We have received a lot of questions from people about the trains in Morocco. Here is a quick overview of the train system, with some tips for success.

Best Tips

1. The official website is oncf.ma. It is in French, English and Arabic and is pretty easy to navigate. Look just below the oncf logo to see the language options.
2. Trains run pretty close to schedule most of the time.
3. It is easy to get tickets. Get to the train station 20 minutes a head of your train and you should have no problems.  We suggest you arrive much earlier on holidays.
4. You can get either first or second class tickets. Second class is not a bad option, but on busier trains you can be left without a seat. First class you will definitely have a seat.
5. The new fast trains are really great. Maybe a year and a half ago, Morocco introduced the faster trains, that stop less often. They are very nice and comfortable as well. They run every few hours, if you look at the schedule and the times of departure and arrival you can figure out if they run on your travel path. If they do, they are worth getting.
6. Beware of the bathrooms. The bathrooms on the trains can be a little rough. Make sure to pack your own toilet paper, as this is often lacking. Hand sanitizer is a plus, because there is often no soap as well.
7. The snack cart and snack bar. Depending on your train there will be a snack cart that comes around or a snack bar to purchase food at. Nothing fancy, but not too bad. Soft drinks, coffee, water, chips, candy bars, sandwiches are all available.
8. Hold on to your ticket. It will be checked once you are on the train, and in case their is a discrepancy about seats it is good to have.
9. Train Salesmen. There are a rare class of individuals who ride the trains looking to sell you on something, whether it be their brother’s carpet shop that you should visit, their family’s riad or any number of other activities. If there is someone in your car who is extremely talkative to you, or overly friendly, you might be by one of the train salesmen. Just so you know.
10. Luggage- most of the trains have luggage racks above the seats in your compartments. The one downside to the new fast trains, is these luggage racks are pretty small.
11. Time of Day: The time of day you travel on the train can effect you as well. Morocco can get really hot in the summer and the AC on trains is not always the most reliable.  A 4 hour midafternoon train ride between Marrakesh and Rabat in the summer can be sweltering. So if you have the options, it pays to think ahead and time your trip to be in a cooler part of the day.
12. Where is my stop? One of the harder things about the train is knowing what stop is what. Often times they don’t announce what stop you are at, nor what stop is coming, nor do they have electronic maps letting you know you are getting close. The simplest solution is to ask someone in your compartment. They will be happy to help. Moroccans are very friendly and helpful as far as giving directions and often will go out of their way to help you out.