Rabat
Rabat is the capital city of Morocco, located on the northwestern coasts of the Atlantic Ocean.
Rabat is the capital city of Morocco, located on the northwestern coasts of the Atlantic Ocean. Rabat is the country's seventh-largest city with a population of 515,619 (2024) and the second largest metropolitan area after Casablanca, with a population of approximately 2.1 million (2025). It is also the capital city of the Rabat-Salé-Kénitra administrative region. Rabat is located on the Atlantic Ocean at the mouth of the river Bou Regreg, opposite Salé, the city's main commuter town.
Adapted from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0.
Worth seeing in and around Rabat
10 places within 25 km that the world writes about, in the order of how widely: the ones a visitor has heard of first, then the ones only a local would name.
- 01Hassan Tower
Hassan Tower or Tour Hassan is the minaret of an incomplete mosque in Rabat, Morocco. It was commissioned by Abu Yusuf Yaqub al-Mansur, the third caliph of the Almohad Caliphate, near the end of the 12th century.
1.8 km · Mosque in Rabat, Morocco · Wikipedia - 02Kasbah of the Udayas
The Kasbah of the Udayas, also spelled Kasbah of the Oudaias or of the Oudayas, is a kasbah in Rabat, Morocco. It is located on a hill at the mouth of the Bou Regreg opposite Salé, and adjacent to the Medina quarter of Rabat.
1.2 km · Moroccan cultural heritage site · Wikipedia - 03Mausoleum of Mohammed V
The Mausoleum of Mohammed V is a mausoleum located across from the Hassan Tower in Rabat, Morocco. It contains the tombs of the Moroccan king Mohammed V and his two sons, late King Hassan II and Prince Abdallah.
1.8 km · Moroccan cultural heritage site · Wikipedia - 04The Great Mosque of Salé
The Great Mosque of Salé, also known as the Masjid al-Tal'a, is a historic mosque in Salé, Morocco. It is the main mosque of the old city.
2.5 km · mosque in Salé, Morocco · Wikipedia - 05House of Representatives of Morocco
The House of Representatives is one of the two chambers—the other being the House of Councillors—of the Moroccan Parliament. The House of Representatives has 395 members elected for five-year terms, 305 of whom are elected in multi-seat constituencies, and the remaining 90 are elected based on regional lists dedicated to promoting gender equality.
600 m · lower house of Morocco · Wikipedia - 06Mohammed V University
Mohammed V University is a public university in Rabat, Morocco. It was founded in 1957 under a royal decree.
2.5 km · university in Rabat, Morocco · Wikipedia - 07Russian Orthodox Church in Rabat
Holy Resurrection Church in Rabat is the oldest of three functioning Orthodox churches in Morocco. It is under the jurisdiction of the Russian Orthodox Church.
1.4 km · Moroccan cultural heritage site · Wikipedia - 08National Library of the Kingdom of Morocco
The National Library of the Kingdom of Morocco is the national library of Morocco. It is located in Rabat and has a branch in Tetouan.
1.4 km · Moroccan national library in Rabat · Wikipedia - 09Royal Institute of Amazigh Culture
The Royal Institute of Amazigh Culture; Standard Moroccan Tamazight: ⴰⵙⵉⵏⴰⴳ ⴰⴳⵍⴷⴰⵏ ⵏ ⵜⵓⵙⵙⵏⴰ ⵜⴰⵎⴰⵣⵉⵖⵜ, romanized: Asinag Agldan n Tussna Tamazight; Arabic: المعهد الملكي للثقافة الأمازيغية, romanized: al-Ma‘had al-Malikī lith-Thaqāfah al-Amāzīghīyah) is an academic institute of the Moroccan government in charge with the promotion of the Berber languages and culture, and of the development of Standard Moroccan Amazigh and its instruction in Morocco's public schools. The institute is located in the Moroccan capital of Rabat.
5.8 km · institute in Morocco responsible for the promotion of the Berber languages and culture · Wikipedia - 10St. Peter's Cathedral (Rabat)
St. Peter's Cathedral is a Roman Catholic church located at Golan Square in downtown Rabat, Morocco.
1 km · Moroccan cultural heritage site · Wikipedia
Ranked by the number of language editions of Wikipedia with an article on each, from Wikidata; the sentences are the openings of those articles, CC BY-SA 4.0.
What Wikivoyage says to see
- 01Kasbah of the Oudaias
It has narrow streets with cute white and blue houses, the Andalucian Gardens, the Oudaias Museum housed in a 17th century palace, and a great view of the Atlantic Ocean.
- 02Old Medina
A UNESCO World Heritage Site filled with atmospheric narrow streets and a sizeable market.
- 03Chouhada Cemetery
- 04The Beach
Rather small and not particularly appealing one.
- 05Hassan Tower and the Royal Mausoleum
Exquisite mausoleum of the current king’s grandfather, the father of Moroccan independence.
- 06National Archaeological Museum
As of November 2019 closed for restoration.
From Wikivoyage: Rabat, CC BY-SA 4.0. Not yet checked by us.
Things to do
There are many things to do here. As in most Moroccan cities, it is enough just to wander around and go where something takes your fancy. There is also a large and tranquil park next to the Hotel Sofitel, where people run and play football, etc. You can also use the pool at the Sofitel for a charge. The park is a 10-15 dirham taxi ride (10 minutes) from la Gare Central.
- 01Théâtre National Mohammed V
Theatre in Downtown Rabat, nothing absolutely outstanding but there are performances each month.
- 02Royal Golf Dar es Salaam
The domain is spread over 440 ha of trees, flowers, and water.
From Wikivoyage: Rabat, CC BY-SA 4.0. Not yet checked by us.
Where to eat
In the centre there are often inexpensive food stalls around the medina, serving delicious fish and salad sandwiches. Especially found right around the perimeter of the Marche Centrale, these places also serve fresh and simple salads, hot bowls of lubia (beans) or lentils, rotisserie chicken, and home-made tagines. There are also lots of stalls selling pancakes and pains au chocolat.
From Wikivoyage: Rabat, CC BY-SA 4.0. Not yet checked by us.
Getting to Rabat
- Airports
- Rabat-Salé (RBA), 9 km · Mohammed V (CMN), 100 km · Fes Saïss (FEZ), 172 km
- Stations
- Rabat-Salé Airport, 8.9 km · Rabat-Agdal, 2.5 km · Salé-City train station, 3 km · Salé-Tabriquet train station, 4.8 km
- Casablanca → Rabat86 km · quickest by road, 1h 42m · MAD37–49
- Saïss → RabatTrain, bus, flight, ferry and road, side by side
- Oulad Yaich → Rabat182 km · quickest by road, 4h 3m · MAD120–160
- Plan a tripFrom anywhereThe planner compares every way there from wherever you are.
Road and air are today’s quick answer; timetabled trains, buses and ferries load on the results page from the operators’ feeds.
No local-transport research exists yet for Rabat
Our researched notes are written from a sourced entry: every shared taxi, boat and village bus with its operator, its rule, its fare and the year we saw it, and what could not be confirmed. Nobody has done that work for Rabat. What is above is what we hold from open sources; nothing here pretends to be more.
- 01192 km
- 02419 km
- 031,812 km
- 041,817 km
- 051,907 km
If you know how people move in Rabat – the stand, the rule, the fare – tell us, and the note gets an entry.
Next door to Rabat
Rabat is 5 km from Salé, the nearest large city, whose note carries the wider picture.