Rabat is Morocco's capital — the quietest, most elegant and least touristy of Morocco's four imperial cities. While Marrakesh draws the crowds and Fez has the most labyrinthine medina, Rabat has the finest Almohad architecture (the Hassan Tower and the Kasbah des Oudaïas), a beautifully preserved colonial-era Ville Nouvelle (planned by Henri Prost under the French Protectorate), the most atmospheric necropolis in Morocco (the Chellah), and the best-value museums in the country. Across the Bouregreg River estuary, the sister city of Salé adds a more traditional Moroccan counterpoint.
The Kasbah des Oudaïas (12th century Almohad, built by Yaqub al-Mansur) is on the promontory where the Bouregreg River meets the Atlantic — the enormous Bab Oudaïa gateway (one of the finest Almohad gates in Morocco), the whitewashed and blue-painted streets of the interior, the Andalusian garden (Jardins des Oudaïas — the most peaceful garden in Rabat), and the sea views from the platform are extraordinary.
🎫 Book tickets via GetYourGuideThe Hassan Tower (1195 AD, Almohad — intended to be the world's largest minaret but halted at 44m when Sultan Yaqub al-Mansur died) stands among 200 columns — all that remains of the projected mosque. Adjacent, the Mohammed V Mausoleum (1971, designed by Vietnamese architect Vo Toan with traditional Moroccan craftwork) contains the tombs of Mohammed V and Hassan II — the two most important kings of modern Morocco. Royal guards in red and white stand at the entrance.
At any Rabat medina restaurant: couscous mechoui (lamb shoulder slow-roasted over argan wood embers, with couscous — the traditional Friday dish) or a chicken-preserved lemon tagine. The Moroccan table has the most complex spice tradition in North Africa. At Dar Zitoun (medina) or the restaurant in the Kasbah.
The Rabat medina (within 16th-century walls built by Andalusian refugees) is the least overwhelming medina in Morocco — the souks of Rue des Consuls (the former diplomatic street, now antique and pottery dealers), the textile market, and the mellah (former Jewish quarter) are accessible without the intense vendor pressure of Marrakesh or Fez.
Bastilla (the most sophisticated dish in Moroccan cuisine — a circular pastry of warqa leaves filled with pigeon or chicken, almonds, fried onion, saffron and cinnamon, dusted with powdered sugar and cinnamon on top: sweet-savory in the Al-Andalus tradition) at a riad restaurant. At Dar El Ouerd or Villa Mandarine for the finest traditional Rabat cooking.
Moroccan mint tea (atay — green tea with huge bunches of fresh spearmint, poured from height to create foam, sweetened to honey-levels) served in engraved silver tea glasses, in a riad or a café. The most important social ritual in Morocco.
The Chellah (outside the Almohad walls, southeast of the city) is a walled necropolis containing both Roman ruins (the ancient city of Sala Colonia, 1st–2nd century AD) and a 14th-century Merinid mosque and royal tombs — a rare layering of Roman and medieval Islamic civilizations, with storks nesting on the minarets and cats sleeping on the Roman columns. The most beautiful ruined site in Morocco.
🎫 Book tickets via GetYourGuideRfissa (chicken with shredded msemen bread, lentils and fenugreek in a rich broth — the Moroccan postpartum celebratory dish, now eaten at celebrations and restaurants) or soupe de poissons (Atlantic fish soup with charmoula and crusty Moroccan bread) at a local restaurant near the National Museum.
The Mohammed VI Museum (2014, in a Protectorate-era building) has the finest collection of contemporary Moroccan and Arab art in the region — the work of the Casablanca Art School (Mohammed Melehi, Farid Belkahia, Fouad Bellamine) that defined modern Moroccan art from the 1960s, alongside photography and video.
🎫 Book tickets via GetYourGuideSalé (across the Bouregreg River on the Bou Regreg ferry or the Bouregreg tram) is the ancient twin city of Rabat — more traditional and less touristic. The Great Mosque of Salé (13th century, closed to non-Muslims but visible from the medina), the waterfront souks and the pottery of the Salé craftsmen are all accessible.
Harira (the slow-cooked tomato, lentil and chickpea soup with vermicelli, coriander and lemon — eaten to break the Ramadan fast, but available all year) with chebakia (sesame and honey cookies) — the most traditional Moroccan meal. At a medina restaurant or at a Salé traditionalist.
The Rabat Archaeological Museum (1932) has the finest pre-Islamic collection in Morocco — the Volubilis bronzes (2nd century AD Roman bronzes found at the Volubilis ruins 150 km south: the ephebe, the dog, the horsemen — extraordinary quality), the Sala Colonia material and the prehistoric Moroccan Homo sapiens fossils from Jebel Irhoud (300,000 years old, some of the oldest Homo sapiens found anywhere).
The Ville Nouvelle (the French colonial city planned from 1913) has the finest café tradition in Morocco — the Café Balima (on Rue Mohammed V, where Hassan II gave his speeches) has been serving coffee and croissants since 1950. Lunch at a Ville Nouvelle restaurant: the Moroccan-French fusion (tagine refined with French technique, lamb with preserved lemon in a French-style sauce) is at its finest in Rabat.
The Bou Regreg redevelopment (the Moroccan "City of Two Banks" project since 2006) has transformed the estuary between Rabat and Salé — the marina, the tramway across the river, the waterfront promenade and the Kasbah des Oudaïas viewed from across the water make the riverside the most pleasant urban walking area in Morocco.
The final shopping in the medina: the Rue des Consuls (carpets, zellige tilework, brass lanterns, Fassi pottery, hand-embroidered leather goods) — the best-value and least pressured souvenir shopping in Morocco (Marrakesh and Fez have more aggressive vendors and higher prices than Rabat).
A final Moroccan royal feast: mechoui (whole roasted lamb, falling from the bone) or a bastilla seafood (the fish version of the pigeon pastry) at a palace restaurant (a former medina mansion converted to a restaurant). At Dar Naji or Villa Mandarine for the most memorable Moroccan meal in Rabat.
The Kasbah des Oudaïas platform at midnight — the Atlantic below, the Bouregreg estuary, the lights of Salé across the water, and a glass of mint tea. The finest midnight view in Morocco.