Which Airport Should You Fly Into for Morocco?

The best airport to fly into Morocco is the one closest to your first night, not the one with the cheapest fare. For most first trips that is Marrakech Menara Airport (RAK), 6 km and 15 minutes from the medina. Casablanca (CMN) wins for long-haul flights, Fes (FEZ) for the imperial cities and the north, Tangier (TNG) for Chefchaouen and Agadir (AGA) for the Atlantic surf coast.

The five airports at a glance

Rabat (RBA) also receives international flights, mostly European, and is worth a look if the capital is your base. For the full list with codes, see our overview of Morocco's international airports.

Marrakech: the default for a first trip

Marrakech is the simplest arrival in the country. The airport is almost in town, served by many European low-cost routes, and you can be in your riad within the hour of leaving the terminal.

It is also the right base for the south. Essaouira is 190 km and 2 h 45 away. The High Atlas starts an hour from the city. Merzouga and the Erg Chebbi dunes are 560 km and around 9 hours by road, usually split over two days through Ouarzazate.

The weak point is the north. Fes is 530 km away, 5 h 30 by car. If Fes and Chefchaouen are your priorities, Marrakech is the wrong end of the country to start from.

Casablanca: the long-haul gateway

Casablanca Mohammed V Airport is the national hub and handles most intercontinental flights. If you are coming from North America, the Gulf or West Africa, a direct flight here often beats a connection through Europe. A few seasonal long-haul routes reach Marrakech directly as well, so check current schedules before you decide.

Few travellers stay in Casablanca for long. The practical question is how to move on. Rabat is under 1 h 30 away by train or road. Marrakech is 220 km south: the airport train needs one change in the city, while a private transfer from Casablanca airport to Marrakech takes about 2 h 30 for a fixed €110 per sedan. We compare both honestly in our guide to getting from Casablanca airport to Marrakech by train, bus or car.

Rule of thumb: if the Casablanca fare is not clearly cheaper or more direct than Marrakech, the extra 2 h 30 on the ground after a long flight is not worth it.

Fes: the north and the imperial cities

Fes-Saïss Airport is small and quick to clear, and the medina is only 15 km away. It suits a trip built around Fes, Meknes, Volubilis and Chefchaouen, which lies roughly 200 km to the north.

Fes is also the shorter approach to the Sahara. The drive to Merzouga through Ifrane and the Ziz valley takes around 7 to 8 hours, against 9 from Marrakech. Flights are fewer than at Marrakech and mostly European, so dates are less flexible. Our guide to reaching the Fes medina from the airport covers the arrival itself.

Tangier and Agadir: for one clear purpose

Tangier Ibn Battouta Airport is the best way into the far north. Chefchaouen is 125 km and 2 h 15 away, there is no train to it, and a private car from Tangier airport to Chefchaouen saves the bus connection in town. Tangier also has the high-speed train south to Rabat and Casablanca.

Agadir Al Massira Airport is a beach airport. Fly here for the resort strip or for Taghazout, 45 km north. There is no railway in the region, so everything beyond the bay is a road trip: Marrakech is about 3 hours away by motorway. Do not choose Agadir as an entry point for a classic cities-and-desert tour.

Fly into one airport, out of another

Morocco is long and its sights are spread from the Strait to the Sahara. Backtracking costs a full day. The cleanest itineraries arrive at one end and leave from the other: into Marrakech and out of Fes, or into Tangier and out of Marrakech.

Open-jaw tickets on European routes are often no dearer than a return, as most low-cost carriers price each leg separately. The road sections in between are where a driver earns his keep: fixed price per vehicle, luggage in the boot, short stops free of charge. See our guide to planning a one-way Morocco itinerary for worked examples.

How to decide in two minutes

1. Write down where you will sleep on night one. Pick the airport nearest to it.
2. Compare fares for that airport first, then for the next nearest.
3. Add the ground leg to the cheaper flight: hours and money. A €40 saving is gone if it adds a 220 km drive.
4. Check landing time. After 10 pm, trains and buses thin out and a pre-arranged car becomes the only predictable option.

Once the airport is chosen, the onward prices are public. Every route from the six airports we serve is listed under Morocco airport transfers, per vehicle and the same day or night.