Rental cars, Taxis, and Buses in Marrakech

Transportation from Menara Marrakech Airport

After arriving at the airport of Marrakech, you can take the bus, which its stop is to the left of the exit of the building. The ticket costs 30 dirham, and the bus goes about every 30 minutes. It goes to all the important points of the city, like the Medina of Marrakech, Djemaa el Fna, Koutoubia, … If you want to go to the Palmerie, which is on the outskirts of Marrakech, you have to take a taxi or ask for a transfer before you arrive at the airport.

There are plenty of taxis in front of the building. The price is not very clear for the tourists , but the airport recently put a banner with the official price of 100 dirhams. It can be very easy for the driver to charge you much more on arrival at your destination. We always recommend to order a transfer, which normally costs about 15 euro. This may save yourself a lot of trouble and unpleasant surprises after a long journey. All hotels, Riads and almost all apartments and holiday accommodations usually offer this service. The drivers know the route and take you right to the front door. However, if you have booked a riad in the medina, access to the front door may not be possible becaus eof the narrow streets.

Transportation in the city center of Marrakech

The transportation in the city center of Marrakech is very cheap, easy and safe. The inhabitants of Marrakech are very accustomed to tourism, and you can use public transport without any problems. Marrakech is a safe city, and you do not need to be afraid. The city is not very big, and you can reach most of the places on foot. From your riad, hotel or your apartment you can get either the bus, petit taxi or gran taxi as a means of transportation. The prices given below are, of course, only approximate, and only valid for the centre of Marrakech, as for example from Gueliz to Jemaa El Fna. If you want to go to the Palmerie, which is on the outskirts of Marrakech, the price for the taxi or bus ticket is of course higher. Here we explain everything you should know about these means of transport:

Bus

The bus is a good option for 1 or 2 persons as it is very cheap, and sometimes when many people are waiting for a taxi on the road, it is preferable to take the bus if a stop is nearby. The buses from Marrakech are the old buses of Spain, and one should know that neither buses nor taxis usually have air conditioner. There are many buses that go from or to Djama El Fna and from or to the Koutoubia. The bus ticket is very cheap, about 4 dirham per person. It is important to have spare cash at hand.

Petit Taxi

For two or three people, the petit taxi is usually as expensive as the bus, or even cheaper. Again, it is important to have enough small spare cash. The price for a petit taxi is about 15 dirham depending on th distance. The petit taxis in Marrakech are generally beige or white and can only transport up to 3 persons on short distances. You drive up to the Palmerie of Marrakech. How does it work? The petit taxi works like a bus. It is not always empty, as it is shared (it can be considered a hybrid between a taxi and a bus).  Use a finger to indicate whether you want to go straight or turn left or right. Do not worry if a taxi does not stop or you don’t take it at the end. It is completely normal and occurs frequently. The taxi simply goes in a different route than yours. Just try it again, it will work with another petit taxi. All petit taxis in Marrakech have a taximeter, regardless of whether an occupant is already sitting in the vehicle or not. If the taxi is already occupied with a person, you are the number 2 on the counter. If there are already two people in the vehicle, you are number 3 on the counter. Everything is very well organized. Heavily insist to the driver to put on the taximeter in order to avoid paying more than it should be.

Gran Taxi

The gran taxis of Marrakech are the old taxis of Germany and are all beige or white Mercedes. They are easy to distinguish from the petit taxis, since all taxis, which are not Mercedes, are petit taxis. The gran taxis are usually much more expensive and drive short and long distances. You can take up to 6 people or even more, and if you make an excursion outside of Marrakech you will be amazed on how the passenger seat is often occupied by two people. This is completely normal in Marrakech. We recommend the grand taxi only for long distances, or if you are many people. In this case, it is advisable to negotiate the price. If you are 3 or more people, you can also take two petit taxis.