Morocco, days after: Sums
We'll always have Tangier.
The question was: is it cheaper to buy more firewood or train tickets to Morocco?
At the rate I was burning firewood in January, I would probably have needed at least three metres for February and my current woodman delivers a stère split and cut to length for 60€. Four stères, what the French call a brasse, would have comfortably been the most I'd have needed.
A stère, for those who haven't lost the will to live, is one-metre lengths of wood stacked a metre wide and a metre high.
tl;dr:
It is possible to get to Morocco overland for less than a month's supply of firewood. But not back again, not that never coming back again would be any kind of imposition.
Those joyful sums in full.
James Coates
Périgueux - Bordeaux - Hendaye - Donostia
This was an exciting journey because I almost missed my morning bus, but once I was on it there was much inner squealing.
I have a reduced rate on the TER in the Nouvelle-Aquitaine, so paid only 12,30€ for the train from Périgueux to Hendaye. The Euskotren from Hendaye to Donostia-Amara costs 2,75€.
James Coates
Donostia - Madrid
I bought this twelve days before departure and it cost 52,20€, five euros more than the standard fare for first class because I paid 5€ to choose my seat. Writing this reminds me that I need to raise a refund request with the Renfe because first class wasn't provided and the same journey in second without a choice of seat would've been 32,85€, so they owe me 20€.
I benefited from a 10% reduction on this ticket for signing up to the Renfe rewards programme, Más Renfe. Clicking around on the Renfe web site, the cheapest I have seen this journey – a month in advance – is 20€ in second or 35€ in first.
The journey through the foothills of the Pyrenees and down south to Madrid is incredibly pretty. Both sides of the train revealed magnificent views and I sat on the left, but if I'd been in my reserved first class seat I'd have been sitting on the right.
James Coates
Madrid - Algeciras - Tarifa - Tangier
The cost of a seat in first class from Madrid to Algeciras was 49,65€ including the 5€ choose-my-seat fee. The cost in second was 29,85€. Looking on the Renfe site, it doesn't appear that the price drops much below this even if you book in advance.
Either side of the train provides glorious views. My seat was on the right side. When choosing a seat in first, go for an odd number if you need a decent amount of window. The Renfe booking system doesn't know where the windows are, of perhaps it's just that if you need to ask, you don't need to know.
The ticket for the Africa Morocco Link ferry from Tarifa to Tangier Ville was 40€, and a free shuttle-bus was provided between the ports of Algeciras and Tarifa, but I had to go to the AML ticket office at the port in Algeciras to check in and receive tickets. I opted for the 16:00 sailing from Tarifa and had enough time to get to the port in Algeciras from the train from Madrid but do that before you do anything else. There is a café in the terminal building. Sit on the left of the bus for the pretty views over the Strait of Gibraltar to Morocco.
At Tarifa, luggage and Spanish passport checks were carried out before boarding. On board the ferry everyone filled out landing cards and Moroccan border police carried out further passport checks and issued entry stamps.
Two operators run ferries on this route assuring an hourly service: AML and DFDS. Tickets for both operators hover around 40€ and include a free transfer to or from Tarifa.
James Coates
Tanger Ville - Fès
I bought this ticket online from France using the joyously simple and functional oncf-voyages.ma. Choose departure and arrival stations, add a date and time, choose a class if necessary and find out how much a tickets costs before buying it. No pointless fluff, no rental cars, hotels, ride-sharing, or buses, just train tickets.
I chose to travel along the old line rather than the quicker but slightly more expensive two-train journey changing in Kénitra. The train was an old SNCF Intercités train, I think. First class was the traditional two-plus-one layout. Sit on either side of the train, it's all magical. I sat on the right in a free individual window seat because my assigned seat was a bit rubbish. There is a trolley service.
The ticket in first was 165 MAD and I changed it online once before departure, free of charge, so I could travel a few days later than initially planned. I could've travelled in second for 120 MAD. I paid around five dirhams for the pleasure of using a non-Moroccan card to pay.
During my stay, the exchange rate was sufficiently close to ten dirhams to the euro that my ticket cost 16,50€.
James Coates
Fès - Casa Voyageurs
Also a very pretty journey.
The ticket was 200 MAD in first class or 165 MAD in second, plus the overseas card fee. This train was another old SNCF unit, and the first class accommodation was the compartment of six style rather than an open carriage with air conditioning that made a sterling effort.
My window seat was on the left side of the train, not that you get a choice.
Looking now, booking more than two weeks in advance, the same train is showing 89 MAD in first, but I was nowhere near organised enough to get that deal when I was travelling; if you can get a ticket from Tangier to Fès for 10€ in first, don't hesitate to pack a picnic and go.
James Coates
Casa Oasis - Marrakech - Casa Oasis
This was the most last-minute part of the journey as I bought the tickets at the station for 215 MAD each way in first. Looking on the ONCF web site for advance tickets while writing doesn't appear to bring this down much, and shows 160 MAD for second.
For the return journey from Marrakech, first class was closest the station at the rear of the train, so the views from the back were also breathtaking. It was even possible to enjoy the grandeur of snow-covered Atlas Mountains for the first hour or so from the back window.
The truth of rail travel in Morocco is that you could probably sit in toilet for most of it and still have stunning views, so choose any seat with a (clean) window.
Beware leaning against the carriage doors which don't appear to lock, even when the train is moving. There was a trolley service. I had a coffee but should've had tea.
James Coates
Casa Voyageurs - Tanger Ville
I bought this ticket on the morning of travel three hours before departure and paid a premium for it.
The Al Boraq is more expensive than the other trains in Morocco because it's a shiny tee gee vee but it still remains reasonable if you're prepared to plan in advance. It's therefore entirely my own fault that I paid 435 MAD for this journey rather than the 300 MAD which seems to be the going advance fare on the ONCF web site. The cheapest second class ticket is around 200 MAD.
The only reason I went on this train was because I wanted to see what it was like and fancied a poke around the first class lounge at the station. The train was nice, with big chunky comfy seats like an old-school TGV before the SNCF thought up new ways of making them less fun but more expensive. The lounge was disappointing, but we were notified when it was time to board and ushered to the platform.
As is the problem with most high-speed rail services, what you see out of the window becomes a bit more blurry the faster you go, but there was still a lot of pretty and some fantastic mountains. There's a cafeteria with tasty snacks that takes cards for larger purchases.
James Coates
Tanger Ville - Tarifa - Algeciras - Madrid
The same journey in reverse.
In Tangiers it was suggested I check in two hours before departure of the 11:00 ferry, but I left it later than that. In all honesty, I could've wandered down to the port at 9am to check in and get my tickets (including the bus ticket) then walk back for an hour-long breakfast in the medina as we didn't go through the security and passport controls immediately.
The ferry cost 38€, and my last-minute train cost 49,65€ including the choice of seat. The transfer from Tarifa to Algeciras was included in the price of my ferry ticket. I don't think the train comes down much lower than that and the choice of Saturday was based on the fact that this was the cheapest ticket of the week.
I slept for most of the journey and it went dark quite quickly anyway; take photos on the way there when the light is better. Sit on the right going north if you want a gratuitous look at Gibraltar, but keep your eyes peeled as the glimpse is only fleeting. Around Ronda the scenery is worth a shufti.
James Coates
Madrid - Donostia
This would have been cheaper had I been more organised, but I bought it the day before so 66,15€ is my own fault. I could've chosen a train later in the day that was cheaper but it was a slower stopping-service with no first, and, well, no. Not this time, anyway.
I have been perpetually confused by the presence of cafeteria and trolley services on trains that show on the Renfe web site as sin restauración. I wonder whether sin restauración means "you can't order food to your seat as part of your ticket"? Anyway. Take a bottle of water, just in case.
It was early morning and the weather was quite disappointing, so there wasn't much to see. I did a lot of snoozing.
James Coates
Donostia - Hendaye - Bordeaux - Périgueux
Engineering works in France forced my hand for the return journey, but I did enjoy the fact that the café in Donostia-Amara was open and bustling at 6:45am with punters scoffing pintxos served by a smiley lady, which is something the miserable bastards running the coffee places in Madrid Chamartin could learn something from.
Again, fixed rate on the Euskotren and fixed reduced rate in France brought this return journey in at 15,05€.
A table with numbers in.
| Journey | Cost |
|---|---|
| Périgueux - Bordeaux - Hendaye - Donostia | 15,05€ |
| Donostia - Madrid | 52,20€ |
| Madrid - Algeciras - Tarifa - Tanger | 89,65€ |
| Tanger Ville - Fès | 16,50€ |
| Fès - Casablanca Voyageurs | 20,00€ |
| Casablanca Oasis - Marrakech | 21,50€ |
| Marrakech - Casablanca Oasis | 21,50€ |
| Casablanca Voyageurs - Tangier | 43,50€ |
| Tangier - Tarifa - Algeciras - Madrid | 87,65€ |
| Madrid - Donostia | 66,15€ |
| Donostia - Hendaye - Bordeaux - Périgueux | 15,05€ |
With more planning, it would've been possible to do the whole journey for a little less, although realistically on the France-Morocco-France journey there's only about 20€ each way to be saved by booking further in advance.
Going in second the whole journey from Périgueux to Tangier is possible for about 200€ return, but I enjoyed my big individual comfy seats with a power socket. Also, if you're prepared to travel at five in the morning or later at night, the Renfe web site has some proper bargains up for grabs, but for me the point of the journey was to be able to see things from a window, for the most part, and I like to see something of a city when I arrive in it before a snooze. Six hours is long enough, really, but the slower cheaper options are about eight hours if you're doing it on a budget.
Returning to the original question, is it cheaper to buy more firewood or train tickets to Morocco?
For a longer trip, the cost of the train tickets can only go down due to the nature of buying them further in advance, whereas the longer heating is required, the more wood is required to provide it. However, it would be folly to suggest that I spent my time in Morocco scrimping and saving, when in reality I spent another 120€ on train travel within the Kingdom and had to find places to sleep. However, even this could have been cheaper still with better planning or lower standards.
Things I missed out on.
I contemplated going to Oujda for a few days, and in fact the train from Tangier to Fès continues to Oujda in a 10-hour marathon that is certainly fabulous. Reasons for a potential trip to Oujda include a visit to Morocco's oldest railway station and the chance of taking a night-train from Oujda to Casablanca, because I fancied taking a night train. Somehow Fès got in the way and locals looked at me in disbelief when I said I'd like to go to Oujda, so I didn't.
There are also night trains from Marrakech to Tangier and had I not wanted a go on the Al Boraq I probably would've tried that route instead. It was all very badly organised, such is the luxury afforded by even last-minute tickets being relatively inexpensive.
On the return leg, I quite fancied going via Málaga so I could take the iryo in super-mega-first to Barcelona, and then come back via Toulouse. The cheapest I saw that for was about 80€, which is probably justifiable for a photo with a finger puppet, but when I was looking for tickets two days before I was due to travel, the cost was easily double that and it just wasn't worth the detour.
I realised when I got home that I had forgotten to buy a fridge magnet in Tangiers, such was my giddy excitement at being there. I'd intended to buy one in the first week, then put it off for my return and simply forgot in the last few days I was there even though I was looking at fridge magnets every day. Thankfully, I bought two marvellous generic "Morocco" place-holder fridgespangles which will do the job for now.
I am absolutely going to buy a fridge magnet this time next year.
