“Looking at the world through the sunset in your eyes, traveling the train through clear Moroccan skies…”
— Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young
It’s midnight in Sevilla. As heavy rain falls rhythmically on the skylight windows of my hostel, I sit downstairs in the lounge, empty except for the Spanish-speaking Greek guy on the night shift. “Sorry for taking so long,” he’d said earlier while checking me in. “It’s my first night.”
Now my laptop is open in front of me, fingers frozen above the keys in frustration. I’m supposed to get from Sevilla to Marrakech the next day by a combination of bus, ferry and train, but booking sites aren’t loading and schedules are nowhere to be found. All I can ask myself is:
Wouldn’t it have been so much easier to fly?
And maybe it would’ve been, but something told me a simple flight would’ve felt too short. That it wouldn’t have allowed me to process the change in countries – not to mention the change in continents – and actually feel every step of the way.
Although I go to bed that night in Sevilla without a single step of the journey booked (what else is new, right?), the next day’s travel unfolds as beautifully as if I had planned it. Really? I keep asking, was I really so stressed over this? Not a single ticket required advance booking; not a single journey was sold out.
If you’re also thinking of slow traveling to Morocco, take it from me: keep calm, stress not and travel on…
1. Bus from Sevilla to Algeciras.
Where to catch it: Prado de San Sebastián bus station
Which company: Linesur
How much: €17.57 (US$23)
Schedule: The 2.5-hour journey departs from Sevilla Monday-Friday at 7:15am, 10:30, 1:00pm, 3:30, 4:30, 6:30 and 9:00. See the full schedule here.
2. Ferry from Algeciras to Tangier.
Where to catch it: The port in Algeciras, at which the bus from Sevilla will stop.
Which company: Acciona
How much: €20 (US$25)
Schedule: As my favorite rail travel resource, The Man in Seat 61, says, ferries to Tangier are available on the hour almost every hour and can be booked on a walk-up basis. All ferries departing from Algeciras will take 1.5 hours (and yes, as the photo above shows, they do pass by Gibraltar!).
Note: Other faster ferries are available from Tarifa to Tangier City, which cost €35 and take only 35 minutes. Ferries from Algeciras (like the one I took) arrive in Tanger-MED, a new port about 40 kilometers east of Tangier. Not to fear, there are shuttle buses to take you to the city. Did I mention they’re free?
3. Overnight train from Tangier to Marrakech.
Where to catch it: Gare de Tanger-Ville station, an easy 20-minute walk from where the shuttle drops you off in central Tangier.
Which company: ONCF
How much: €18 for a second-class ticket (US $23 or 205 Moroccan Dirhams)
Schedule: The nearly 11-hour journey departs Tangier every night at 9:35pm and arrives in Marrakech at 8:05am the following morning.
Note: First-class berths are available, but we found our second-class cabin and couchettes perfectly comfortable (and far cheaper).
…and for that little extra dose of travel inspiration:
Check out Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young’s 1969 hit, “Marrakech Express,” which my parents haven’t stopped singing since they learned I took the train. As the song says:
“Sweeping cobwebs from the edges of my mind, Had to get away to see what we could find…Wouldn’t you know we’re riding on the Marrakesh Express, they’re taking me to Marrakech. All aboard that train…”
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CzB5eRu6HOk
Excellent tips, C. Glad to see you are well!
Thanks so much, M 🙂 I was just at such a loss before heading out of Sevilla, I thought I’d share some of the info I found along the way. Hope you and the J Half are still loving Europa!
Hey, going overland (and over-sea!) is way more exciting than flying anyways 😉 I actually took the ferry coming back from Morroco, and stepping onto that super modern European liner after the craziness of Moroccan busses and trains and taxis was some serious culture shock!!
Hey Naomi! I can definitely imagine what a shock that must’ve been 🙂 When were you in Morocco? and whereabouts did you travel when you were there? Thanks for saying hello!
Wonderful suggestions. I traveled slowly from Morocco to Spain by sea and land too. It was so much more interesting to move from one continent to another that way instead of flying.
Thanks so much, Lauren. That’s cool to hear you also took your time changing continents, and I’m glad you enjoyed it! And thank you for checking out my blog as well–I look forward to following yours now, too!
Is that the rose festival friend? What was it like sleeping on those orange seats?
That is indeed her! We thankfully found each other pretty easily in the Tangier train station and then hopped on board the train…the pumpkin-colored seats were actually far more comfortable than I was expecting. I’d read second-class would be chairs, so was looking forward to a pretty fitful night’s sleep. To find we had our own little cabin was lovely 🙂
Looks like a great journey and I totally think that traveling overland is more fulfilling than flying. Hope you have a great time in Morocco!
Hey Natalie! Wonderful to hear from you. How’s everything with you? Have you made it over to India yet? Can’t wait to hear if you’ve had a chance to take that ferry yet 🙂
Great tips, and much more interesting than flying!
Nick
Hello Nick! Thanks for taking the time to check out The Great Affair. And I’m glad to hear you liked the travel tips…I always love to reach a new place overland, if it’s possible and I’ve got the time. Have you had a chance to visit Morocco yet?
Were you able to purchase your night train tickets on the same day as you traveled? I’m getting nervous because it seems you can’t buy tickets from outside Morocco very easily, and I’m arriving by ferry only 24 hours before I want to get on the train.
Hi Claire! You absolutely can, as that’s exactly what I did 🙂 I took the ferry over from Spain, went straight to the Tangier train station, bought my ticket, and was on the night train a couple of hours later… in my experience, it shouldn’t be a problem at all. Hope that helps, and thanks for saying hello!
Candace-
THANK YOU for the openly honest approach to enjoying the trek to Marrakech! We are going as a family next Spring and we love to take the unbeaten path wherever we go. In Ecuador we took the train from Quito to Cotopaxi instead of the bus and the cultural aspect far outweighed any convenience of a faster means of transportation.
Hello Jakki! Thanks so much for stopping by and saying hello – and I’m so glad to hear this was helpful for you in planning your own family’s journey to Marrakech. The train from Quito to Cotopaxi sounds pretty epic – I’ll have to keep that one in mind for when I finally make it to South America! Please let me know if I can help with anything else 🙂