Rabat

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Overview

Morocco’s political and administrative capital may be short on top-drawer tourist attractions, but it compensates with plenty of charm. The ville nouvelle's palm-lined boulevards are clean, well kept and relatively free of traffic – a blessed relief for those who have spent time in Casablanca. There's a clean central beach, an intact and evocative kasbah, and an attractive walled medina that is far less touristy than those in other large cities. All in all, the city is a good choice for a short sojourn.

Attractions

Must-see attractions

Chellah

Rabat

First came the Phoenicians, then the Romans took control of this beautiful hilltop site above the fertile Bou Regreg river plain around 40 CE. From 1154,…

Kasbah des Oudaias

Rabat

Rabat's historic citadel occupies the site of the original ribat (fortress-monastery) that gave the city its name. Predominately residential, its narrow…

Musée Mohammed VI Art Moderne et Contemporain

Rabat

Conceived and funded by the present king, this museum opened in 2014 as the country's first national museum of modern and contemporary art. Alongside a…

Mausoleum of Mohammed V

Rabat

The present king’s father (the late Hassan II) and grandfather were laid to rest in this marble mausoleum, which is decorated with exquisite examples of…

Rabat Medina

Rabat

When the French arrived in the early 20th century, this walled medina by the sea was the full extent of the city. Built on an orderly grid in the 17th…

Tour Hassan

Rabat

Rabat's must-see sight – along with the neighbouring mausoleum – this iconic tower looms 44m above the Bou Regreg estuary. It was originally part of an…

Bab Oudaia

Rabat

The most dramatic entry to the kasbah is through the enormous Almohad gate of Bab Oudaia, built in 1195. Its location, facing the heart of the city and…

Plage des Nations

Rabat

The clean, sandy strip of beach, around 25km north of Rabat, gets some serious wave action that's good for surfers, but the currents can be dangerous for…

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