Flights to Marrakech

Marrakech has all the exotic appeal of a long-haul destination without the epic flight time. It takes under four hours to reach the city’s Menara airport from most UK destinations, with several budget airlines competing to offer the best deals. Cheap, speedy and straightforward to reach, it’s no surprise that Marrakech is such a popular choice among British holidaymakers.

Flying to Marrakech is easy and there are many flight options for British holidaymakers. Ryanair runs a route from both Luton (LTN) and Stansted (STN) while easyJet and British Airways both serve Marrakesh Menara airport (RAK) from London Gatwick (LGW). TUI also offers charter flights to Marrakech on a seasonal basis, usually leaving from either Gatwick or Luton. The average flight time from London to Marrakech is 3 hours and 35 minutes.

If you’re based up north or on the west coast, your best option is to take a direct flight from Manchester or Bristol (BRS) to Menara with easyJet.

Direct flights are certainly the quickest way of reaching Marrakech, but they aren’t always the cheapest. One way to save cash is to broaden your options by considering connecting flights. British Airways, TAP Portugal and Iberia all offer flights from Manchester with one stop, while Royal Air Maroc flies from Heathrow with a brief stop in Casablanca.

Some airlines team up to offer connecting flights, including major players such as KLM, Vueling, Brussels Airlines and Air France. The shortest non-direct flights tend to take around five hours and 30 minutes.

Unless you fly from London, Bristol or Manchester, a stopover is your only option. The quickest routes from Edinburgh include Air France with a connection in Paris, and British Airways changing at Gatwick. Vueling flies from Birmingham with a stop in Barcelona, while Iberia operates a route from Dublin stopping over in Madrid.

From these and other UK airports, however, the best and cheapest option is usually to fly to London and pick up an onward flight to Menara from there.

Most Marrakech hotels offer transfers from the airport, with prices starting at around £15. Local taxis are slightly cheaper, but be sure to set the price in advance to avoid overpaying – check out the board next to the taxi rank that lists recommended prices to various city destinations.

If you’re staying near Djemaa el-Fna, the number 19 bus picks up passengers from outside the airport arrival hall every half an hour between 0615 and 2145. It stops at the main square.

If you’re up for an epic road trip then it’s possible to drive to Morocco from the UK, although the journey takes several days. A more relaxing option is to ride the Eurostar to Paris before changing onto a sleeper train through Spain and hopping across the Strait of Gibraltar on a ferry.

From there, it’s possible to catch a train to Marrakech via Casablanca with national operator ONCF. Looking for something a tad more luxurious? Cruise ships regularly dock at Casablanca’s cosmopolitan port, and once you’re there it’s an easy train ride down to Marrakech.