Crossing Morocco by Train: Casablanca to Marrakech
A relaxed rail journey through cities, deserts, and the best tagine of the trip.
Morocco by train is underrated. The ONCF route from Casablanca to Marrakech is comfortable, inexpensive, and full of small scenes: vendors with mint tea, families sharing oranges, and countryside that shifts from industrial to improbably green.
In Marrakech I stayed just outside the medina and walked in each morning as shopkeepers were opening. The chaos of Jemaa el-Fnaa at night is famous for a reason, but I preferred the quiet alleys where spice shops look like paintings.
My favorite meal was lamb tagine with prunes, eaten on a rooftop while the call to prayer echoed from several directions at once.