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| Morocco
Getting Around - Internal Travel |
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Air
Royal Air
Maroc (AT) operates frequent services from Casablanca
airport to:
• Agadir
• Dakhla
•
Fès
• Marrakech
• Ouarzazate
•
Oujda
• Tangier
Regional Airlines (FN) also runs internal services.
Rail
The Moroccan rail system, run by Office National des Chemins
de Fer (ONCF) presents regular and cheap services with
1st class travel available between the major centres. The rail fares
are amongst the cheapest in the world, although a supplement must
be paid for in the air-conditioned trains. Restaurant cars and sleeping
cars are also available. The network runs from Oujda
in the northeast to Casablanca to the west, Tangier
on the north coast and Fès and Marrakech
in the interior. The most useful route is from Fès
to Rabat and Casablanca, with 5 daily
and 2 overnight trains. There are also 2 daily trains and 1 overnight
train which run from Casablanca to Marrakech.
Additionally, a train runs every thirty minutes from Kenitra
to Rabat from monday to friday.
Cheap
fares
Children under 4 travel free and children from 4 to 12 may travel
for half fare. The European Inter-Rail pass is
legitimate in Morocco.
Road
The traffic drives on the right in Morocco.
The main Moroccan roads, predominantly those covering the north
and northwest of the country, are all-weather highways.
In the interior, south of the High Atlas Mountains, road travel
becomes much more complicated, especially across the Atlas Mountains
during the winter.
Coach
The main centres are connected by a wide variety of coach services,
several of them are privately run.
The 2 largest firms are CTM (covering the whole
of Morocco) and SATAS (between Casablanca, Agadir
and south of Agadir).
Tourists should bear in mind, however, that Morocco has a poor road
safety record and the roads from Agadir to Marrakech, via Imi'n
Tanoute and Chichaoua, are particularly dangerous.
Bus
Connections between most main towns and villages are regular and
frequent, although buses can be crowded and it may be wise to buy
tickets in advance and board well before departure to secure a place
to sit. The price of tickets is very low, particularly with some
of the smaller bus companies. It is routine to tip the guard for
the loading luggage. For charter intentions, air-conditioned motor
coaches are available.
Taxi
Taxi's are available in main towns, the petits taxis, are metered
(please see below under Urban). Other larger taxis, generally Mercedes
cars, are used for travel to the areas outside of the towns and
these can be shared, but fares should be agreed before departure.
Car hire
Major hire companies have offices in the major towns and cities.
Car hire is generally very expensive.
Documentation
• International Driving Permits are accepted,
as well as Foreign driving licences.
•Third Party insurance is required.
• A Green Card is also necessary and car insurance can be
arranged locally.
Urban
There are extensive bus services in Casablanca and other large towns
and pre-purchase tickets are sold. Urban area petits taxis
are abundant with metered fares. Taxi drivers expect a 10%.
Travel times
The following chart gives approximate travel times (in hours and
minutes) from Casablanca to other major towns and cities in Morocco |
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Air |
Road |
Sea |
Rabat |
0.30 |
1.30 |
1.00 |
Marrakech |
0.30 |
4.00 |
4.00 |
Tangier |
0.50 |
6.00 |
6.00 |
Laayoune |
1.30 |
20.00 |
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