By Taxi / By Petit Taxi / By Grand Taxi, Marrakesh

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The taxis in Marrakesh are very well organised and easy to use. There are Grands and Petits taxis. The grand taxis are more expensive but can take several clients to fill the seats. You can use them for further destinations. The petits taxis are inexpensive and can be flagged down anywhere in the city. It is best to agree the fare when you enter but the rule at the moment is that they should take you anywhere in the new town or Medina for 29 Dirhams during the day and 30 Dirhams at night.

The number 19 bus to and from the airport is very good value too.

During the day the Petite taxis are a cheap way to get around, most of the sights in the city are best to be ventured on foot, but the menara gardens and the Mojerelle gardens are a little out of town. In the evenings the Petite taxis are approx double the fare to get back to your hotel so always barter on the price, we were taken to a different hotel even though we told the taxi driver he was going the wrong way. he charged us over double the price we agreed on.

These small yellow/beige coloured cars are used for shorter journeys within Marrakech. Although ‘all’ travel books say you should ask to use the meter, we didn’t find any ‘petit taxi’ with a meter switched on. And it is more or less useless to ask, because most of the trips will cost about 20 Dirham.

We always asked for the fare before getting into the taxi. Some fares:
Medina - Ville Nouvelle: 30 Dirham
Ville Nouvelle - Majorelle Garden: 20 Dirham
Medina - Menara Airport: about 80 - 100 Dirham
Majorelle Garden - trip to and through the Palmery (and parts of the city): 100 Dirham.

We had to pay in cash. Be sure you have some smaller banknotes, because the drivers can not (or at least tell they can not) give change for a 100 or 200 Dirham note.

There are taxi ranks or otherwise you can hail a taxi in the streets.

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Although Marrakesh’s Medina is quite compact and best explored on foot, you will probably find yourself wanting to take a taxi from time to time, and certainly if you decide to venture into the newer parts of town. For us, with my lack of mobility, they were essential, although many parts are accessible only on foot and some of these were beyond my reach.

There are two types of taxi, grands and petits. Almost all of the former are Mercedes, while the latter are of various makes and, as the name suggests, smaller. These are better for journeys within the city, for several reasons: they are cheaper, can go down some of the smaller lanes, and are “single hire” vehicles. The grands taxis meanwhile are great for longer journeys such as excursions and airport transfers. Locals share these, hailing them like buses and hopping out when they reach their destination. A driver will assume that as a tourist you are hiring the whole vehicle so you will need to let him know if you are happy to share in order to reduce the costs.

Talking of costs, it is essential to negotiate in advance and never take the price first quoted as the definitive fare. Katy, the owner of our riad, said that we shouldn’t pay more than 20 dirhams for the ride back from the Djamaa el Fna, but several times we were quoted 40 or even 50. While we never managed to beat them down to her figure, we also never paid more than 30. If a driver won’t agree to the price you propose, walk away – almost certainly another standing nearby will have heard the conversation and will step in to accept the fare.

To distinguish the two types of taxis, the small yellow ones are the "petite taxis" and the larger '80s Mercedes are the "grand taxis".

When taking a petite taxi to anywhere in Marrakech, note that if you are being charged more than 25 Dirhams you are being ripped off. I was told this by a local.

Petite taxis can hold up to 3 people while grand taxis can hold 4 or more people. When taking a petite taxi, insist on having the meter turned on or else you run the risk of being ripped off outrageously. Taking small change with you will be very helpful as well!

The only exception is when you are travelling to/fro the airport when you might have to pay just a bit more. One-way cost of such a ride would be about 50-70 Dirhams.

If you are arriving at night, it's a good idea to have transportation arrangements pre-booked either through your hotel or privately otherwise you will be swarmed by taxi drivers (some not so honest!).

We had a nightmare of a time. Not only did we get ripped off, but the driver dumped us at the JEF with our suitcases and sort of pointed us in the direction of our riad. (We never made it!)

If arriving at Marrakech Menara airport you will be able to chose between taxi or bus for transfer to your Hotel. For maximum 3 people make sure you get only a Petit Taxi (not a Grand Taxi). The taxi fares are regulated and there are now signs up at the airport to advise of fares so tourists don't get ripped off. You should pay no more than 100 dirhams including bags. Get your dirhams cash at the airport on arrival. Make sure you agree the price with the taxi driver and give him a small tip if satisfied. If you need a Grand Taxi (i.e. more than 3 passengers) then the cost should be no more than 150 dhs. You will probably have to leave your taxi and walk through the alleys of the medina to find your accommodation...ask your hotel/riad to send somebody to meet you to avoid being hassled. Or better still, ask them to meet you at the airport and fix a price.

The transfer from airport to the medina takes roughly 15 minutes.

Within the Medina, petic taxis are the best way to get around. A trip costs between 10-30 Dirhams, depending on distance. Always agree on a price before, and always haggle. Example: At the Majorelle Gardens, a taxi driver demanded 100 DH for the return trip to the city. I laughed in his face as I had just made the journey for 30 Dirham with another cab. The next driver demanded 50 Dirham, which I haggled down to 30 Dirham. Still dirt-cheap compared to driving taxi in Germany.

Most sights within the city limits are in walking distance. For the Majorelle Gardens, Menara and the Aguedal Gardens a taxi is recommended.