The gate and walls of the Chellah necropolis in Rabat, Morocco. Photo / Getty Images
While most travellers rave about Marrakech and Casablanca, Rabat is Morocco’s underrated capital city and well worth a visit, writes Stephen Emms
Sure, it’s all about Marrakech. Every visitor to Morocco should spend time in the “ochre city”, with its world-famous main square, Djemaa el-Fnaa, and warren-like souks. When I first fell in love with the country, back in the early noughties, it held an exoticism like nowhere else I’d visited, from its oasis-like riads, filled with palms, to thrilling impromptu three-day minibus trips into the desert.
But on recent visits to the country, I’ve eschewed Morocco’s tourist epicentre for other, less frantic destinations, whether that’s sprawling Casablanca or the refined coastal resort of Essaouira. And far less raved about than either is Rabat: for years I assumed it was the dull administrative capital, and resisted its draw, despite regular visitors to the country raving about this Unesco City of Heritage that’s considered the greenest city in Africa.
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At that point I was always more into Tangier, the relaxed northern port with its beaches and Spanish influences. And it was while I was staying there, just after Covid’s restrictions lifted, that I spontaneously decided to hop on Al Boraq, the smooth new 321km/h high-speed train, launched in 2018, which whisks you straight to the capital in just 80 minutes. Once in Rabat, you’re rewarded with a simple layout: easy-to-navigate medina, elegant ville nouvelle, epic beachfront, ancient 12th-century kasbah and, across the river, the twin, less touristy city of Salé.
On this first visit, I didn’t fall for it immediately, however. The weather was sweltering and I struggled to find my riad Dar Dar, tucked away deep within the medina – but once I’d checked in, its leafy top terrace soon seduced me with its pool and tropical plants. Any further frustrations evaporated that evening, as I ate grilled swordfish on Le Dhow, a restaurant on a traditional Arab wooden boat moored on the Bou Regreg river. As the sun set, beer in hand, I gazed happily at the outline of the medina.
A couple of years passed before my next – and most recent – visit this summer. And in 2024 the changes are pronounced. Most significant is that the marina in the neighbouring city of Salé, a few minutes by boat over the river, is bustling, lined with bars, cafes and restaurants, and a nearby glitzy new hotel, The Fairmont, which opened in 2022, now shines across the water. This time I was fortunate enough to be staying in one of its riverside rooms, the terraces of which offer spectacular views.
Rabat’s rising fortunes are underlined by two new landmark sights: the first is the 250m-high mixed-use Mohammed VI Tower in the new business district, the third-highest building in Africa, due to be inaugurated at the end of 2024, and secondly, architect Zaha Hadid’s imposing Grand Theatre of Rabat, with a 1800-seat auditorium and a 7000-seat amphitheatre. While both are yet to open – something that should finally happen in 2025 – they nonetheless underline the capital’s ambitions.
After tacos on the rooftop at the Fairmont, where a ceviche restaurant boasts memorable views over both these new developments, I explored the line of cafes and bars down on the marina. The following morning, boarding a rowing boat – called a flouka – over to the main city of Rabat, I was relieved to find the medina unmodernised since my last visit.
Its main veins are Mohammed V and Rue Souika, the latter lined with stalls selling everything from trainers to rose water, jewellery to leather belts. Most intoxicating are the fruit stalls, piled high with figs, dates and huge oranges, along with vividly coloured spices, roadside snacks - fried sardines, battered fish – on every corner. A must is Old Rabat Market, its latticed wooden ceiling protecting shoppers from the sun right up to Avenue des Consuls, lined with carpet and bag shops. As the medina slopes down to the river, in the Old Jewish Quarter’s flea market, the distinctive smell of fried aubergines fills the air.
You can explore the sites and museums easily enough on foot. An essential starting point is the unfinished 12th-century Hassan Tower, a 44m-high landmark set in a vast pillar-filled square with adjoining mausoleum. Half an hour’s stroll, or a quick hop in a petit taxi, is the historic Chellah necropolis, with its majestic 14th-century gates and mausoleums, which reopened this summer after years of restoration work.
Within walking distance from here is the striking Mohammed VI Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, which houses hundreds of artworks, while on the other side of the medina is the Musee Photographie, the showcase for cutting-edge young Moroccan photographers in an atmospheric 19th-century fort right on the seafront. Elsewhere, the Museum of National Dress displays adornments from bangles to tunics, guns and swords. Its highlight, for me, was the calm tiled central courtyard, guarded by sometimes over-zealous security guards.
Next door is the 12th century Kasbah Des Oudayas – built over the original “ribat”, or fortified monastery – lined with artisan boutiques, galleries and orange and pomegranate juice stalls (don’t miss the awe-inspiring sea views at its tip); and in the adjoining Andalusian Gardens, the scent of rosemary fills the air, as exotic birds shriek high up in vast palms. Pause here for sweet mint tea at the famous Cafe Maure overlooking the river.
And now, let’s eat. This is a city in which you can enjoy traditional Moroccan fare cheaply – harira soup, packed with lentils and chickpeas, hearty tagines or briouates (puff pastries). The best option is to wander, and eat wherever catches your eye – or where the queues snake out – but my recommendations include Chez Hajja in the medina, whose signature sardine dumpling tagine is served with homemade bread and harissa; and Cafe El Bahia, set in a characterful red-tiled courtyard within the ochre walls (the chicken pastilla, dusted with cinnamon, fresh mint and sugar, is delicious). For a licensed traditional dining room in the ville nouvelle (alcohol is not to be taken for granted here) there’s Le Petitbeur, while for crashing waves with your seafood – or simply a cold Casablanca beer – it has to be the terrace at Borjeddar on Rabat Beach, near the lighthouse.
For a stark contrast to Rabat, Salé’s medina and centre is also worth exploring. It comprises a workaday living souk in which, on a weekday off-season, I was the sole visitor wandering its narrow alleyways. Its covered market – where local artisans work with wool and clothing – is alive with the sound of sewing machines and scissors cutting cloth; beyond, in the tree-filled central square, there are tiny cafes and a locally renowned medieval medersa.
On my last evening, a blue haze lingered over the Bou Regreg, rowing boats tethered to the dock. The coast was enveloped in a sea mist, and in the kasbah there was zero visibility, especially from its viewing platform. Seated on the tiny flouka rowing boat heading back across the river to my hotel, I gazed one last time at the floodlit medina, its streets finally emptying, and considered how this laidback city offers a relatively easy introduction to Moroccan life – especially if you’re a first-time visitor.
GETTING THERE
Fly from Auckland to Rabat–Salé Airport with two stopovers with China Eastern, Qatar Airways and Singapore Airlines on a Star Alliance Codeshare basis.
DETAILS
Stephen Emms was a guest of The Fairmont La Marina Rabat-Salé and Visit Morocco. He has previously visited Morocco and Rabat independently.
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