Madrid to Marrakech: An Otherworldly Adventure By Train

This article is brought to you with the expert help of small adventure specialists G Adventures.

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Seriously, is there any phrase that summons an idea of some lost Golden Age Of Travel like ‘Madrid to Marrakech by rail’? Imagine jumping a train – a proper Bogart-Bacall-dining-car-and-all train, not the XPT to Port Macquarie – in the giant beating heart that is Madrid then watching the dreamscapes of Barcelona, Seville, Fez and Casablanca slide into view, winding like a rattle snake through dusty North African mountains down to the imperial city of Marrakech. From sangria to mint tea, Spanish plazas to otherworldly souks, this is a trip that takes you completely outside of yourself. By train everything is brought into much sharper focus, you miss nothing.

By staying so close to the landscape, not separating yourself by leaving it in a plane and appearing fully packaged at the next destination, you also get to pick up cities along the way – and few trips could offer the kind of iconic pit stops that Madrid to Marrakech can.

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Madrid to Barcelona

Oh hola there, welcome to Madrid! A city whose sole intention is to make you think maybe you should move to Spain and start a food blog, it’s glorious. Stretch out with a walk down Gran Vía, this is the city’s super attractive main artery, and it runs from the famous Metrópolis building to the Plaza de España – obviously there are plenty of Plazas en España, but this one is the Beyoncé of them all. If it’s a Sunday, join the rest of Madrid in El Rastro, a spectacular open air flea market in the Embajadores hood, with hundreds of stalls selling the kind of second-hand clothes, vinyl, jewellery and books that will turn you into that person when you get home, “Oh thanks, I got it in Madrid.”

At night Malsaña is where it’s at. This is the downtown area that became famous for the Movida Madrileña movement of live rock/punk/pop music and legendary venues like La Vía Lactea, El Penta, Café Manuela, Café Pepe Botella and the Restaurant La Gata Flora. My personal favourite is the Coconut Bar. Smooshed between Calle Pez and Plaza de La Luna with a fun-kitsch tiki decor, excellent music and most importantly, plenty of Madrileños (ie. locals).

Madrid also has a thriving art scene and you’d be doing your peepers a big favour with a walk to the stronghold of this, Barrio de Las Letras. This neighbourhood has awesome galleries like Reina Sofia, Caixa Forum, Prado Museum, and La Fabrica.

Time travel by train: Approx 3 hours, 40 minutes.

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Barcelona to Granada

Perched on the Mediterranean Sea with it’s sandcastle spires, everyone knows the Catalan city of Barcelona is one of Europe’s coolest and most creative. It’s a haven of great food, beautiful beaches, unique architecture and killer nightlife.

Begin with a climb of Monte Tibidabo to drink the whole city in at once, or just laze in one of its famous parks like Güell or Montjuïc. For great bars and general atmosphere go to Gracia and wander the wide streets until you find the Plaza del Sol. It’s a small square that’s always full of local students drinking beer in the sunshine and looking super European and attractive.

You can find the best coffee in Barcelona at Satan’s Coffee Corner, which also serve amazing food like steamed mussels, sandwiches, and cured meats because, Spain.

When it comes to getting some cul-cha, you wont be able to walk four feet without being directed around the famous Gaudí structures, but also make sure you get to the Picasso Museum. It’s the world’s most extensive collection of Pablo’s artwork, spread out over five large Gothic houses too. Also, the public arts space Arts Santa Mònica is free, features regular exhibitions of contemporary art from local and international artists, and you can even take part in creative workshops.

Travel time by train: Approx 6 hours, 50 minutes.

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Granada to Seville

If your train arrives in the morning go straight out to the fortress palace of Alhambra, just outside of Granada. There are so many castles in Europe it’s really only worth it to trek to the biggest and best, and this one is a doozy.

When it comes to the city proper: Granada is often called España profunda: deepest Spain, where traditions hold firm. At the foot of the Sierra Nevada and Alpujarras mountains this place is whitewashed streets full of people speaking the most impenetrable form of Castilian.

But this is no sleeper city, it has a lively international student scene with some of the best clubs in Spain. Arguably the most famous, and certainly one of the oldest in all of Spain, is Granada 10. A cinema during the day, its spectacular interior seamlessly moves into club mode as the night rolls on and because it’s so, so beautiful it’s kind of like doing your sightseeing, while also getting down.

Travel time by train: Approx 3 hours, 20 minutes.

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Seville to Chefchaouen

Seville is one step away from overwhelming. The immense cathedral Giralda Tower, the puzzle of water features in the Alcazar Palace. It has this incredible sense of being both metropolis and small town.

A grumpy (but Spanish-grumpy, which is basically an indication that they like you) woman here told me Seville revolves around three Fs; family, flamenco and – I forget the last one. She was really intimidating.

While flamenco here in Australia feels like the realm the recently divorced, it’s a whole different game in Seville. Steer clear of the tablaos and head to somewhere like the Peña Cultural Flamenca Torres Macarena (a flamenco social club) to find authentic flamenco.

Travel time by train: Approx 7 hours, 30 minutes (including bus and taxi).

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Chefchaouen to Fès

Chefchaouen is easily the most Instagramable city in the world. Hands down. No question. This completely otherworldly escape nestles into Morocco’s Rif Mountains and every building in the city is painted blue to starkly contrast the brown of the surrounding hills.

It’s a peaceful, 24-hour city (cc: Mike Baird) with food stalls and markets open all hours. You can get serious with a hillside hike, bathe in mountain streams like a goddamn Disney princess or get into the kind of no-stress shopping scene you’d be hard pressed to find in any other Moroccan city.

The food here is something else; hundreds of spices build complicated tagines and aromatic herbs turning out incredible clouds of couscous. All the bread is baked in traditional wood-fired ovens, giving it a distinctive taste and crunchy outer layer. Get. In. My. Mouth. Thanks.

Travel time by train: Approx 6 hours, 30 minutes (including bus).

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Fès to Casablanca

Fès is Morocco’s spiritual and cultural centre and it’s the kind of place you don’t really need recommendations for because everything you do and see is going to be new to you. But anyhoo, maybe get your day happening with lunch at the Grand Vizier’s Bahia Palace – an elegant restaurant that is also, oh hey!, a carpet museum? Be a grown up and order the Pastilla (Moroccan pigeon pie).

Another kind of quirky thing about Fès is that everyone is going to tell you to go to the Tannery. If you’re like 98% of Australians you have never been to, or desired to go to, a Tannery in your life but stay in Fes more than 24 hours and I guarantee that’s where you’ll end up. It’s gross and confronting and really, really interesting and you should definitely go.

Travel time by train: Approx 4 hours.

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Casablanca to Marrakech

I can’t imagine how annoying it must be living in Casablanca, with every tourist misquoting lines from the famous movie named for the beautiful city. (On behalf of every person not from Casablanca I am truly sorry.)

This coastal knockout is rich in North African culture and unlike some of Morocco’s better-known landlocked cities, Casablanca hugs the Atlantic like a fitted glove. La Corniche is the city’s seaside promenade, with a row of cafes, restaurants, beach resorts and clubs to get your vibe on every night of the week. The cool kids hang out in beach clubs like Miami Plage and then transition into the night at the nearby SocialClub.

And okay, film buffs who absolutely must partake, an exact replica of Rick’s Café, where much of the action from that synonymous film took place, opened on the edge of Casablanca’s Old Medina in 2004. This combination bar, lounge, jazz club and restaurant was faithfully modelled after its celluloid twin and is known for its stellar Negronis.

Travel time by train: Approx 4 hours.

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From here you will hop back on your steel steed and head out to Marrakech to the end of your trip.

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Dive into two incredible cultures with this adventure on the rails. G Adventures can take all the hassle out of it by organising the whole trip for you! Check out the trip here and learn more about their Europe Earlybird sale here.

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(Lead image: Andrew Nash/Flickr)