Travel into the desert of eastern Morocco near the border with Algeria aboard a private luxury train. Starting out in Oudja it runs 300km south to Bouarfa. See their website and a short video.
If the train and scenery look familiar it's because the railway was one of the locations for the James Bond movie Spectre.
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| Click to enlarge |
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| Rail map showing connection to the ODE |
The Moroccan government has light restrictions on travel for Canadians travelling to the country. The entrance details can be found at the Visit Morocco website. Entrance is allowed without restriction for those who have had any of the major vaccines. If a person has not had a vaccination then a COVID test result must be presented that was taken less than 72 hours prior to arrival.
According to one website the best mobile plan to use is Maroc Telecom. The others recommended are Inwi and Orange.
You can get a Moroccan SIM card in Maroc Telecom's, Orange's, and Inwi's official stores. You can also get them from third-party resellers such as tobacco stores. They are also available at the airports in Casablanca and Marrakesh.
You can expect to pay the following for a Morocco SIM card:
The Morocco international dialing code is 212.
A completely different method of having phone access around the world is to use a mobile portable WiFi hotspot. The TEP Wireless Hotspot allows you connect your phone or laptop to the internet through the hotspot. The advantage of the device is that it can be used in over 130 countries, so you don't need to buy a new SIM card every time you travel to a new country. (There is a Europe plan that covers Europe, including eastern Europe, and the UK.) It comes preloaded with 1GB of data. For use in Morocco, 8GB of data for 30 days costs $77US. See all data plans here.
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Some other riads in Marrakech recommended on TripAdvisor:
L'Oriental Medina & Spa, 5 Derb Lgssaba, Lmoukef, kaat bennahid
Riad Chams Marrakech, 214-215 Derb Sidi
Riad L'Orchidée, 42-43 Derb Sidi Bou Amar
Riad Dar Dialkoum, 317 Derb Nakhla Bab Doukala
Mon Riad, 4 Derb Lahabasse
Riad Karmela, 10 Derb El Ferrane Azbetz (map)
Riad Irhalne, 5 Derb Sidi Ben Aissa Dabachi
Riad Dar Zaman, 29 Derb Bouelilou, Sidi Ben Slimane
Recommended by Lucas Peters of the Morocco guide:
Riad Boussa, 192 Derb Jdid - Dabachi
Riad Les Trois Mages, N 11 Derb Jamaa, Rue El Gza, Riad Larousse
Riad Dar Najat, 18 Douar Graoua, Derb Lalla Chacho
Riad Alisma, 50 Rue de la Bahia
Hôtel Sindi Sud, 109 Derb Sidi Bouloukate. A good quality, clean budget hotel - 100Dh!
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| Mon Riad |
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| Riad Chams Marrakech |
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| Riad Dar Dialkoum |
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| Riad Irhalne |
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| Riad Karmela |
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| Riad L'Orchidée |
Riad Dar Chrifa - www.riaddarchrifa.com, 20 Arsat El Hammoumi Ziat, 30000 is recommended by Luke and Sabrina at Chopstick Travel.
Tel: +212 (05) 35 63 78 50 Email: riaddarchrifa@menara.ma
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| Riad Dar Chrifa |
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| Riad Dar Chrifa |
Tripadvisor recommended hotels in Marrakech
Hotel Sol Oasis, Douar Ben Rahmoun Prefecture Sidi Youssef Ben Ali
La Maison des Oliviers, KM 6 Route de l'Ourika, BP 429, Lagouassem
Riad Nora, 29A Rue de la Bahia
Casablanca
ONOMO Hotel Casablanca, Angle de rue boulevard Massira & rue Normandie
ibis Casa-Voyageurs, Avenue Ba Hmad Place de la Gare
Adagio Casablanca, 279 Boulevard Bir Anzarane
Grand Mogador, rue Hassan II
Le 135 Hotel, 135 Blvd Hassan II
Hotel Gauthier, rue Ilya Abou Madi
Wanderlust Magazine recommends Hotel le Doge as a beautifully restored 1930s Art Deco hotel. Nice but quite expensive - €135 and up.
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| 1st Class Seating |
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| Click to enlarge |
In Morocco, it’s easiest to buy your train tickets in person. You can get information on timetables and prices on the ONCF website, then just head to the nearest train station to book your tickets. Be sure to bring cash! You might be able to use your credit cards, but don’t count on it. The Rome2Rio website is very good for find connections between cities.
Most train routes run regularly so it’s rare to have every seat sold out, but it’s good to book in advance if you want to guarantee your spot. The stations are always centrally located and you can buy tickets a few weeks in advance, so just grab ‘em whenever it’s handy.
For night trains, you’ve got a choice of sleeper cars. A four-bed couchette costs Dh370 ($38 USD), a single compartment is Dh480 ($50 USD), and a double compartment is Dh690 ($70 USD). Considering it covers your travel and accommodation for the night, it’s super affordable.
| Route | Travel Time | |
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| Tangier to Casablanca | 6 hrs | |
| Tangier to Marrakech (Overnight train) | 10 hrs | |
| Rabat to Fes (Fez) | 2 hrs 30 min | |
| Casablanca to Fes (Fez) | 4 hrs | |
| Casablanca to Casablanca Airport | 32 min | |
| Marrakech to Casablanca | 3 hrs 10 min | |
| Marrakech to Fes | 7 hrs 10 min | |
| Marrakech to Rabat | 4 hrs 15 min |
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| Click to enlarge |
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| Tangier |
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| The Medina in Marrakesh |
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| Erg Chebbi Dunes in the Sahara Desert |
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| Hassan II Mosque, Casablanca |
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| Fes (Fez) |
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| Atlas Mountains |
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| Aït Benhaddou |
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| Dadès Gourge — Monkey Fingers Canyon |
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| Morocco Site Map |
