Marrakech to Fes — train or private driver?

First, an important fact that surprises a lot of people: there is no direct train between Marrakech and Fes. The ONCF network connects both cities, but only via Casablanca, so the rail journey involves the line up to Casablanca and across, typically totalling around seven to eight hours with a change. It is comfortable and inexpensive, but it is not quick and it is not direct.

A private driver covers the same broad distance — it is a long day either way, roughly six to eight hours of actual travel depending on stops and route. The difference is what you can do with the time. Instead of sitting on a train via Casablanca, a driver can take you on a more interesting overland route, breaking the trip at places like Beni Mellal, the cedar forests near Azrou with their wild monkeys, or the curiously Alpine-looking town of Ifrane.

Our honest recommendation depends on your priorities. If you simply want to get from A to B as cheaply as possible and do not mind the change at Casablanca, the train is fine and frees you from driving. If you want the journey itself to be part of the holiday — scenery, photo stops, a proper lunch somewhere local — a private driver is the clear winner and turns a transfer day into a sightseeing day.

Many travellers split the difference by treating Marrakech and Fes as two ends of a designed route, with the desert or the Atlas in between, so they never do the direct A-to-B slog at all. If your itinerary allows it, that is often the most satisfying option — and exactly the kind of routing we plan for people.