Holiday in Rabat

What makes Rabat special as a destination?

Rabat is Morocco's underrated gem — the royal capital that stands in the shadow of Marrakech and Fes, but has been recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage site since 2012 and offers an elegance that its more touristy sisters lack. The 1.7 million city at the mouth of the Bou-Regreg River into the Atlantic combines Moorish history, French colonial elegance, and modern Moroccan culture into an atmosphere that is more relaxed and orderly than any other Moroccan metropolis. The Kasbah of the Udayas, a fortress from the 12th century high above the river mouth, is Rabat's most photogenic district: blue and white painted alleys like in Chefchaouen, an Andalusian garden, views of the Atlantic, and the Hassan Tower — an unfinished minaret from the 12th century that, at 44 meters high, is Rabat's landmark. Next to it lies the Mausoleum of Mohammed V, a masterpiece of Moroccan-Islamic architecture in white marble. The Chellah, an abandoned Roman-Islamic necropolis outside the city walls, is a magical place: Roman ruins, medieval tombs, and storks nesting on the minarets — nature and history merge in an atmosphere reminiscent of an enchanted time capsule. Rabat is also Morocco's cultural capital: The Mohammed VI Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, the first of its kind in North Africa, showcases Moroccan and international art in an elegant new building.