If your trip is built around Marrakech, the simplest route is often to fly straight into Marrakech Menara (RAK). But plenty of itineraries land at Casablanca Mohammed V (CMN) first — here is how to bridge the gap by train or private car, and reach your medina riad with the least friction.
Practical · Updated June 2026 · 6 min read
First decide: do you even need Casablanca?
Marrakech has its own international airport, Marrakech Menara (RAK), sitting barely 6 km from Jemaa el-Fnaa — a 15-minute taxi or transfer to the medina. Most low-cost and many full-service carriers from Europe fly there directly, so if Marrakech is your destination, check RAK fares before assuming you must route through Casablanca. A direct RAK arrival removes the entire CMN-to-Marrakech leg described below.
That said, long-haul travellers, those connecting on Royal Air Maroc, or anyone combining Marrakech with Casablanca, Rabat or Tangier will often land at CMN. Mohammed V remains Morocco's busiest gateway, and the onward links to Marrakech are straightforward once you know the options.
Train from CMN into Casablanca
An ONCF rail line runs from the station beneath Mohammed V Airport to Casa Voyageurs, the main station in central Casablanca. Departures are roughly half-hourly across the day, the run takes around 35–45 minutes, and second class is inexpensive (first class costs a little more for a reserved, quieter carriage). Tickets are sold at the windows and machines in the airport station hall.
Casa Voyageurs is the hub you want for onward intercity travel. Casablanca's other central station, Casa Port, mainly handles commuter services, so for connections south to Marrakech or north on the high-speed line, stay on for Casa Voyageurs.
Reaching Marrakech from Casablanca airport
Marrakech lies roughly 240 km south of Casablanca down the A7 motorway. A private car covers it in about three hours door-to-door, traffic through Casablanca and the Settat stretch permitting. By rail you ride the airport train to Casa Voyageurs, change onto an ONCF intercity service to Marrakech (around three hours), then take a petit taxi or arranged pickup from Marrakech's Gare onward to your riad.
For most Marrakech-bound visitors arriving at CMN, a pre-booked private transfer is the least stressful choice. A driver meets you at arrivals with a name board, handles the luggage and drives straight through — no station change, no haggling at a taxi rank, and a drop-off as close to your riad door as the medina lanes allow, with the final walk-in on foot where cars cannot pass.
- Private transfer CMN to Marrakech: roughly three hours on the A7; a fixed per-car price agreed in advance.
- Train CMN to Marrakech: change at Casa Voyageurs; total journey four to five hours including the connection wait; the cheapest route.
- Tip: confirm whether flying into RAK directly would skip this leg entirely — it often will.
Onward from CMN to Rabat, Fes and Tangier
The Al Boraq high-speed line links Casa Voyageurs to Kenitra, Rabat Agdal and Tangier Ville at up to 320 km/h, putting Tangier just over two hours away. You board it from Casa Voyageurs after the short airport-train hop, buying the Al Boraq ticket at the station.
Fes is reached by a standard ONCF intercity train from Casa Voyageurs (around four hours) or by a direct private car (roughly four hours on the A2). Rabat is the easiest of all — under an hour by train from Casa Voyageurs, or a comparable door-to-door drive.
- CMN to Rabat: short train from Casa Voyageurs, or a direct private car.
- CMN to Fes: private transfer, or train via Casa Voyageurs.
- CMN to Tangier: Al Boraq from Casa Voyageurs is fastest and most comfortable.
Private car versus public transport from CMN
Morocco's airport train is genuinely good — clean, punctual and cheap — and a fine choice if you are heading into Casablanca itself or onward by rail. The case for a private transfer strengthens the further you are going: after a long-haul flight, with luggage in tow, heading for a car-free Marrakech medina where no taxi can reach your door, a pre-arranged driver turns a multi-step journey into a single, simple one.
A private transfer locks in the price before you travel, waits for you at arrivals rather than the back of a taxi queue, and delivers you to the riad threshold. For three or more travellers sharing a car, the total often lands close to the combined cost of train tickets plus city taxis at both ends.
What to expect on arrival at CMN
Mohammed V has two terminals; Terminal 1 carries most international traffic including European airlines, while Terminal 2 serves some additional carriers. Both link to the rail station by a covered walkway or short shuttle. On arrival you clear passport control and collect your entry stamp, reclaim baggage and pass a brief customs check. Queues at immigration can lengthen during European school holidays and around the end of Ramadan, so build in a buffer if you have a tight onward connection.
- Draw local cash from an arrivals-hall ATM rather than the bureau de change; the rate is better.
- Maroc Telecom and Orange desks sell local SIMs in arrivals; bring your passport to register, or simply land with an eSIM already loaded.
- Airport taxis are metered but drivers may push a flat rate — insist on the meter or settle the fare clearly first.
- For the rail station, follow signs for 'Train' or 'Gare' from either terminal.