Luxury hotels in Rabat

Rabat guide

Rabat: Morocco's calm, elegant capital

The Kasbah of the Udayas, the Hassan Tower and a medina without the crowds.

Rabat is a UNESCO World Heritage city, and its most cited sight is the Kasbah of the Udayas, a blue-and-white fortress village above the mouth of the Bou Regreg river, with an Andalusian garden and a café looking out to the Atlantic.

Nearby, the unfinished Hassan Tower faces the Mausoleum of Mohammed V, and the Chellah necropolis mixes Roman ruins with storks' nests. Rabat's medina is relaxed and easy to explore, and the city is a short train ride from Casablanca.

The Kasbah of the Udayas and the Hassan Tower

The Kasbah of the Udayas, a fortified quarter of blue and white lanes above the mouth of the Bou Regreg, is one of the most cited sights in Rabat, a UNESCO-listed capital; its Andalusian Gardens and café overlook the Atlantic.

The Hassan Tower, the minaret of a great mosque left unfinished in the twelfth century, stands beside the Mausoleum of Mohammed V, guarded by horsemen in ceremonial dress. The Chellah, a Roman and Merinid necropolis full of storks, is nearby.

Mohammed VI Museum and the new waterfront

The Mohammed VI Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, the first of its kind in Morocco, is one of Rabat's most cited cultural visits, with Moroccan and international exhibitions. Along the Bou Regreg, the Grand Theatre of Rabat, designed by Zaha Hadid, has become a landmark.

The Mohammed VI Tower, one of the tallest buildings in Africa, rises across the river in Salé. Rabat's calm medina, its seaside corniche and the beaches south of the city show a quieter side of Morocco.