Visiting Marrakech – What you should know before you go - Part 1

If you are planning a trip to Marrakech or Morocco then I suggest you read through this set of general information before you read the articles on Marrakech itself. I explain some of the terms and words in use here which are not covered in the city guide as it is assumed you now know them. There are a number of things you need to be aware of before you go, which I will cover in the set of articles. However, number one is; if you cannot afford health insurance stop planning and don’t go. You do not want to try out the public health system here.

So now we have covered that then the easiest way of getting there is by flying directly to Marrakech. Royal Air Maroc and Atlas Blue are the local carriers. There are of course the budget airlines EasyJet, Ryanair and other who all run regular services from many European locations.

After the budget airlines began services to the city, it has become much cheaper to travel there. Promotions see off-season fares starting from as low as £1 one way plus taxes. However most of the time you should be able to get a return fare for under £100 if you book ahead. Just be careful of all the add-ons, sometimes the main carriers offer a better overall deal.

Marrakech International Airport used to be a fairly modest airport but has been significantly expanded in order to accommodate the vast number of flights that the city now gets. It is located a mere 2 miles from the centre of town and the drive should take no more than six or seven minutes. If you want to take one of the airport taxis then you will find that they are gathered in the car park outside the arrivals terminal. Even though all taxis are metered must have meters you can find that they are never actually switched on unless you ask the driver to do so. This can result in a larger bill than expected. It’s almost taken for granted that for the airport run, as it’s so quick that the meter is ignored. The result is that a ride which would otherwise cost 30 Dh will now be charged at over 100 Dh. As this is about $10 at current rates you may not want to bother and suggest that the tip is included.

Visiting Marrakech continued in part 2