Booking choice: The shared 3-day tour, from $217 per person. Check dates Tour details
Fes and Marrakech are linked by a direct train, and it is the quick way between the two cities. A desert tour goes the long way: east to the Erg Chebbi dunes, west along the gorges and over the High Atlas, covering roughly 1,000 km on the 3-day route.
The real question is not speed. It is whether you want the desert on this trip.
The quick answer
The direct train takes about 6.5 to 7 hours, but you see none of the south. A 3-day tour, from $172, adds a night in the Erg Chebbi dunes, a camel ride, the Todra and Dades gorges and Ait Ben Haddou. The 2-day tour, from $59, keeps the desert night but makes day 2 a very long drive.
How do the train and the desert tours compare?
The train is a one-day transfer; the tours are a road trip with one night in the dunes, and the 3-day tour adds a second night in the gorges.
| Direct train | 2-day tour | 3-day tour | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Time | About 6.5 to 7 hours | 2 days, 1 night | 3 days, 2 nights |
| Desert night | None | 1, in Erg Chebbi | 1, in Erg Chebbi |
| Second night | None | None | Dades Gorges or Ouarzazate |
| What you see | Countryside from the window | Dunes, Ouarzazate, Tizi n'Tichka | Dunes, Todra and Dades gorges, Ait Ben Haddou, Tizi n'Tichka |
| Meals | None | 1 breakfast, 1 dinner | 2 breakfasts, 2 dinners |
| From | Fares on ONCF | $59 | $172 |
Want the desert on the way? The shared 3-day tour picks you up at your Fez riad.
Check dates for the shared 3-day tourHow long is the train from Fes to Marrakech?
About 6.5 to 7 hours on the direct ONCF train.
It is a comfortable, simple transfer from city centre to city centre. Fares and timetables for your date are on the ONCF website. The trade-off is that the train runs through the north and west of the country, nowhere near the desert.
What does the desert tour show you that the train does not?
The Erg Chebbi dunes, a camel ride and a night in a desert camp, the Todra and Dades gorges, and the UNESCO-listed ksar of Ait Ben Haddou.
Along the way you also pass the cedar forest near Azrou, the Ziz valley and the Tizi n'Tichka pass at 2,260 m, the highest major road pass in North Africa. It combines the Sahara with a Fes to Marrakech trip: one guest called it a good way to see a lot in a short time.
Is the desert tour just expensive transport?
No, but be honest with yourself: about 1,000 km in three days means long hours in the vehicle, with one night in the desert.
Day 1 alone is 7 to 9 hours with stops. Guests on every tour mention the driving; many say it was worth it, a few felt they spent most of the time in the car. If you dislike long drives, take the train and do a shorter desert trip another time. The full breakdown is in the day-by-day itinerary.
Want the dunes at a fair price? The shared tour includes riad pickup in Fez, a camel trek and both dinners.
Explore the shared 3-day tour Tour detailsWho should take the train?
Travellers with little time, a tight budget, back problems or small children, and anyone who has already seen the desert.
- Short trip: one day instead of three.
- Budget first: check the fare on the ONCF site against the tour prices.
- Health: the tour listings say they are not recommended for back problems, pregnancy or heart problems.
- Desert already done: no need to repeat the drive.
Who should take the 3-day desert tour?
Anyone travelling Fes to Marrakech who wants the Sahara on this trip and has three days.
Three days is the classic length: the second night in the Dades Gorges breaks up the drive, and day 3 ends in Marrakech. For an en-suite tent and a smaller group, the small-group tour is from $387.
Three days, groups of up to 10 and an en-suite tent in the dunes.
Check dates for the small-group 3-day tourIs the 2-day tour a good middle ground?
Only if you are short on time: it keeps the desert night but drives from the dunes to Marrakech in one very long day.
The 2-day tour from $59 leaves Fes at 7:00 AM, spends the night in Erg Chebbi in a classic or deluxe tent, then crosses via Tinghir, Ouarzazate and Tizi n'Tichka to Marrakech on day 2, skipping the Dades night. Compare all three lengths in 2, 3 or 4 days.
Only two days? One desert night with a camel ride, then on to Marrakech.
Explore the 2-day desert tour Tour detailsCan you combine the train and a desert tour?
Yes, if you are going back and forth: take the train one way and the desert tour the other.
If you start in Marrakech and fly home from Fes, the Marrakech to Fes tour runs the same route in reverse. If you start in Fes and must return there, a train to Marrakech and the reverse tour back gives you both cities and the desert without retracing the road.
Starting in Marrakech? The reverse tour ends in Fes, in groups of up to 10.
Check dates for the Marrakech to Fes tourFrequently asked questions
Is there a direct train from Fes to Marrakech?
Yes. ONCF runs direct trains between the two cities; the journey takes about 6.5 to 7 hours.
Is the train faster than the desert tour?
Yes: the train arrives the same day, while the desert tour takes two or three days because it detours through the Sahara.
Does the desert tour drop you in central Marrakech?
Most tours drop you near your accommodation or at the nearest point a car can reach; the budget tour does not include a drop-off at your Marrakech accommodation.
Ready to book
Choose your tour
Free cancellation up to 24 hours before on every option. Prices are from-prices in USD and move with the season.
Fez to Marrakech 3-Day Shared Desert Tour
- Pickup from Fez hotels and riads (7:30 AM; nearest car point for medina riads)
- Air-conditioned vehicle, shared group of up to 30
- Camel trek into the Erg Chebbi dunes and a night in a desert camp
Fes to Marrakech 3-Day Small-Group Desert Tour
- Air-conditioned vehicle and English-speaking driver-guide
- Night 1: private tent with en-suite bathroom at a luxury camp in Erg Chebbi
- Night 2: private air-conditioned en-suite room in the Dades Gorges
Fez to Marrakech 2-Day Tour with Desert Camp
One desert night, then a very long drive to Marrakech
