Marrakech is the busiest arrival point in Morocco and, for most British visitors, the first stop of the trip. easyJet, Ryanair, British Airways and TUI all fly in from London and the regional airports, and the flight is short enough that people arrive expecting a European city break - then meet a medina of one-way lanes no car can enter, a ring road that is solid at rush hour, and parking near Jemaa el-Fna that is a negotiation rather than a transaction.
That is why so many UK travellers hire a car with a driver instead of driving themselves. Morocco drives on the right, roundabouts near the ramparts run on eye contact rather than markings, and the two classic excursions from the city - the Ourika Valley and the Tizi n Tichka pass to Ait Ben Haddou - are mountain roads with real drops. None of that is beyond a confident driver, but very few people want to spend the first day of a week's holiday learning it.
Every booking is private. The vehicle, the driver and the day belong to your party alone, so you can leave for the desert at five in the morning, stop for photographs on the Kik Plateau, or spend an extra hour at an argan oil co-operative without asking anyone. The price is agreed before you travel and covers fuel, tolls and the driver.
Why hire a driver here
- No vehicle crosses into the medina - the driver stops at the gate and carries the cases in
- Morocco drives on the right, which catches out more British visitors than they expect
- Thirty kilometres of hairpins climb to 2,260 m on the Tizi n Tichka - higher than Ben Nevis
- Satnav gives up on riad addresses; our drivers navigate by derb and gate instead
- The Agadir and Casablanca runs are camera-heavy and fines are collected on the spot
Included in every booking
- Fuel, tolls and the driver's fee for the agreed route
- Airport, riad, hotel or railway station pick-up
- English-speaking drivers as standard from the UK site
- Bottled water and phone charging in the car
- Child seats and extra luggage space on request, at no charge
