Quick and Cheap Trip to Morocco from London?
Jan 9th 2005, 3:17 pm
#1
Guest
Posts: n/a
Quick and Cheap Trip to Morocco from London?
We will be visting Europe for a few weeks this summer and the closest point
to Morocco we plan to reach by train is Madrid.
Is Morocco worth visiting for just a day or two?
We plan to spend our first week around the UK, but neither Ryan Air, nor
EasyJet have flights to Morocco, so what are the best ways to get to Morocco
for the least amount of money?
Are there any budget airlines that fly to Morocco?
to Morocco we plan to reach by train is Madrid.
Is Morocco worth visiting for just a day or two?
We plan to spend our first week around the UK, but neither Ryan Air, nor
EasyJet have flights to Morocco, so what are the best ways to get to Morocco
for the least amount of money?
Are there any budget airlines that fly to Morocco?
Jan 9th 2005, 4:13 pm
#2
Guest
Posts: n/a
Re: Quick and Cheap Trip to Morocco from London?
"Is Morocco worth visiting for just a day or two?"
No. The ferry from Spain goes to a city called Tangier, which is a
complete dump and has nothing of interest. The residents of Tangier
specialize in ripping off day trippers, and from the second you step
off that boat, people will be hassling you to buy stuff or to try to
scam you. One week is really the minimum that would be worthwhile - to
see Morocco's historic "imperial cities" with their Islamic
architecture and traditional markets (especially Marrakech and Fez), or
to spend time in the desert or mountains.
"We plan to spend our first week around the UK, but neither Ryan Air,
nor EasyJet have flights to Morocco, so what are the best ways to get
to Morocco for the least amount of money?"
The cheapest is to fly to Malaga on Ryanair, then take a bus to
Algeciras, then ferry to Tangier.
Unless you're really on a minimal budget, I'd recommend flying to
Casablana, Marrakech, or Agadir. You'd save a lot of time, and bypass
Tangier.
"Are there any budget airlines that fly to Morocco?"
Air Berlin. And there are some cheap charter flights to Agadir.
No. The ferry from Spain goes to a city called Tangier, which is a
complete dump and has nothing of interest. The residents of Tangier
specialize in ripping off day trippers, and from the second you step
off that boat, people will be hassling you to buy stuff or to try to
scam you. One week is really the minimum that would be worthwhile - to
see Morocco's historic "imperial cities" with their Islamic
architecture and traditional markets (especially Marrakech and Fez), or
to spend time in the desert or mountains.
"We plan to spend our first week around the UK, but neither Ryan Air,
nor EasyJet have flights to Morocco, so what are the best ways to get
to Morocco for the least amount of money?"
The cheapest is to fly to Malaga on Ryanair, then take a bus to
Algeciras, then ferry to Tangier.
Unless you're really on a minimal budget, I'd recommend flying to
Casablana, Marrakech, or Agadir. You'd save a lot of time, and bypass
Tangier.
"Are there any budget airlines that fly to Morocco?"
Air Berlin. And there are some cheap charter flights to Agadir.
Jan 9th 2005, 9:55 pm
#3
Guest
Posts: n/a
Re: Quick and Cheap Trip to Morocco from London?
Just replying 'off the top of my head'
Don't think there are any budget airlines to Morocco from London. There are
sometimes lower fares from GB AIRWAYS who are the British Airways operator
for this area. For example, you can sometimes get reasonable flights to
Gibraltar. Gib is also served by Monarch air and you could find a cheap
'charter' but few airlines serve Gib. Most tourists going for a short time
from mainland Europe would take the ferry from either Algeciras or Tarifa.
There are 'escorted' coach tours from the Costa del Sol which would make the
entire experience less of a hassle. You can go from Gib to Algeciras by taxi
for not too much. Need to cross from Gib to Spain (La Linea) first which is
a short walk from the airport. Or there are buses from La Linea to
Algeciras.
If you are in Madrid, it's quite easy to get down to these ferry ports by
bus (which is cheapest) or train which is interesting. Look at the 2 direct
trains on www. renfe.es
However am not sure if it is really worthwhile for such a short duration if
travelling all this way by land.
"John Smith" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> We will be visting Europe for a few weeks this summer and the closest
> point to Morocco we plan to reach by train is Madrid.
> Is Morocco worth visiting for just a day or two?
> We plan to spend our first week around the UK, but neither Ryan Air, nor
> EasyJet have flights to Morocco, so what are the best ways to get to
> Morocco for the least amount of money?
> Are there any budget airlines that fly to Morocco?
>
Don't think there are any budget airlines to Morocco from London. There are
sometimes lower fares from GB AIRWAYS who are the British Airways operator
for this area. For example, you can sometimes get reasonable flights to
Gibraltar. Gib is also served by Monarch air and you could find a cheap
'charter' but few airlines serve Gib. Most tourists going for a short time
from mainland Europe would take the ferry from either Algeciras or Tarifa.
There are 'escorted' coach tours from the Costa del Sol which would make the
entire experience less of a hassle. You can go from Gib to Algeciras by taxi
for not too much. Need to cross from Gib to Spain (La Linea) first which is
a short walk from the airport. Or there are buses from La Linea to
Algeciras.
If you are in Madrid, it's quite easy to get down to these ferry ports by
bus (which is cheapest) or train which is interesting. Look at the 2 direct
trains on www. renfe.es
However am not sure if it is really worthwhile for such a short duration if
travelling all this way by land.
"John Smith" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> We will be visting Europe for a few weeks this summer and the closest
> point to Morocco we plan to reach by train is Madrid.
> Is Morocco worth visiting for just a day or two?
> We plan to spend our first week around the UK, but neither Ryan Air, nor
> EasyJet have flights to Morocco, so what are the best ways to get to
> Morocco for the least amount of money?
> Are there any budget airlines that fly to Morocco?
>
Jan 9th 2005, 10:36 pm
#4
Guest
Posts: n/a
Re: Quick and Cheap Trip to Morocco from London?
<[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected] oups.com...
> "Is Morocco worth visiting for just a day or two?"
> No. The ferry from Spain goes to a city called Tangier, which is a
> complete dump and has nothing of interest. The residents of Tangier
> specialize in ripping off day trippers, and from the second you step
> off that boat, people will be hassling you to buy stuff or to try to
> scam you. One week is really the minimum that would be worthwhile - to
> see Morocco's historic "imperial cities" with their Islamic
> architecture and traditional markets (especially Marrakech and Fez), or
> to spend time in the desert or mountains.
I agree about Tangier. When I visited Morocco, I entered via the Sahara from
the south. By the time I made it up to Tangier, I was shocked at how much of
a rip-off place it was and how unrepresentative of the rest of the country.
I also think Morocco is way too interesting to visit for just a day and
deserves a trip of its own. If you insist on doing this then the only thing
that makes sense is to fly to Marrakech and then hire a guide to show you
around the medina, otherwise you will spend your entire day getting lost.
That will be pretty expensive though unless you can find a special offer.
Lana
news:[email protected] oups.com...
> "Is Morocco worth visiting for just a day or two?"
> No. The ferry from Spain goes to a city called Tangier, which is a
> complete dump and has nothing of interest. The residents of Tangier
> specialize in ripping off day trippers, and from the second you step
> off that boat, people will be hassling you to buy stuff or to try to
> scam you. One week is really the minimum that would be worthwhile - to
> see Morocco's historic "imperial cities" with their Islamic
> architecture and traditional markets (especially Marrakech and Fez), or
> to spend time in the desert or mountains.
I agree about Tangier. When I visited Morocco, I entered via the Sahara from
the south. By the time I made it up to Tangier, I was shocked at how much of
a rip-off place it was and how unrepresentative of the rest of the country.
I also think Morocco is way too interesting to visit for just a day and
deserves a trip of its own. If you insist on doing this then the only thing
that makes sense is to fly to Marrakech and then hire a guide to show you
around the medina, otherwise you will spend your entire day getting lost.
That will be pretty expensive though unless you can find a special offer.
Lana
Jan 10th 2005, 1:35 am
#5
Guest
Posts: n/a
Re: Quick and Cheap Trip to Morocco from London?
"szozu" <hoppbunny at hotmail com> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> <[email protected]> wrote in message
> news:[email protected] oups.com...
> > "Is Morocco worth visiting for just a day or two?"
> >
> > No. The ferry from Spain goes to a city called Tangier, which is a
> > complete dump and has nothing of interest. The residents of Tangier
> > specialize in ripping off day trippers, and from the second you step
> > off that boat, people will be hassling you to buy stuff or to try to
> > scam you. One week is really the minimum that would be worthwhile - to
> > see Morocco's historic "imperial cities" with their Islamic
> > architecture and traditional markets (especially Marrakech and Fez), or
> > to spend time in the desert or mountains.
> I agree about Tangier. When I visited Morocco, I entered via the Sahara
from
> the south. By the time I made it up to Tangier, I was shocked at how much
of
> a rip-off place it was and how unrepresentative of the rest of the
country.
> I also think Morocco is way too interesting to visit for just a day and
> deserves a trip of its own. If you insist on doing this then the only
thing
> that makes sense is to fly to Marrakech and then hire a guide to show you
> around the medina, otherwise you will spend your entire day getting lost.
> That will be pretty expensive though unless you can find a special offer.
Frankly, I wouldn't have thought that Marra souk is large enough to get lost
in. And even the official guides are dirt cheap. But you don't need them
unless you want to cram the 'essential sights' in quickly - and they'll
still take you to their brother's leather shop!!
Tangiers, too, is a thoroughly interesting place in its own right despite
the hassle, which can scare many away too quickly.
Surreyman
news:[email protected]...
> <[email protected]> wrote in message
> news:[email protected] oups.com...
> > "Is Morocco worth visiting for just a day or two?"
> >
> > No. The ferry from Spain goes to a city called Tangier, which is a
> > complete dump and has nothing of interest. The residents of Tangier
> > specialize in ripping off day trippers, and from the second you step
> > off that boat, people will be hassling you to buy stuff or to try to
> > scam you. One week is really the minimum that would be worthwhile - to
> > see Morocco's historic "imperial cities" with their Islamic
> > architecture and traditional markets (especially Marrakech and Fez), or
> > to spend time in the desert or mountains.
> I agree about Tangier. When I visited Morocco, I entered via the Sahara
from
> the south. By the time I made it up to Tangier, I was shocked at how much
of
> a rip-off place it was and how unrepresentative of the rest of the
country.
> I also think Morocco is way too interesting to visit for just a day and
> deserves a trip of its own. If you insist on doing this then the only
thing
> that makes sense is to fly to Marrakech and then hire a guide to show you
> around the medina, otherwise you will spend your entire day getting lost.
> That will be pretty expensive though unless you can find a special offer.
Frankly, I wouldn't have thought that Marra souk is large enough to get lost
in. And even the official guides are dirt cheap. But you don't need them
unless you want to cram the 'essential sights' in quickly - and they'll
still take you to their brother's leather shop!!
Tangiers, too, is a thoroughly interesting place in its own right despite
the hassle, which can scare many away too quickly.
Surreyman
Jan 10th 2005, 5:37 am
#6
Guest
Posts: n/a
Re: Quick and Cheap Trip to Morocco from London?
I missed the staff meeting but the minutes show "szozu" <hoppbunny at
hotmail com> wrote back on Mon, 10 Jan 2005 12:36:43 +0100 in
rec.travel.europe :
><[email protected]> wrote in message
>news:[email protected] roups.com...
>> "Is Morocco worth visiting for just a day or two?"
>> No. The ferry from Spain goes to a city called Tangier, which is a
>> complete dump and has nothing of interest. The residents of Tangier
>> specialize in ripping off day trippers, and from the second you step
>> off that boat, people will be hassling you to buy stuff or to try to
>> scam you. One week is really the minimum that would be worthwhile - to
>> see Morocco's historic "imperial cities" with their Islamic
>> architecture and traditional markets (especially Marrakech and Fez), or
>> to spend time in the desert or mountains.
>I agree about Tangier. When I visited Morocco, I entered via the Sahara from
>the south. By the time I made it up to Tangier, I was shocked at how much of
>a rip-off place it was and how unrepresentative of the rest of the country.
Tangier is to Morocco what Tijuana is to Mexico, or Barcelona to Spain:
its the place which most of the tourists get to, and from that they
consider the rest of the country.
How did I put it ? "Venice is a tourist trap, and has been for
centuries."
Tangier has elements of that.
>I also think Morocco is way too interesting to visit for just a day and
>deserves a trip of its own.
That's true. I have fond memories of Tangier, but then I was there
while in High School, and had local contacts who could tell me the
difference between 'tourist' junk and what the locals used.
>If you insist on doing this then the only thing
>that makes sense is to fly to Marrakech and then hire a guide to show you
>around the medina, otherwise you will spend your entire day getting lost.
>That will be pretty expensive though unless you can find a special offer.
There is that.
tschus
pyotr
--
pyotr filipivich
TV NEWS: Yesterday's newspaper read to the illiterate.
hotmail com> wrote back on Mon, 10 Jan 2005 12:36:43 +0100 in
rec.travel.europe :
><[email protected]> wrote in message
>news:[email protected] roups.com...
>> "Is Morocco worth visiting for just a day or two?"
>> No. The ferry from Spain goes to a city called Tangier, which is a
>> complete dump and has nothing of interest. The residents of Tangier
>> specialize in ripping off day trippers, and from the second you step
>> off that boat, people will be hassling you to buy stuff or to try to
>> scam you. One week is really the minimum that would be worthwhile - to
>> see Morocco's historic "imperial cities" with their Islamic
>> architecture and traditional markets (especially Marrakech and Fez), or
>> to spend time in the desert or mountains.
>I agree about Tangier. When I visited Morocco, I entered via the Sahara from
>the south. By the time I made it up to Tangier, I was shocked at how much of
>a rip-off place it was and how unrepresentative of the rest of the country.
Tangier is to Morocco what Tijuana is to Mexico, or Barcelona to Spain:
its the place which most of the tourists get to, and from that they
consider the rest of the country.
How did I put it ? "Venice is a tourist trap, and has been for
centuries."
Tangier has elements of that.
>I also think Morocco is way too interesting to visit for just a day and
>deserves a trip of its own.
That's true. I have fond memories of Tangier, but then I was there
while in High School, and had local contacts who could tell me the
difference between 'tourist' junk and what the locals used.
>If you insist on doing this then the only thing
>that makes sense is to fly to Marrakech and then hire a guide to show you
>around the medina, otherwise you will spend your entire day getting lost.
>That will be pretty expensive though unless you can find a special offer.
There is that.
tschus
pyotr
--
pyotr filipivich
TV NEWS: Yesterday's newspaper read to the illiterate.
Jan 10th 2005, 6:53 am
#7
Guest
Posts: n/a
Re: Quick and Cheap Trip to Morocco from London?
pyotr filipivich <[email protected]> wrote:
>> If you insist on doing this then the only thing
>> that makes sense is to fly to Marrakech and then hire a guide to show you
>> around the medina, otherwise you will spend your entire day getting lost.
>> That will be pretty expensive though unless you can find a special offer.
> There is that.
Like Surreyman I don't see an overwhelming need for a guide, especially in
Marrakech, where the old city isn't that large and has a lot of distinctive
landmarks to assist with orientation. If you are overwhelmed with the
general differentness of the place it could make it easier to get the hang
of things though. Also, if you're not comfortable brushing off all the
offers from freelance guides around typical tourist choke points, having a
guide eliminates all that.
miguel
--
Hit The Road! Photos from 32 countries on 5 continents: http://travel.u.nu
>> If you insist on doing this then the only thing
>> that makes sense is to fly to Marrakech and then hire a guide to show you
>> around the medina, otherwise you will spend your entire day getting lost.
>> That will be pretty expensive though unless you can find a special offer.
> There is that.
Like Surreyman I don't see an overwhelming need for a guide, especially in
Marrakech, where the old city isn't that large and has a lot of distinctive
landmarks to assist with orientation. If you are overwhelmed with the
general differentness of the place it could make it easier to get the hang
of things though. Also, if you're not comfortable brushing off all the
offers from freelance guides around typical tourist choke points, having a
guide eliminates all that.
miguel
--
Hit The Road! Photos from 32 countries on 5 continents: http://travel.u.nu
Jan 28th 2005, 8:55 am
#8
Just Joined
Joined: Jan 2005
Location: Morocco
Posts: 2
Re: Quick and Cheap Trip to Morocco from London?
Hello John Smith,
Tangier is definately not bad as these people are saying. The thing about it is that it has cheap Hashish drug sold illegally, some tourists come to buy that and end up meeting dangerous drug dealers, and you can guess the rest of the story. As long as you stay away from those then you will be fine. Regarding a budget flight to marrakech, there is a new company doing that, which is the cheapest you can get. It has flights from London to Marrakech for less than 100 euros one way. Its called Atlas Blue. Feel free to email me if you have more questions.
Tangier is definately not bad as these people are saying. The thing about it is that it has cheap Hashish drug sold illegally, some tourists come to buy that and end up meeting dangerous drug dealers, and you can guess the rest of the story. As long as you stay away from those then you will be fine. Regarding a budget flight to marrakech, there is a new company doing that, which is the cheapest you can get. It has flights from London to Marrakech for less than 100 euros one way. Its called Atlas Blue. Feel free to email me if you have more questions.
