Marrakech Airport to Palmeraie Private Transfer

The drive from Marrakech Airport to the Palmeraie

The Palmeraie is the large palm grove on the north-east edge of Marrakech, on the opposite side of the city from Marrakech Menara Airport (RAK). The 18 km take about 30 minutes. Your driver skirts the city rather than crossing the centre, follows the main boulevards past the ramparts, then turns off on to the Circuit de la Palmeraie, the road that loops through the palms. The scenery changes quickly: red walls, golf courses, camels waiting at the roadside.

Finding your resort or villa among the palms

Large resorts are signposted and have a gatehouse on the tarmac road. The car drives in and stops at reception.

Private villas and guesthouses are different. Many sit on unnamed dirt tracks with no street lighting, and two properties can share a similar name. Help your driver before you land:

• Send a map pin for the gate, not just the postal address.
• Add the phone number of the host or caretaker, so the driver can call when he is close.
• Tell us if the last stretch is a rough track, so we send a suitable vehicle for your group and luggage.

Still choosing a base? Our comparison of staying in the Palmeraie or the medina explains how transfers and evenings out differ.

Getting around from the Palmeraie and return flight timing

The Palmeraie is quiet and spread out. Taxis rarely pass, so arrange rides to the city in advance. The medina is roughly 20 to 30 minutes away depending on where you stay.

For the flight home, allow the 30 minutes of driving plus a margin for traffic near the city walls in the early evening. Leaving your accommodation 3 hours before an international departure is a sensible rule. Planning dinner in the old city on your first night? See the airport transfer to the Marrakech medina for how gate drop-offs work.