’s the catch — getting through Marrakech Airport can sometimes feel like a mission in itself (more on that later!).
Best Ways to Travel from Marrakech Airport to the Medina
In a rush? Book the best option below:
- Private Transfer From Marrakech Airport to Medina | Book Here
Private Transfer or Taxi from Marrakech Airport to Medina: The Comfiest Option
🚕 When booking your stay in Marrakech, it’s worth checking if your accommodation offers an airport shuttle service – sometimes, it’s even included in your booking! It can save you both the hassle and the cost of organising a private transfer or taxi. I stayed at this lovely private riad in Marrakech, and having a private transfer included was one of the best perks – it made getting from the airport to the medina so easy and stress-free!
In my opinion, the best option for getting from Marrakech Airport to the Medina is a private transfer. It’s the quickest, comfiest choice, and since it takes you directly to your accommodation, it’s also the most convenient.
It’s not overly pricey either – a private transfer costs just over £5 per person one-way. If you’re a solo traveller, you can still get a private transfer, but it’ll be a bit more expensive, around £15 one-way.
I’ll go on to talk about this in more detail later, but getting through passport control at Marrakech Menara Airport can take FOREVER. But with a private transfer, the drivers are pretty good at staying in touch and waiting for you – at least that was my experience. After a two-hour wait to finally escape the airport, we were pleasantly surprised to step outside and find our driver still waiting with a sign with our names on it.
I’d definitely recommend booking your private transfer in advance, so you don’t have to worry about sorting a taxi when you land. That being said, if you forget to organise a private transfer before you go, you’ll find plenty of taxis waiting just outside the arrivals terminal – just follow the signs inside the airport for the taxi stand.
The official Marrakech taxis are light yellow with a rectangular sign on top, so you can’t miss them. A taxi is pretty similarly priced to a private transfer, costing you about £5-8. One important tip, though: always agree on the fare before you jump in!
Bus from Marrakech Airport to Medina: The Cheapest Option
If you’re looking for a budget-friendly option, catching the bus is the cheapest way to get from Marrakech Airport to the Medina. It’s certainly not going to be as comfy or convenient as your own private transfer, but the journey isn’t long, so you won’t have to endure it for ages!
To get from Marrakech Airport to the Medina by bus, you’ll need to take bus number 19. This bus is conveniently located just outside the arrivals terminal, near the taxi stand. The journey takes about 30 minutes, depending on traffic. It has 11 stops in total, including two right in the heart of the Medina – Koutoubia and Jemaa El-Fna Square. So, you’ll still be taken straight to the main spots in the city.
The bus driver may not speak much English, so I’d recommend downloading Google Maps offline and showing them where you need to go. They’ll be able to let you know when to get off, or you can simply follow the journey on your map – your phone should still track your location via GPS, even without the internet.
Here’s the logistics: The bus runs every 30 minutes, seven days a week, from 6:20am to 10:50pm. A one-way ticket costs around 30 Moroccan Dirhams (about £2.50). If you’re planning to return to the airport within 14 days, you can save a bit more by getting a return ticket for 50 Dirhams (~£4).
Tickets can be bought directly from the bus driver in cash. I’m not sure about card payments, so it’s best to bring cash to be on the safe side. But otherwise, it’s a great option if you’re looking for something cheap and cheerful!
Car Rental at Marrakech Airport: The Wild Card Option
Marrakech Airport is a handy spot to grab a hire car if you’re planning a road trip around Morocco. There are loads of rental companies based right inside the airport. This makes it super convenient to pick up your car as soon as you get off your flight.
To be honest, I really wouldn’t recommend driving anywhere near the medina in Marrakech, especially after dark. It’s a bit of a free-for-all – scooters, donkeys, cars, horses and carriages, and tourists going in all directions. Honestly, your best bet is to just pick up your car and head straight out of the city.
I hired a car and road-tripped all the way from Marrakech to Merzouga, the gateway to the Sahara – and I absolutely loved it! If you’re toying with the idea, definitely check out my full guide to driving in Morocco.
Driving gives you so much freedom to explore at your own pace, but it’s not without its challenges – like navigating unfamiliar road signs or getting used to driving on the other side of the road from your home country. Still, if you’re up for it, it’s one of the best ways to see the country!
🚗 If you want to compare car rental companies, then use DiscoverCars or AutoEurope. Both are very reliable websites that will help you to find the best car rental deals by comparing the prices and ratings of hundreds of companies in Morocco.
What to Expect When You Arrive at Marrakech Airport
When I visited Morocco, my accommodation offered a private transfer. So, I arranged for them to pick us up about 30 minutes after our flight. I thought we’d breeze through the airport since we only had carry-on bags. Well… let’s just say I was way off.
It took us nearly two hours to get through passport control. Most of that time was spent in one never-ending queue. Honestly, this isn’t unusual; it seems to be a pretty common experience for many visitors to Marrakech. So when you’re planning your transport from the airport to the Medina, definitely factor in some extra time. FYI — passport control wasn’t nearly as much of an issue on the way back.
If you book private transport, they’ll usually wait for you (ours did). And if not, don’t worry — there are plenty of taxis outside. So, you can easily sort out another way to get to the Medina when you arrive.
The airport itself is relatively small, so once you’re through passport control, it’s quite straightforward to find your way out. Just be prepared — it’s busy, which is very on-brand for Marrakech!
I also highly recommend getting a Moroccan SIM card, especially if you plan on driving in Morocco. There are lots of SIM card shops at the airport. However, I’d avoid buying one there — they charge almost double (I learned that the hard way). Instead, head to Jemaa el-Fnaa, where you’ll pay less and they’ll still set everything up for you.
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Kirsty x
