Within Marrakech you'll mostly walk the medina and grab petit taxis between districts. For the airport, the day trips and onward cities, the choice is between the train (to Casablanca, Rabat, Fes) and a private driver — and which you want depends on where you're headed.
Practical · Updated June 2026 · 3 min read
Getting around the city
The medina is a pedestrian maze: cars can't reach most riad doors, so you'll explore it on foot and lean on landmarks like Jemaa el-Fna and the Koutoubia minaret to orient yourself. Between the old town, Gueliz and Hivernage, the new-town districts, small beige 'petit taxis' handle short hops cheaply; agree the fare first or insist on the meter, since they often 'forget' it for tourists.
Trains and buses from Marrakech
Marrakech is the southern terminus of the ONCF rail network, with comfortable trains running north to Casablanca (around three hours), Rabat and onward to Fes and Tangier — including the Al Boraq high-speed line on the northern stretch. The station sits in Gueliz, a short taxi from the medina. For places off the rail map — the Atlas, Ouarzazate, the gorges, Essaouira and the Sahara — you'll want a private driver or a long-distance bus, with CTM and Supratours the reliable operators.
Why most visitors use a private driver for day trips
For anything beyond the city — Agafay, the Ourika valley, the Atlas passes, Essaouira or a desert run to Aït Ben Haddou — a private driver-guide is the comfortable choice: door-to-the-gate from your riad, all your luggage, your own schedule, and the freedom to stop at a viewpoint, an argan co-op or a Berber village on the way. The mountain switchbacks and desert pistes are demanding to self-drive, and a good driver doubles as guide and translator.
Airport transfers
Marrakech Menara (RAK) sits just a few kilometres from the medina. A pre-booked private transfer with a flight-tracked, name-board pickup spares you the arrivals-hall taxi haggling, and because no car reaches the riad door, your driver walks you the last few minutes through the lanes to the door.