Marrakech and Fes are the two great imperial cities that almost every traveller wants to see, yet they are far apart: a little over 500 kilometres. The journey can be a simple train ride, a day on the motorway, a crossing of the Middle Atlas and its cedar forests, or a three-day tour through the Merzouga desert. Here are the options, with real journey times, and our advice on choosing according to your time and budget.
Distances and routes
There are two main road routes:
- By the motorway, via Casablanca and Rabat, then Meknes: about 530 kilometres, six hours of driving without long stops. It is the fastest by car.
- Through the Middle Atlas, via Beni Mellal, Khenifra, Azrou and Ifrane: slightly fewer kilometres, but a slower mountain road, seven to eight hours with stops. It is the most beautiful.
A third, much longer route goes through the desert: more on that below.
Option 1: the train
This is the most popular choice among independent travellers.
- The route: direct trains link Marrakech station with Fes, via Casablanca, Rabat and Meknes, several times a day.
- Journey time: about seven hours station to station.
- Comfort: in first class your seat is reserved; the long hours pass better with an assigned seat. In second class you sit wherever there is room.
- Tickets: at the counter, from station machines or on the ONCF app.
It is reliable and cheap, but long: with the taxi to Marrakech station, the wait and the ride to your riad in the Fes medina, allow a full day.
Option 2: the bus
CTM and Supratours run the route, with comfortable coaches. The journey takes eight to nine hours, with breaks. It is the cheapest option, but also the longest, with bus stations to reach at each end. Our guide to CTM and Supratours buses explains how to book.
Option 3: flying
Domestic flights exist depending on the season, often with a stop in Casablanca. Once you add the transfers to the airports, check-in and any connection, the time saved over the train is often small. Flying only really makes sense for a direct flight, when there is one.
Option 4: a private driver
In a private car you leave your riad in Marrakech and arrive at the gate nearest your riad in Fes, with your luggage and no changes. Above all, the journey becomes a chance to see regions the train does not cross.
In one day by the motorway
Six hours of driving, with a lunch break and perhaps a stop in Rabat for the Hassan Tower and the Mohammed V Mausoleum, or in Meknes for the Bab Mansour gate.
In one or two days through the Middle Atlas
This is the route we prefer. The road crosses the Tadla plain to Beni Mellal, at the foot of the Atlas, then climbs towards Khenifra and the cedar forests of Azrou, home to Barbary macaques, before reaching Ifrane, a small mountain town with sloping roofs nicknamed “the Switzerland of Morocco”. Fes is then only an hour away. Over two days, with a night in Ifrane or Azrou, the journey is very pleasant. You can also start with a detour to the Ouzoud waterfalls, as long as you stay overnight on the way.
| Train | Bus | Flight | Private driver | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Journey time | About 7 h, plus taxis | 8 to 9 h | Variable, often with a stop | 6 h by motorway, 7 to 8 h through the Middle Atlas |
| Stops and visits | No | No | No | Yes, as you wish |
| Luggage | In the carriage | In the hold | Depends on the ticket | No problem |
| Best for | Solo travellers | Tight budgets | Direct flights | Families, couples, groups |
Option 5: through the desert, in three days
This is the most popular route of any Morocco trip: leave Marrakech, cross the High Atlas over the Tizi n’Tichka, pass Ait Ben Haddou, the Dades valley and the Todra gorges, sleep in the Merzouga dunes, then head north to Fes via the Ziz valley, Midelt and the Middle Atlas.
- Day 1: Marrakech – Ait Ben Haddou – Dades valley.
- Day 2: Todra gorges, then Merzouga, a camel ride at sunset and a night in camp.
- Day 3: sunrise over the dunes, then the road to Fes via Errachidia, the Ziz valley, Midelt, the Azrou cedars and Ifrane. Arrival in Fes in the early evening.
The third day is long, about eight hours on the road with stops, but the landscape changes constantly, from desert to cedar forest. Our articles Marrakech to Merzouga and the 3-day Merzouga tour describe the first part of the route.
Which route to choose?
- You are in a hurry and alone: the train.
- You want to see the country without spending three days: a private driver through the Middle Atlas, in one or two days.
- You have at least three days and dream of the Sahara: the Merzouga route.
- You are travelling as a family or group: a private car, where the price per person falls quickly. Our comparison hire a car or take a driver helps if you are thinking of driving.
To plan the whole trip, our 7-day itinerary from Marrakech offers more ideas for stops, and our article Marrakech to Casablanca covers the first part of the motorway route.
Booking
We arrange the Marrakech – Fes journey in a private vehicle, by the motorway or through the Middle Atlas, with pick-up at your riad and drop-off as close as possible to your accommodation in Fes; our article on private transfer prices explains how the rate is worked out. For the desert route, the 3-day Merzouga desert tour can end in Fes instead of returning to Marrakech, and the private transfer from Marrakech to Merzouga suits you if you would rather organise the rest yourself. Ask for a quote from the contact page.
