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This page explains how to plan & book a journey from London to Morocco (Tangier, Marrakech, Fez, Rabat or Casablanca) without flying, in comfort & safety by train.  And what a journey!  Take Eurostar to Paris, grab a beer in a Parisian café and board the excellent 'trainhotel' sleeper train to Madrid.  Enjoy a meal with wine in the restaurant car and a nightcap in the bar before retiring to your sleeper for the night as the train speeds south across France, then wake up to breakfast as the sun rises over distant Spanish mountains.  Spend a day in Madrid, visit the Prado Museum or soak up the atmosphere in the Plaza Santa Ana before taking an afternoon express across Andalusia to Algeciras on the Straits of Gibraltar.  Next morning, take the ferry from Europe to Africa, the Rock of Gibraltar close on the port beam and the African coast getting slowly nearer.  Once in Morocco, let the real Marrakech Express speed you south towards the incredible High Atlas mountains...

On this page:

London to Tangier train  times

Tangier to London train times

Fares & costs 

How to buy tickets

Train travel within Morocco, Tangier to Marrakech, Fez, Rabat, Casablanca

Above:  The fantastic mud-built town at Aït ben Haddou, south of Marrakech...

Train times London ► Morocco:

• Day 1, afternoon:  Travel from London to Paris by Eurostar, leaving London St Pancras at 14:04 arriving in Paris Gare du Nord at 17:26.  Cross Paris by metro to the Gare d'Austerlitz.  By all means book an earlier Eurostar if you'd like to spend some time in Paris, there are left luggage lockers at both Paris Nord and Paris Austerlitz.

• Day 1, evening:  Travel from Paris to Madrid overnight on the excellent 'trainhotel', leaving Paris Gare d'Austerlitz at 19:45 and arriving next morning at Madrid Chamartin station at 09:13.  The trainhotel is a special articulated sleeper train with 4-berth tourist class sleepers, 1- & 2-berth 1st class sleepers, and 1- & 2-berth Gran Clase sleepers with private shower & toilet, meals included.  The trainhotel has an elegant restaurant car and a vibrant café-bar, see the London to Spain page for more information about this train, or the excellent virtual tour at www.elipsos.com.

• Day 2, spend the day enjoying Madrid.  Map of Madrid.  There are left luggage lockers at both Madrid Chamartin where you arrive and Madrid Atocha from where you depart.  You can take the metro from Chamartin into the city centre, see www.metromadrid.es.  In the late afternoon, make your way by metro to Madrid's Atocha station, or simply walk there from the city centre, it's about 20 minutes walk. 

• Day 2, evening:  Travel from Madrid to Algeciras (the Spanish town across the bay from Gibraltar) on the afternoon 'Altaria' air-conditioned 125mph train.  You leave Madrid Atocha station at 15:05 and arrive in Algeciras at 20:33.  It's quite a scenic ride, though parts may be after dark.  Altaria trains have 1st class (Preferente) and 2nd class (Turista) and a cafe-bar with full length wooden bar and barstools.  The Preferente fare includes a complimentary aperitif of sherry or cava then an airline-style hot meal with choice of wines followed by coffee and chocolate.  Preferente passengers may also use the Sala Club (1st class lounge) with complimentary coffee, juices and free beer, in Madrid Atocha station.  Spend the night in Algeciras.  Algeciras hotels.  Map of Algeciras & Gibraltar area.

• Day 3, morning:  Sail from Algeciras to Tangier by ferry, either a leisurely ship taking 2½ hours or a 'seacat' fast ferry taking 1½ hours.  Ships of several ferry companies sail every couple of hours from Algeciras to Tangier through the day, and there's usually a ship which sails at either 08:00 arriving Tangier at 09:30, or at 09:00 arriving Tangier 10:30.  Standing on deck of a ship watching Africa approach can be more rewarding than being seated inside a fast ferry, even though it takes an extra hour.  There's no need to book in advance for any of the ferries, just turn up and buy your ticket at the port.  See www.trasmediterranea.es (ship & fast ferry), www.comarit.com (ship) or www.euroferrys.com (ship) or www.nautas-almaghreb.com (fast ferry) to check ferry times & fares.  In Algeciras, the ferry terminal is a 10-minute walk from the station straight ahead of you.  In Tangier, it's a few minutes walk from the ferry terminal to the town centre.  The Seat61 Ferry Shop will give ferry times, fares and online booking for both Nautas and Trasmediterranea.

• An alternative if you'd prefer to spend the night in Madrid instead of in Algeciras:  On day 2, stay the night in a hotel in Madrid, then on the morning of day 3 take the 08:40 Altaria train from Madrid Atocha station to Algeciras, arriving at 14:05.  An afternoon ferry from Algeciras will get you to Tangier in the evening on day 3.  Although a half day slower overall, this option gives you a full day and evening in Madrid, and the morning Altaria train to Algeciras will show you the wonderful mountain scenery in southern Spain in daylight.

• For onwards train travel from Tangier to Marrakech, Fez, Rabat & Casablanca, see the train travel in Morocco section.

On board the trainhotel from Paris to Madrid...

The trainhotel's café-bar...		The trainhotel's elegant restaurant...

Gran Clase sleeper, in evening mode with the seats folded out...		...return from dinner to find the attendant has made up the beds...		Gran Clase sleepers have a private toilet & shower...		Above:  The trainhotels from Paris to Madrid and Barcelona are articulated Spanish 'Talgo' trains, jointly run by French & Spanish railways.

On board the Altaria train from Madrid to Algeciras...

A Spanish Railways Altaria train... Photo courtesy of Thomas Manthi		Turista (2nd class) on Altaria... Photo courtesy of Thomas Manthi		In Preferente, passengers get a complimentary meal with wine...

On board the ferry from Algeciras to Tangier...

Left:  Ships sail from Algeciras to Tangier every couple of hours throughout the day taking about 2½ hours. Why not see Gibraltar on the way..? Buses link Algeciras bus station (across the road from the station) with La Linea, the frontier with Gibraltar, every 30-45 minutes, taking about 30 minutes.  You can walk from La Linea across the frontier (and across Gibraltar Airport's main runway...) into Gibraltar town centre in about 10 minutes.  A fast ferry occasionally operates from Gibraltar to Tangier (the operator is www.frs.es) but there were no sailings at all in 2007 and in 2008 only Friday & Sunday evening crossings are planned, so after visiting Gibraltar just return to Algeciras for the regular ferries from there.

Train times Morocco ► London:

• For train connections from Marrakech, Casablanca, Rabat, Fez, Meknès to Tangier, see below.

• Day 1, evening:  Take a ferry from Tangier to Algeciras.  On most days there's a ship which sails from Tangier at 18:00 arriving in Algeciras at 21:30 or at 19:00 arriving Algeciras at 22:30.  It's a 2½ hour crossing by ship or 1½ hours by fast seacat.  See www.trasmediterranea.es, www.comarit.com or www.euroferrys.com for ships, or www.nautas-almaghreb.com for seacats, to check ferry times & fares.  Spend the night in Algeciras.

• Day 2, morning:  Travel from Algeciras to Madrid by high-speed Altaria train.  You leave Algeciras at 08:30 and arrive in Madrid Atocha at 13:57.  Altaria trains have air-conditioned 2nd class (Turista), 1st class (Preferente) and a cafe-bar.  The Preferente fare includes an at-seat meal with aperitif and selection of wines.  Make your way by metro or suburban train to Madrid Chamartin.

• An alternative if you'd prefer a day and night in Madrid:  On day 1, leave Tangier on a lunchtime ferry around 10:00 or 11:00 arriving Algeciras, see www.trasmediterranea.es, www.comarit.com or www.euroferrys.com to check sailing times and fares.  Then take the afternoon Altaria train from Algeciras (departing at 15:15) to Madrid (arriving Madrid Atocha at 20:50), and spend the night in Madrid.

• Day 2, evening:  Travel from Madrid to Paris on the excellent overnight trainhotel (sleepers, bar, restaurant available, see www.elipsos.com for the virtual tour of this train) leaving Madrid Chamartin at 19:00 and arriving in Paris Gare d'Austerlitz at 08:27 next morning.  Trainhotel passengers in Preferente and Gran Clase sleepers may use the Sala Club (1st class lounge) at Madrid Chamartin near platform 14, with complimentary tea, coffee, juices and free beer.  On arrival in Paris, take the metro to the Gare du Nord:  Metro line 5 links Paris Nord & Paris Austerlitz, just follow the signs 'M5 direction Bobigny Pablo Picasso'.

• Day 3, morning:  Travel from Paris to London by Eurostar, leaving Paris Gare du Nord at 10:13 and arriving in London at 11:28.

Fares:

Can I stop off on the way..?

Of course.  The Eurostar, the trainhotel and the Altaria train are ticketed as three separate journeys, so feel free to book each leg of the journey on whatever dates you like, spending however long you like in Paris or Madrid on the way.  The Altaria trains all stop at Ronda on the way to and from Algeciras, a wonderful town to visit.

How to buy tickets online:

The easiest and cheapest way to book your London-Morocco train journey is online.

• Step 1, follow the instructions in the London to Madrid section of the Spain page for booking the Paris-Madrid trainhotel and a connecting London-Paris Eurostar, using either www.raileurope.co.uk (in English, for UK residents with tickets sent to any UK address, backed by UK call centre, now easier to use and more reliable than voyages-sncf.com) or www.voyages-sncf.com (for any user from any country, in several languages, English button at the bottom, tickets sent to any address in Europe, see this advice before using it).

• Step 2, still on www.raileurope.co.uk, click 'continue shopping' and book the train from Madrid to Algeciras & back.  Remember that the outward date will obviously be the day after your departure from London.  Tip:  If it won't book a return, try booking as two one-ways.

• If you book the Madrid-Algeciras train using www.raileurope.co.uk as suggested above, all your tickets can be bought as one transaction, painlessly, in English.  However, www.raileurope.co.uk can only sell the normal flexible fare between Madrid & Algeciras, it can't sell the cheap 'Web' or 'Estrella' fares.  So to save money, book the Madrid-Algeciras & Algeciras-Madrid trains separately using the Spanish Railways website www.renfe.es, looking for these cheap deals.  You'll need to book in Spanish, but that's no real problem, just follow the step-by step instructions here.

• Step 3, tickets for the ferry can be bought at the ferry terminal when you get to Algeciras, as there are always places available.  Alternatively, you can pre-book using the Seat61 Ferry Shop, which will book either Trasmediterranea (ship or fast ferry) or Nautas (fast ferry).

How to buy tickets by phone:

You may prefer to book by phone.  To book train travel all the way from London to Algeciras, call www.spanish-rail.co.uk on 020 7224 0345 (lines open 09:30-17:30 Monday-Friday), or Rail Europe on 0844 848 5 848 (lines open 08:00-21:00 Mondays-Fridays, 09:00-18:00 Saturdays and 10:00-17:00 Sundays).  There is no need to book the Algeciras-Tangier ferry in advance, just buy a ticket at the ferry terminal when you get to Algeciras.  See the 'how to buy tickets' section on the Europe page for more info about how to book European trains.

Alternative journey London ► Morocco:

This option means more time on trains and less time in Madrid, but you can leave London a couple of hours later, and it can be cheaper for railpass or InterRail holders.  In the option above, InterRail or railpass holders need to pay a £50 sleeper supplement or £27 reclining seat supplement each way to travel on the Paris-Madrid trainhotel - the following option only requires a £18 couchette supplement each way plus a £8-£10 InterCity or Talgo supplement each way.

• Day 1 afternoon, travel from London to Paris by Eurostar, leaving London St Pancras at 17:30 and arriving in Paris (Gare du Nord) at 20:53.  Cross Paris by métro to the Gare d'Austerlitz.

• Day 1 evening, travel from Paris to Irun on the Spanish frontier overnight leaving Paris Austerlitz at 23:11 and arriving 07:32 next morning. This train has 6-berth 2nd class couchettes & 4-berth 1st class couchettes, but no longer any sleeping-car.  What are French couchettes like?

• Day 2 morning, take a connecting air-conditioned Alvia train (supplement payable) leaving Irun at 08:15 and arriving Madrid Chamartin at 13:53.

• Day 2 evening, travel from Madrid (Atocha station) to Algeciras by Altaria train, leaving Madrid at 15:05 arriving Algeciras at 20:33.  Spend the night there.

• Day 3 morning, take a ferry to Tangier as shown above.

Alternative journey Morocco ► London:

• Day 1 morning, take a ferry from Tangier to Algeciras around 10:00, a 2½ hour crossing, see www.trasmediterranea.es for ferry times.

• Day 1 afternoon, travel from Algeciras to Madrid by Altaria train as shown above, leaving Algeciras at 15:15 and arrives at Madrid Chamartin at 20:50.  Spend the night in Madrid.

• Day 2, travel from Madrid to Hendaye on the French frontier on an air-conditioned 'Altaria' train leaving Madrid Atocha at 16:10 arriving Hendaye at 22:00 (double-check times at www.renfe.es).

• This connects with the overnight train to Paris, leaving Hendaye at 22:19 and arriving in Paris Gare d'Austerlitz at 07:10.  Couchettes (2nd class 6-bunk & 1st class 4-bunk) are available.

• Day 3 morning, a Eurostar leaves Paris Gare du Nord at 09:07 arriving back in London St Pancras at 10:38.

France - Morocco by sea...

If you prefer a longer sea voyage, there are regular passenger ships from Sète in the South of France to Tangier, run by Comanav (Compagnie Maroccaine de Navigation).  See www.southernferries.co.uk/comanav_ferries.htm  for sailing dates and fares.  It's easy to get from London to Sète by train - use http://bahn.hafas.de for train times.

Railpasses:

If you just want to travel to and from Morocco, just buy normal tickets as a railpass is unlikely to save money.  For example, if you have a railpass you have to pay a 67 euro supplement to travel on the Paris-Madrid trainhotel in a 4-berth sleeper, but you can find a 67 euro special fare if you book in advance, without a railpass, so why bother with the pass?!  However, if you already have a railpass or InterRail card, or if you want to make other trips in France, Spain or Morocco so that a railpass becomes worthwhile, here are approximate supplements which railpass holders need to pay on this route:

• A 2-zone InterRail pass giving unlimited travel for a month in France, Spain and Morocco.  See the railpass page to check prices & buy online.

• You will need to add at least £59 return for the Eurostar from London to Paris as railpasses do not cover Eurostar.

• You will need to budget for the following supplements: (1) £15 each way for a couchette or £49 each way for a berth in a 2-berth sleeper on the overnight train between Paris and Irun;  (2) about £8 each way to cover the Talgo or InterCity supplement between Irun and Madrid;  (3) about £10 each way for a couchette or £30 each way for a sleeping-car room between Madrid and Algeciras.

• If you want to use the trainhotel option, the approximate supplements are:  (1) £51 each way for a trainhotel sleeping-car berth between Paris and Madrid and (2) about 9 euros (£7) each way for the Altaria supplement each way between Madrid and Algeciras.

Above:  The Marrakech Express...  A modern air-conditioned 'rapide' from Tangier to the South at Sidi Kacem.

Train routes in Morocco

The trains in Morocco are some of the best in Africa, the ideal choice for getting around.  Fast, modern, air-conditioned 'trains rapides climatisés' link Tangier, Meknès, Fez, Oujda, Rabat, Casablanca and Marrakech - see the route map above.  Regular trains link Casablanca airport with the city centre.  Agadir and Essaouira have no railway station, but are linked to Marrakech by bus.

How to check train times & fares...

You can check train times and fares in Morocco at the Moroccan Railways (ONCF) website, www.oncf.ma.  This is in French, but if you don't speak French it's no problem - all you need to know is that 'tarifs' means fares and 'horaires' means timetable.  Fares are very cheap, see below.

How to buy tickets...

There is no easy way to book trains from outside Morocco, and you don't generally need to in advance anyway - just buy your ticket at the station on the day, or perhaps the day before.  In 2nd class, seat reservation isn't even possible - you just buy book a ticket and hop on.  Seats can be reserved in 1st class, up to a month in advance.  In Morocco, you can also book by phone on 090 20 30 40, but this number is not accessible from overseas.  Couchettes on the Tangier-Marrakech night train can be reserved up to 2 months in advance.  These can get fully-booked on certain days, so book as far in advance as you can, but it's reportedly not impossible to get berths on the day of travel.  One seat61 correspondent suggests arranging couchette tickets on this train through local travel agency Travel Link (www.travellink.ma, 83 Rue de la Liberte, Tanger, call +212 39 93 58 77 or email nait@travellink.ma, who come highly recommended. 

Taking the train South from Tangier...

The old and convenient central station in Tangier was closed a few years ago, but an impressive new Tanger Ville station has now been completed a few kms from the town centre.  A taxi from the town centre or ferry terminal to the station costs only about 6-10 dirhams - less than £1..!

Here is the complete timetable for trains from Tangier to the rest of Morocco.  There are many more trains  linking Fez, Meknès, Rabat, Casablanca and Marrakech, generally running every two hours or better on each route - see www.oncf.ma for full details.