Morocco is the easiest non-European country to reach by train and ferry from the UK. The first time I did this journey, it took me just 30 hours (although I wouldn’t recommend doing it that quickly!) to get from London to Tangier, travelling via Paris, Madrid and Malaga before taking the ferry from Tarifa to Tangier.
I’ve also travelled back from Morocco to London with stops in Seville and Andorra.
There are a few ways you can tackle the London to Morocco without flying trip; in this article I’ll give you what I consider to be the easiest and best route, with estimated prices for a dummy date in three months time (I’d recommend booking early to secure the best rates).
I’ll also give you a budget alternative, which I don’t necessarily recommend (it won’t be as comfortable!) but should show you another option for the trip!
Step one: London to Paris Eurostar
The best way to begin this journey is the Eurostar from London to Paris. It’s a 2 hour 15 minute journey on a high-speed train.
I’d recommend taking the 07:31 from London St Pancras (be mindful that you’ll need to check in at around 06:00). On my dummy date, this costs £66 for a standard ticket and gets you into Paris Gare du Nord at 10:29.
I’m a very frequent Eurostar traveller – you can see all my tips here.
Step two: arrive in Paris
You’ll have time for lunch in Paris! If you have baggage, my recommendation would be to take the RER line D to Gare du Lyon and store your bags there – there’s in-station lockers or you could use a service like Bounce, which has agreements for luggage storage at hotels, shops and restaurants.
Then, stay relatively close to Gare du Lyon to ensure that you don’t have any stress taking your next train. Le Train Bleu is one of the world’s best station restaurants, bedecked with frescoes and chandeliers, and is right in Gare du Nord, or head to Le Marché Couvert Beauvau to pick up a picnic, which you could enjoy in Jardin des Plantes which is the other side of the Seine.
Step three: Paris to Barcelona train
Make sure you’re stocked up with supplies, because your next train is a nearly seven hour odyssey down to Spain.
It’ll head down to Montpellier, and in the summer, you’ll get flashes of the French Meditteranean cost before crossing the Spanish border. The train stops in Figueres and Girona (of course, you could stop in either city if you wanted, and take the train to Barcelona the next day!) before terminating at Barcelona Sants.
For my test date, the price of the train between Paris and Barcelona is £77.
Step four: stay in Barcelona
You’ll arrive into Barcelona at 21:32, so you’ll definitely need to spend the night!
Easy Sants by Bossh! Hotels is close to Barcelona Sants station and costs around £113 per night (for two people).
If you are planning on spending a few days in Barcelona, Sercotel Hotel Rosellon is a lovely four star property right by the Sagrada Familia.
Step five: Barcelona to Malaga train
There only currently seems to be one direct train between Barcelona and Malaga per day, leaving at 11:25 am and arriving at 5:49pm. I’d recommend taking this, although you could leave earlier and change in Madrid.
This is an iryo train and costs £59.40, but it is a budget train company. Check the baggage requirements when you book – you might need to add on the Infinita add on for £13.71.
These trains don’t typically have a restaurant carriage, so bring a packed lunch!
Step six: arrive in Malaga
You could continue along the Costa del Sol, but I’d recommend spending the night in Malaga and continuing your journey the next day. I love Barcelo Malaga which is right by the station.
Step seven: bus to Algeciras
The next day, hop on an AVANZA bus from Malaga to Algeciras. The 11:00 bus takes just 1 hour 45 minutes and costs £21.
You’ll arrive in Algeciras bus station; from here it’s about a 15 minute walk to the port.
Step eight: ferry to Tangier
I actually recommend not buying your ferry ticket ahead of time (unless it’s a particularly busy time of year!).
This is because when you arrive at Algeciras, you can ask if you can buy a ticket from Tarifa. If you can do this, they’ll organise a free transfer to Tarifa, and then you’ll board a ferry that’ll take you directly to Tangier city.
The ferries from Algeciras go to Tangier Med, which is an out-of-town port, about an hour away from Tangier city – so getting into Tangier Ville is a much better option for foot passengers!
The price of a last-minute ferry is around £44.
You’ll be stamped into Morocco on the ferry; I’d recommend joining the immigration queue as soon as possible, as it takes a while! The benefit of this is that you can just walk off the ferry when you arrive.
Step nine: Arrive in Tangier
I’d recommend spending another night in Tangier!
I love Riad Farasha (one of my favourite hotels ever!). Rates start at £110 and it’s about a 20 minute walk through the old city from the port.
Tangier is a glorious fusion of Morocco and the Med, and I’d recommend enjoying a mint tea at Cafe Hafa, strolling the kasbah and visiting the Ibn Battuta Museum (a famous explorer who was from Tangier) the next day.
Step ten: train from Tangier to Marrakech
If you want to continue your adventure to Marrakech, you have a few options!
In the daytime, you can take an Al Boraq (Africa’s fastest train) to Casablanca, and then change to an Al Atlas train to Marrakech. It takes around 5 hours 15 minutes in total, and costs around £58 for first class seats.
Alternatively, there’s a night train which departs Tangier at 23:35 and arrives into Marrakech at 08:15. You don’t seem to be able to buy couchette tickets online; you could wait until you’re in Tangier to see if you can upgrade to couchette, or reach out to your accommodation to see if they can help you buy couchette tickets.
The cost is around £30 for the original booking and £28 for the couchette upgrade (but this could vary).
Step eleven Arrive in Marrakech!
Well done, you’ve made it to Marrakech! I’ve listed my blog posts about Marrakech below – enjoy your time here, it’s a phenomenal city!
- 10 unforgettable things to do in Marrakech
- Is Marrakech safe to visit?
- Best hidden gems in Marrakech
- Marrakech travel guide
