Arriving at Marrakech-Menara airport: the practical guide

Key handover in the arrivals hall, documents, inspection, delayed flight, returning the car: the complete guide to car hire at Marrakech-Menara airport.

Collecting your rental car at Marrakech-Menara airport is the simplest way to start a stay in Morocco: no taxi fare to negotiate, no suitcases to carry through the medina, and the road to the Atlas or Essaouira within reach as soon as you land. Here is how the key handover works, step by step, what to prepare and the traps to avoid. To compare offers, see our page car hire at Marrakech airport.

To book your car for this trip, see our automatic car rental in Marrakech and last-minute car rental in Marrakech pages.

Marrakech-Menara airport in brief

Marrakech-Menara airport (code RAK) is about 6 km south-west of the city centre. Allow around fifteen minutes by car to reach Gueliz or Hivernage, and around twenty minutes to get near the medina and Jemaa el-Fna square, depending on traffic. In the arrivals hall you will find bureaux de change, cash machines and mobile operator stands where you can buy a Moroccan SIM card: handy for using your phone's GPS as soon as you leave the car park.

How does the key handover work?

1. Before you leave, give your flight number when you book. The agency follows your arrival and adjusts the meeting time if you are delayed.
2. On arrival, go through passport control and collect your luggage. Depending on how busy it is, allow from 20 minutes to over an hour.
3. In the arrivals hall, an agent from the agency waits for you with a sign bearing your name. They walk you to the vehicle, parked in the nearby car park.
4. The inspection and signing of the contract take about 15 minutes. You show your documents, the deposit is recorded and you receive the keys.

If you can't see the agent when you come out, call or message the WhatsApp number given in your booking confirmation: they are often just outside the doors, held back by the crowd.

The documents to prepare

• Your valid driving licence, held for at least two years at most agencies. An international driving permit is advisable if your licence is not written in Latin characters: read our article on foreign driving licences in Morocco.
• Your passport or ID card.
• The means of payment for the deposit: a bank card in the main driver's name, or cash at agencies that accept it (see car hire with a cash deposit).
• Your Locavi booking confirmation, on your phone or printed.

The additional driver, if there is one, must be present with their own licence.

Doing the inspection properly

This is the step that protects you on return. With the agent present:

• photograph or film every side of the vehicle, the wheels, the windscreen and the interior;
• check that every scratch or dent is noted on the contract;
• check the spare wheel, the jack and the safety vest;
• note the mileage and the fuel level.

So you don't forget anything, keep our inspection checklist to hand.

What if my flight is delayed or I arrive late?

If your flight number is in the booking, the agency adjusts the meeting time at no extra cost. For a late arrival, check the agency's opening hours on its page before booking and mention your arrival time in your message. If you land in the middle of the night, another option is to take a taxi to your hotel and have the car delivered to your hotel the next morning.

Leaving the airport by car

The airport exit quickly leads to the city's main avenues. A few tips for your first minutes behind the wheel:

• set up the GPS before you set off, in the car park;
• watch out for scooters, which are numerous and fast, and for very busy roundabouts;
• if you are staying in a riad, don't try to drive into the medina: the agent or your riad will tell you the nearest gate and an attended car park (read where to park in Marrakech);
• if you are heading straight for the Atlas or the coast, check the fuel: the car is handed over with a full tank, on a "full to full" basis.

Returning the car at the airport

Choose the airport as the return location when you book. On the day you leave:

• fill up at a nearby station, to return the car with the same level as at pick-up;
• plan to arrive 30 to 45 minutes before the time you want to be at check-in, to allow for the return inspection;
• have your pick-up photos to hand to compare if in doubt;
• the agency releases the deposit once the inspection has been approved.

Airport, station or hotel: which to choose?

The airport is ideal if you are setting off on an excursion straight away or staying outside the medina. If you spend the first few days exploring the city on foot, it is often cheaper to take a taxi on arrival and collect the car later, at your hotel or at Marrakech railway station: you pay neither rental nor parking for the days you don't need it. Our article taxi or rental car in Marrakech helps you do the maths.

To compare the cars delivered to the airport, their prices and key handover times, go to our Marrakech Menara airport car rental page.

Compare every offer on our Car rental Marrakech page, or collect your car on landing with our Marrakech airport car rental service.