Essaouira Travel Forum

How much should we pay to get to Essaouira in a grande taxi from Marrakech? We are a family of two adults and two children arriving at the airport tired with luggage and no Dh ! Is there access to converting money at the airport ? any suggestions ? can I book Supratours buses over the internet? do they pick up at the airport? I would much apreciate some advice. Kate

Don't have all the answers for you but yes you can change money at the Airport it does have ex-change service and ATM machine but i could only use Visa card not debt cards. Their are many ATM machines in Marrakesh and Essaouira.

I arrvied in the early hours of the morning and the ex-change service was closed. You might have a bit of a wait if everybody goes straight to the ATM because you can't bring dirham into the country.

The Airport in Marrakesh is in the process of being renovated so you will have to walk around abit to the taxi stand. The taxi into Marrakesh is 100dirham.

Sorry i don't have info on Supratours, I myself travelled with CTM buses but i didn't have a family to travel with.

Hope this will help a little.

Good luck.

A Supra Tours bus ticket from Marrakesh to Essaouira was 65 Dh for an adult. hope that helps. The buses pick up next to the train station, but not the airport. You can change money at the airport.

The suptratours bus costs 65 dirham per adult. It is better to book in advance, as we turned up an hour early for a bus and found it was full. We ended up going to Essouira by CTM bus (the local and less reliable firm) and paid 40 dirham per adult. It took about 4 or so hours with several (unexplained) stops. The Supratours takes about 2 hours 45 mins. Be prepared to pay to put your lugagge on board.

A grande taxi costs about 600 dirham to go from Essouira to Marrakech. That is to charter the whole taxi. We were offered 2 places at 100 dirham each but the driver intended to try and fill the other 4 places (even though it seemed to only have 4 seats).

We arrived at about 9pm in Marrakech airport and there was somewhere to change money. We changed enough for the evening and then took money out of an ATM the next day in Marrakech itself.

Feel free to get in touch if you think I could help with other queries, and hope you have a great trip.

Rachel

Hi, no intent to disagree but i would like to stick up for CTM and say ive never heard of them being a local and unreliable firm - they are pretty much the international standard bus company that Supratours is - and supratours generally does routes that CTM doesnt etc.eg Marrakech to Essaouira.
CTM are a company that are not such as the local buses that stop all the way along a route to pick up locals - they are generally more expensive and provide a level of service for international travellers where leaving and arriving on time and comfortably is the norm rather than the ramshackle anything goes local firms! - which id say i also have used and dont mind esp for the cultural expensive!
also the benefit of buying two tickets when travelling by grande taxi - which is still pretty cheap by international prices - is that you get more room and particularly conducive for sightseeing, grab the two front seats, and the taxi gets to leave earlier. if you buy two seats the taxi still has 4 seats as grande taxis are officially 6 seaters! two in the front and 4 in the back!!
therefore a great benefit to avoid that squash and have to seats to move and breath!
for a group such as your family id recommend renting a car which gets you to essouira with independence to get about say down to diabet south of essaouira or on further down to tamri national park and even agadir and immouzzer which is a nice visit up in the hills from agadir. and then the excellent drive from taroudant over the tizintest back to marrakech with stunning scenery and tin mal mosque,
or yu could go north up to safi and then to marrakech.

Money can be acquired in the airport, no problem. The bus is only about 50Dh per person so I can't imagine a grande taxi being too much different.

You can book tickets on the Supratour bus if you telephone in advance, They will hold tickets for you and you pay when you arrive. The number is 024 43 55 25.
A private taxi from the Airport to Essaouira costs 600dh, although you might be asked more.
Enjoy your trip.