Madrid to Marrakech and Back in 48 Hours, Am I Crazy????
 

I (my travelling companion and I)are planning on a quick trip to Marrakesh from Spain and am not sure if I have everything thought out. Any advice would be greatly appreciated as this is a bit overwhelming. We are planning on taking a morning train from Madrid to Algeciras (8am-2pm), an afternoon ferry to Tangier and an overnight train (9pm-8am) to Marrakesh. Since we are in the US, we cannot get the Tangier/Marrakesh train tickets until we arrive in Tangiers, a few hours prior to planned departure. Logistically, it seems like this should work...has anyone else done this route...is it likely that we will have problems getting the train tickets for Marrakesh so late? Also, I understand there are two train stations in Tangiers...which is the best on to go to...are they difficult to navigate/get tickets? Does anyone have suggestions on how to spend a few hours, safely, in Tangiers? I GREATLY appreciate any advice.

Check into the Ryan Air flights. They do fly direct to Marrakesh from various European hubs. You might find it a better choice. RyanAir flies from London to Marrakesh.

Your current plans sounds pure agony.

Blackduff

Yes, you're crazy. While technically possible, this is a huge waste of time and money for little enjoyment. Definitely fly. There may be some cheap flights from Madrid, but the cheapest are usually from London.

The following airlines offer cheap flights from MAD to RAK:

Air Europa - easyJet - Atlas Blue

The stuff of nightmares, if you ask me.

Morocco is one of my favorite places on earth, but no way I'd put myself through all this for a night in Marrakesh. For one thing, things don't always work so well in North Africa. You might get lucky and make all those hideous connections, or you might not and your whole plan would be down the drain in a heartbeat. For another, unless you give yourself some time to figure out Marrakesh well in advance, which is extremely hard given the way the city is laid out, you'll probably wander into the Jmaah el Fna and won't surface for three days.

Save it for another trip when you actually have time to absorb it. You'd be better off watching 48 hours worth of videos of North Africa.

And Tangiers isn't unsafe - it's just gross.

When it comes to ferry travel, always plan with a caveat-- WEATHER PERMITTING.

If you really want to do it, Easyjet is your best bet. A friend went in July for a weekend. Friday evening flight out, sunday evening back. It was something like 100 euros, and they loved it.

Rgds, Cova

I agree with cova. If you only have 2 days and really want to go, fly, and easyjet DOES have great fares.

Traveler
Have you considered that there's a time difference. Between Spain and Tangiers is an hour.

With a tight schedule, don't miss the zone changes.

Blackduff

Hey for what it's worth, I just booked a cheap one-way flight from Madrid to Marrakesh for 50 euros all fees and taxes included. I'm flying late December on Air Moroc.