Getting from Menara Airport to the centre

From Marrakech-Menara airport to Jemaa el-Fna, it's just 5 km, about a quarter of an hour when traffic is fluid. The real question isn't the distance, though - it's the last stretch. If your riad sits deep in the medina, no car will drop you at the door: the alleys are too narrow, often closed to vehicles. Taxi, bus or transfer leave you at the edge of the neighbourhood, near a bab - a gate in the ramparts - and you finish on foot, usually with a porter for the bags.

That detail, more than the price, should guide your pick. A private transfer booked ahead handles the last stretch by calling the riad. A city bus doesn't. The right answer shifts with the hour and the load: daytime hands free, or a night landing with suitcases and children.

Outside arrivals, an official taxi rank is signposted: these are Marrakech's beige petit taxis. From the airport, they don't run on the meter but on a flat fare by zone, set by the city. Reckon on 70 to 100 MAD (£6-£8) for the medina or Guéliz in daytime, and about 50% more at night - a normal surcharge, not a scam. The fare is meant to be posted at the rank. In practice, agree the price before you get in and pay cash, in dirhams.

A petit taxi carries three passengers maximum. Four of you, or lots of bags, and it's a grand taxi - a bit pricier - or a booked transfer. It's the fastest option for light-travelling daytime arrivals, as long as you accept finishing on foot to the riad if you're staying in the medina.

Line 19 links the airport to the centre for 30 MAD (about £2.40) one way - about 50 MAD return. A bus leaves every 30 minutes, roughly from 6am to 11pm, dropping first at Jemaa el-Fna, then at the train station. Tickets are bought on board, in cash or with a local card. Bags travel next to you - there's no dedicated hold.

Reckon on 30 to 50 minutes depending on stops and traffic: slower than a taxi, unbeatable on budget. It's the right choice if you land in daytime, without too much luggage, and your accommodation isn't far from the square. Heavy bags or a late-evening landing, take a pass.

Booking a private transfer ahead spares you any negotiation: a driver waits in the hall, name board in hand, and takes you as close as possible to your address. That's the real value: forewarned, the driver calls the riad, drops you at the right medina gate, and a staff member comes to meet you, bags included. For a night landing, with family, with suitcases or heading to a riad tucked away in the alleys, it's by far the most restful.

Many riads and hotels also run their own shuttle: often the simplest, since they know their address better than anyone. Either way, send your riad a GPS pin before you set off, and keep a few dirhams for the porter who'll carry the bags to the door - about 20 to 50 MAD (£2-£4).

The dirham is a closed currency: you can't buy it before you leave the UK, so you have to stock up on the ground. Prefer an ATM to a bureau de change - the airport counters post poor rates - and refuse the 'in your own currency' conversion, always worse: choose to be charged in dirhams. Withdraw a decent chunk in one go, since withdrawal fees are flat.

To stay reachable, the operator shops in the baggage hall sell SIM cards on production of your passport. It's handy, but a shop in town costs noticeably less. Most of all, keep small notes and coins: taxi, bus and porter only take cash.

For the departure, ask your riad the day before to organise the taxi or transfer. From the medina, the car picks you up at the nearest bab, and a porter carries the bags back up to it. Aim for the airport about three hours before an international flight: security queues can be long in high season. The full terminal-by-terminal breakdown is on our dedicated page.