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Northern Atlantic Coast
This windswept coast is home to Morocco's cultured capital, Rabat, and its economic hub, Casablanca. The refined Moorish architecture and liberal attitudes on display in both cities are a far cry from the medieval medinas and conservative lifestyles of inland cities such as Fez and Marrakesh.
There's more to see than these big cities, though. Vast swathes of golden sand, small fishing villages, historic ports built by the Portuguese and fortified towns with vibrant medinas are scattered along the ocean's edge. Outside the towns, farmland rolls gently down to the sea and wetland reserves showcase rich migratory birdlife in autumn and spring.
The region is bookended by Asilah and Essaouira, famed for their medinas and surrounding beaches. There’s art to view, delicious seafood to eat and an extraordinarily rich history, from the Phoenicians to the protectorates, that is begging to be explored. Don't miss it.
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Top attractions
These are our favorite local haunts, touristy spots, and hidden gems throughout Northern Atlantic Coast.
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Hassan II Mosque
This opulent mosque, built at enormous expense, is set on an outcrop jutting over the ocean with a 210m-tall minaret that's a city landmark. It's a showcase of the finest Moroccan artisanship: hand-carved stone and wood, intricate marble flooring and inlay, gilded cedar ceilings and exquisite zellige (geometric mosaic tilework) abound. It's one of two Moroccan mosques open to non-Muslims; multilanguage guided tours are conducted outside prayer times for modestly clad visitors. There’s also a small museum showcasing the craftwork involved. One of the largest mosques in Africa, it can hold 105,000 worshippers – 25,000 inside, the rest on the outside courtyards. Built and partially funded by King Hassan II (the remaining funds were gathered through a somewhat controversial public subscription process), the mosque complex was designed by French architect Michel Pinseau, took six years to build and was completed in 1993. Its dramatic location overhanging the ocean waves echoes verse from the Quran, which states that God’s throne was built upon the water. Believers pray on a floor that can be heated when necessary, and can feel the breeze through the retractable roof in warmer months. The size and elaborate decoration of the prayer hall is simply spectacular. A team of more than 6000 master craftspeople was assembled to work on the mosque, delicately carving intricate patterns and designs in fragrant cedar wood from the Middle Atlas and pink granite from Agadir. The gates were made from brass and titanium, and the ablution fountains in the basement, which are shaped like huge lotus flowers, were carved from local marble. To see the interior, visitors must be ‘decently and respectfully dressed’ (knees and upper arms covered); women don’t require a headscarf. Tours last around 45 minutes and are conducted in French, English, German and Spanish, and take in the prayer hall and subterranean ablutions rooms.
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Medina
Surrounded by dramatic, wave-lashed ramparts, the narrow streets, hassle-free souqs, street vendors and vibrant galleries of Essaouira's walled medina make it a wonderful place to stroll. Dating from the late 18th century and added to Unesco’s World Heritage list in 2001, it was famously used in the opening scene of Orson Welles’ 1951 film Othello and, more recently, Game of Thrones.
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Medina
Asilah’s compact medina is surrounded by sturdy stone fortifications built by the Portuguese in the 15th century. Enter through the Bab Al Kassaba and wander along its warren of alleyways, where the brilliant-white buildings punctuated with blue paintwork that match the sea and sky – many of which have been bought and restored by foreigners – are dotted with boutiques and galleries. Colourful murals painted each year during the Asilah Festival, as well as by local schoolchildren, make it exceptionally photogenic. Access to the ramparts is limited. The southwestern bastion is the best spot for views over the ocean and is a popular spot at sunset. It also offers a peek into the nearby Koubba of Sidi Mansur (closed to non-Muslims) and the Mujaheddin Graveyard. The southern entrance to the medina, Bab Homar, is topped by the much-eroded Portuguese royal coat of arms. The main entrance, Bab Al Kasaba, leads to the Great Mosque, which is closed to non-Muslims. The medina is busiest on Thursday, Asilah’s main market day.
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Cité Portugaise
Head through the main entrance gate of the Unesco-protected Cité Portugaise off Place Mohammed Ben Abdallah, and on the left are the early 16th-century Church of the Assumption and the Grande Mosquée de Mazagan boasting a unique five-sided minaret. Stop off at the atmospheric vaulted cistern – La Citerne Portugaise (adult/child Dh60/25) – before scaling a steep slope up to the hefty ramparts, where the Bastion de L’Ange makes an excellent photo stop, with views out to the ocean and the port. A stroll along the ramparts takes you to the Bastion de St Sébastian, passing a ruined synagogue still sporting a Star of David on its facade. At the end of the main road is the Porte de la Mer, the original sea gate where ships used to unload their cargo. To the left, through an archway, is a communal bakery where women still bring their bread to be baked. And you might recognise the cistern, lit by a single shaft of light, as the location for the dramatic riot scene in Orson Welles’ 1951 film Othello.
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Musée Mohammed VI Art Moderne et Contemporain
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 permanent display of Moroccan artists dating from the 1950s to the present day, it plays host to temporary exhibitions from big-name international artists. Look out for paintings by Radia Bent El Houssein (1912–94), Abbés Saladi (1950–92), André Elbaz (b 1934), Mehdi Qotbi (b 1951) and Aziza Alaoui (b 1966). Also of note are photographs by Lalla Essaydi (b 1956).
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Lixus Ruins
Set on a hill with spectacular views over the Loukos Estuary, the Carthaginian and Roman ruins of Lixus are evocative reminders that settlements on this coast are among the oldest in the country. And while it lacks the grandeur of Volubilis – much of the ruins have been eroded by time and the elements – you’ll be able to wander without the crowds. And now there’s a contemporary visitor centre with a fascinating display charting what’s known of the site’s history. Megalithic stones found in the vicinity point to it originally being inhabited by a sun-worshipping people well versed in astronomy and mathematics. Then little is known until the Phoenicians set up the colony Liks here in about 1000 BCE. According to Pliny the Elder, it was here that Hercules picked the golden apples of the Garden of the Hesperides, thus completing the penultimate of his 12 labours. The golden apples could well have been Moroccan tangerines. If a guardian is available, they’ll be happy to show you around – a tip (around Dh100) is appreciated. Immediately inside the gate is the lower town, with the remains of garum factories where fish was salted and the paste so beloved by the Romans was produced. A track leads up the hill to the acropolis, passing a steep amphitheatre built by the Romans along the way. Baths were originally built into the side of the amphitheatre, with some traces of mosaic flooring. Some mosaics from the site were removed and are now on display at the Archaeology Museum in Tetouan. The path continues to the overgrown acropolis, which straddles the crest of the hill. From here you can look out over the Loukos Estuary and salt fields below. The civic buildings (including temple sanctuaries) and original city ramparts are here, as are traces of pre-Roman structures. In the 6th century BCE, the Phoenician Atlantic colonies fell to the Carthaginians. Lixus remained a trading post, principally in gold, ivory and slaves and, by 42 CE, had entered the Roman Empire. Its primary exports soon changed to salt, olives, wine and garum, and its merchants also grew rich from the export of wild animals for use in the Empire’s amphitheatres. The colony at Lixus rapidly declined as the Romans withdrew from North Africa, and was abandoned completely in the 5th century, after the collapse of the Roman Empire. Later, the site became known to Muslims as Tuchummus. Lixus is approximately 5.5km north of Larache on the road to Tangier and the main gate is just off the highway, by the road running in front of the estuary. A petit taxi costs Dh20 one-way, but you may have trouble flagging down a bus or taxi for your return trip; it's best to organise for the driver to pick you up at an agreed time.
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Chellah
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, it lay abandoned until the 14th century, when a Merinid sultan built a necropolis on top of the Roman site. An elegant minaret, now topped by a stork’s nest, is all that's left of a once-impressive mosque and behind it, the sultan's tomb, complete with stone carving and mosaic traces. To its right (east) are the tombs of several saints and the Bassin aux Anguilles, a pool that attracts women who believe that feeding boiled eggs to its resident eels brings fertility and easy childbirth. Next to the minaret, at a lower level, is a small medersa (school for studying the Quran) with the remains of pillars, students’ cells, a mihrab (niche indicating the direction of Mecca) and an ornamental pool. At the bottom of the site, on the slope beneath the tomb of Sultan Abu Al Hasan and his wife, is a shady walkway lined with flowers, palm trees and bamboo. The Chellah is an evocative setting for several of the city's festivals, including Jazz au Chellah and Mawazine.
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Kasbah des Oudaias
Rabat's historic citadel occupies the site of the original ribat (fortress-monastery) that gave the city its name. Predominately residential, its narrow streets are lined with whitewashed houses, most of which were built by Muslim refugees from Spain. There are scenic views over the river to Salé and out to the ocean from the Plateforme du Sémaphore, its highest point. The pretty Andalusian Gardens at its southern edge are a popular meeting spot for locals.
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Medina
Entered through the Bab Al Khemis, an imposing Hispano-Moorish structure, Larache's blue-and-white medina has changed little over the years. Mostly residential, it's arranged around the Zoco de la Alcaiceria, a colonnaded marketplace, where fresh produce and household goods are sold from open-fronted stores, wooden carts or straight off the cobbles. To the north is a maze of narrow lanes leading to the ruined Saadian Fortress. South, up the hill, is the handsome Music Conservatory and a scenic lookout.