What to See in Rabat

Overview

The Rabat-Salé conurbation can be explored in a day. If you have time, given the proximity, you can also use your stop in Rabat to make a day trip to Casablanca, though it’s not a major tourist destination.

Districts

Sites, Monuments and Architectural Ensembles

Since 2012, the "Modern and Historic City of Rabat" has been listed as a UNESCO World Heritage site. The following are included in this designation: the New Town dating from the French Protectorate, the medina, the Almohad ramparts and gates, the Kasbah of the Udayas, the Hassan Mosque/Tower, the Mausoleum of Mohammed V, the Chellah Necropolis, the Jardin d’Essais, and the Habous district of Diour Jamaâ.

Rabat Medina ★
Unlike the labyrinths of other cities, Rabat’s old town features a grid of straight streets where it’s impossible to get lost. Its ramparts give it a certain charm.

Kasbah of the Oudaias ★★
Overlooking the medina, the lively kasbah is worth exploring at leisure. Its main gate is a fine example of 12th-century stone carving. The main street leads past the old mosque to the Sémaphore platform, where the view takes in the ocean, the river, and the city of Salé on the opposite bank.

Mohammed V Mausoleum ★★
Uniformed cavalrymen stand guard at the entrance to the site, which includes the mausoleum itself (also housing the remains of Hassan II) and the ruins of an Almohad mosque. All traditional materials and techniques were used in this modern construction.

Hassan Tower ★★
The structure stands next to the Mausoleum of Mohammed V. Hassan Mosque was a 12th-century project by Sultan Yacoub el-Mansour that remained unfinished upon his death. The 400 columns reaching toward the sky give an idea of the planned building's scale. Today, only a 44-metre minaret remains.

Chellah Necropolis ★★
This Marinid necropolis was built in the 14th century on the site of an ancient city that was first Phoenician, then Carthaginian, and later Roman. Excavations within the enclosure have uncovered a forum, a temple, royal tombs, shops, and baths.

Museums

Parks and Gardens

In the Surrounding Area

Beyond Salé, which faces Rabat and is "inseparable" from it, a few other places to discover within a hundred-kilometre radius:

Casablanca ★ (90 km)
It's the country's largest city and economic capital. Almost all its buildings date from the 20th century, and its new districts, with their contemporary architecture, compete in opulence and modernity. In short, it’s quite far from the "traditional" image one might have of a Moroccan city...