Rail Tour 2006 Part2 - Morocco


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Briefing

RENFE Train at Algeciras Station

This travel starts from Spain. Please go to Spain section if you haven't.

17th April. Algeciras to Tanger

Inside the Cruise Ship

I took 1600 cruise ship to Tanger. On board facilities of the cruise ship was exactly what you expect on FERRIS.

Deck of Cruise Ship

[18:10] The ship departed. The weather was really nice. Make sure to finish immigration on board ship because there is no immigration on ground in Morocco.

Cruise Ship in Tanger Port

[19:00] The ship arrived in Tanger. There was 2 hours difference from Spain (during summer time).

Tanger Ville ONCF Train Station

I took a taxi to Tanger Ville Train station. The station was really nice and clean, but nothing. There was only one cafe bar on ground floor.

ONCF Night Train

[21:30] The night train to Marrakech departed. Although they charge 68 DH for supplement, there is no seat allocation for 2nd class, so make sure you grab a seat as soon as train arrives. (There must be a seat allocation on 1st class though)

18th April. Marrakech

ONCF 2nd Class Compartment

The 2nd class seatings coaches were all compartment.

View from the Train

The train stopped every station, but it was kept running south.

ONCF Marrakech Station

[08:40] The train arrived in Marrakech. Everyone started to get off, and I realized that the train arrived in Marrakech.

Hotel Ali

Taking a taxi to Rue Moulay Ismaïl, I arrived at Hotel Ali.

Breakfast in Hotel Ali

After checking in, I first had a breakfast at the hotel. They had bread, egg, orange juice and coffee.

Hop On Hop Off Bus

Walking out to the city, I realized that I had no idea what is there in Marrakech, so I took a city sightseeing bus.

Small Shops in Marrakech

The bus took me around the city.

McDonalds in Marrakech

The city was all in red color even the McDonald's.

La Meridien Hotel Marrakech

The bus was stopping at every major hotel.

Office du Tourisme (Marrakech Romantique)

At tourism office bus stop, there was another blue line route I could take.

Top of City Sightseeing Bus

The blue line bus took me outside the city. It was very different world compared to the city center.

Camels

Then everyone was so excited with camels on the side.

The Bus Off the Road

The road was really narrow and the bus was often off the road when a car came from the front.

Little Mountain

On the way back to the city, I could see a little mountain.

La Menara

Back to the red line route, I went to Jardin de La Ménara.

Casino de Marrakech

I found a nice place, but it was Casino de Marrakech.

La Koutoubia Mosque

The main mosque of Marrakech, La Koutoubia Mosque.

Bab Agnaou

Bab Agnaou is one of the ancient gate, famous spot to see.

Market Place Djemaa el Fna

I then got off the bus, went into the market area of Place Djemaa el Fna, which is just in front of the hotel I stayed. You can find so many stalls selling Orange Juice in front of the market.

Inside Market Place Djemaa el Fna

The market was really huge and crowded.

Spice Shop

The Spice Shops were really interesting to see how they display.

Dinner at the Hotel

The dinner with the local food was already started when I returned the hotel.

19th April. Casablanca and Back to Tanger

Taxi in Marrakech

[05:00] Taking a taxi to train station, the Train Departed from Marrakech. There was a mistake on my itinerary, I didn't think about time difference between Spain and Morocco. In order to take the night train back to Madrid, I had to take a train one before, which departed at 5am.

Casablanca Voyageurs Station

[08:15] Arrive Casablanca Voyageurs station. I actually didn't check where the train was going, and the onboard staff member told me to change at Casablanca Voyageurs because the train was going to Fes.

City of Casablanca

During an hour transit, I hired a taxi for a quick tour around the city.

Street for Rich People

Unfortunately, the driver told me that actual Casa (Houses) Blanca (White) is located too far away and was not possible to go and come back in just one hour.

Hassan II Mosque

First I was taken to the most famous mosque, Hassan II Mosque.

McDonalds in Casablanca

Driving along the coast, the driver told me that it is the first McDonald's in Africa.

Looking for Casa Blanca

The driver told me that I could see the Casa Blanca from here... Well, it seems white, but...

City Center of Casablanca

Back to the city center, the driver explained me that Casablanca is the center of the economy, Rabat is Politics, and Marrakech is Tourism.

Front of Casablanca Voyageurs Station

I came back to the station just few seconds before the train departure.

Inside ONCF Train

[09:15] The train to Tanger Departed.

Rabat Station

There are several stations on every major city. I think this is the one in Rabat.

River View from the Train

The day train travel to Tanger was really long.

City of Tanger

After very long hours, I started to see houses on the hill. It was Tanger.

Platform of ONCF Tanger Ville Station

[15:00] The train finally arrived at Tanger Ville station.

Departure Walk in Tanger Port

Taking a taxi to Ferry Port, I quickly bought a fast ferry ticket to Spain. (Make sure to get immigration form for departure from the agency when you buy the ticket. Immigration won't let you go through without the form, and they don't supply the form there.)

Travel Continues to Part3 in Spain

Tarifa Jet

Click here to continue to Spain.

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