Morocco's calm coastal capital at a walking pace: a blue-and-white kasbah above the Atlantic, Roman ruins full of storks, and one of Africa's best modern-art museums. Lonely Planet's Best in Travel 2027 pick, and the relaxed alternative to Marrakech and Fes.
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- Day 19 am – 5 pm · 4 stops
- 9 am 1Kasbah of the Udayas at openingRabat
Enter through the great carved Bab Oudaya gate into the fortified village on the headland above the Bou Regreg. Blue-and-white lanes, quiet courtyards, and a platform with views across the river to Sale and out over the Atlantic. First built in the 12th century, it is the prettiest corner of the capital. Come early, before the day warms up.
3 min walk · 0 m - 11:30 am 2Andalusian GardensRabat
Just below the kasbah walls, a walled garden of orange trees, flowerbeds and shaded paths laid out in the Andalusian style. A calm pause between the kasbah and the medina, and the small Oudayas Museum in the 17th-century palace sits right beside it.
3 min walk · 250 m - 12:30 pm 3Mint tea at Cafe MaureRabat
The classic kasbah cafe terrace, looking out over the river mouth and the Atlantic. Order mint tea and pastries and watch the light change on the water. The most photographed terrace in Rabat, and still a local habit rather than a tourist trap.
6 min walk · 450 m - 2 pm 4Medina and Rue des ConsulsRabat
Rabat's medina is compact, flat and refreshingly hassle-free after Marrakech or Fes. Rue des Consuls, where the foreign consuls once lived, is lined with carpet, leather and craft shops where browsing is a pleasure. This is a working market, not a tourist bazaar, so the pace is slow and the prices are honest.
- Day 29 am – 6:30 pm · 5 stops
- 9 am 5Hassan TowerRabat
The 44-metre minaret of a grand 12th-century mosque that was never completed, standing over a field of ruined columns on the esplanade. Rabat's defining silhouette, and best in the soft morning light.
3 min walk · 200 m - 10 am 6Mausoleum of Mohammed VRabat
Across the esplanade from the tower, the white marble mausoleum where the king who led Morocco to independence in 1956 lies buried with his sons, King Hassan II and Prince Moulay Abdallah. Guards in ceremonial dress, carved cedar and onyx inside, and one of the finest modern monuments in North Africa.
8 min by train or taxi · 1.8 km - 11:30 am 7Chellah necropolisRabat
Roman ruins layered under a medieval Merinid necropolis, wrapped in greenery and watched over by nesting storks. One of the best places in the city: crumbling walls, a minaret, a sacred pool, and gardens that feel miles from the capital. Allow up to two hours.
17 min walk · 1.3 km - 2:30 pm 8Mohammed VI Museum of Modern and Contemporary ArtRabat
Rabat's main museum of modern Moroccan art, on Avenue Mohammed V, holding around 400 works by contemporary Moroccan artists plus a regular programme of exhibitions. The museum celebrated its 10th anniversary in 2024. The anchor of Rabat's claim to be a coastal arts hub.
7 min walk · 550 m - 5 pm 9National Museum of ArchaeologyRabat
The national archaeology collection, including the bronze finds from Volubilis, Morocco's great Roman city. The right museum to visit after Chellah: the objects here are what the ruins there once held. Check opening days, as several Rabat museums close on Mondays or Tuesdays.
- Day 39 am – 6:30 pm · 4 stops
- 9 am 10Sale medina across the riverSale
Cross the Bou Regreg by tram to Rabat's twin city. Sale's medina is quieter and more traditional than Rabat's, with the Grand Mosque, the Merinid Medersa and the old Bab el-Mrissa gate. The contrast between the two riverbanks is the point: Rabat is the elegant capital, Sale is the older working town.
8 min by train or taxi · 2.4 km - 12:30 pm 11National Museum of Photography, Fort RottembourgRabat
A late-19th-century fort on the Corniche, also called Borj El Kebir, has been the National Museum of Photography since 2020, showing sharp and often surprising work by Moroccan photographers. It sits in the L'Ocean district, which Time Out named the second coolest neighbourhood in the world.
8 min by train or taxi · 2.1 km - 2:30 pm 12Jardin d'Essais BotaniquesRabat
A 17-hectare botanical garden, nearly 120 years old and still functioning as the city's agroecology lab. Wide lawns, palms and experimental plantings, a green pause between the museums and the evening. One of the reasons Rabat feels so much calmer than Morocco's other big cities.
8 min by train or taxi · 1.8 km - 5 pm 13Grand Theatre de Rabat at duskRabat
Zaha Hadid's sweeping white theatre on the Bou Regreg riverfront, the modern bookend to three days of old Rabat. Walk the riverfront promenade as the lights come on and the building glows against the water. If a performance is on, book ahead; if not, the exterior at dusk is the show.