If you want to ease into Moroccan culture, rather than diving straight in, one of the best cities to start exploring is Rabat. The capital of Morocco, and deemed by many travel enthusiasts as one of the more tourist friendly cities, Rabat is a great starting point.
Flying in to Casablanca, I took the train from the airport to Rabat Ville. While there is the option to take a grand taxi from the airport to Rabat, the train has two big advantages. First, the ticket price is set, so there is no price haggling necessary. Second, the train is much cheaper. For example, a first class train ticket will cost you around 133 dirham, while the cab will cost around 660 dirham.
Morocco’s ONCF train line to Rabat has first and second class cars and departs on the hour. The primary difference between the classes is that in first class you are guaranteed a seat. First class can also sell out, since they have a set number of seats. In second class, once all the seats are taken, it is standing room only. So, if you buy a first class ticket, you know you will have a seat. There are also spaces to place your luggage in both classes, but you are responsible for getting your bag on and off the train.
Within the train station, there are automated kiosks for purchasing tickets. After getting halfway through my ticket selection, the kiosk displayed an out of order message. Same issue with the second kiosk I tried. So, I ended up queuing at the service counter and purchasing my ticket from an attendant.
There is no direct train to Rabat, so I did have to change trains at Casa Port. According to the train schedule, the trip should have been about an hour. But my trip was closer to two hours. Within the city of Rabat, there are two stations, Agdal and Ville, so verify which stop you actually need to get off at.
One thing I did find confusing was the labeling of the trains. The first train, from the airport to Casa Port, did not have clear identification for the first class car vs the second class car. When boarding, I did not see any identifiers, so I just grabbed the first available seat. Turns out I was in the second class car, rather than my intended first class car. But it wasn’t crowded, so I opted to stay put. When the attendant came by to stamp my ticket, he informed me I was in the wrong car, in French. I explained that I had gotten confused and my bag was already stowed. He chuckled and wished me a pleasant journey.
Once I got to Casa Port, I disembarked and noticed a waiting train on the other side of the platform. There were no signs or numbers on the waiting train, so I was not clear as to whether or not this was my train. And according to the station bulletin, it was train #27. My ticket said train #35. After a few more moments of confusion, I found a station attendant. I pointed at the train and asked “Rabat?” Nodding and motioning me to board quickly, I hopped on the train. No need for the rush though. We sat at the platform for another 20-25 minutes.
