# Rabat URL: https://soukytours.com/destinations/rabat Region: Atlantic coast, capital. From Marrakesh: About 3.5 hours by car from Marrakesh, or about 3.5 hours by train. Best time: All year; the ocean keeps summers mild and winters gentle. Rabat, the calm capital on the Atlantic: the Kasbah of the Oudayas, the Hassan Tower and a medina where you can walk around undisturbed as a woman. ## Highlights - The Kasbah of the Oudayas with blue and white alleys and a view of the sea - The Hassan Tower and the Mausoleum of Mohammed V - Chellah, Roman and Marinid ruins with storks - A medina without hassle and with fixed prices - Walking along the ocean and the Bou Regreg river Rabat is the capital and behaves calmly, as a capital should: wide avenues, a tram, gardens, embassies. On its edge are a medina and a kasbah by the sea so beautiful that you wonder why nobody talks about them. Rabat as a whole is a UNESCO World Heritage site. It is also a city where Moroccan women are very visible in public life: in offices, at cafés, on the tram. After a week in the interior that is a relief. ## Oudayas, Hassan Tower and Chellah The Kasbah of the Oudayas is a fortified quarter on a rock above the mouth of the Bou Regreg. You'll find white houses with blue bases, an Andalusian garden and, at the far end, a terrace where you look out at the ocean with mint tea and cookies. Rabat doesn't get better than this, and it costs nothing. The Hassan Tower is the unfinished minaret of a 12th-century mosque, surrounded by a field of columns. Next to it stands the Mausoleum of King Mohammed V, with guards on horseback and an interior of marble and cedar wood. Non-Muslims are allowed inside, which is possible at very few religious buildings in Morocco. Chellah is a walled ruin of a Roman town and a Marinid necropolis, overgrown with gardens and inhabited by storks. It is quiet and green, and there is something mysterious about it. In spring the flowers are in bloom. The medina of Rabat is small and practical. You buy carpets, leather and spices at fixed prices, so there is no need to haggle. It is a good place to buy your last gifts without stress. Across the river is Salé, with its own medina and an old madrasa. Crossing on the small ferry boat costs a few dirhams. ## Rabat as a woman Rabat is about as easy as a Moroccan city gets for women. You walk around here the way you would in a southern European city. Nobody approaches you, you don't get the looks of the Fes medina, and you don't have to negotiate over anything. Dress is looser. A dress or pants like you would wear at home won't stand out, though covering up is appropriate in the medina and at the mausoleum. More on that in [what to wear](/en/practical/what-to-wear). In the evening the new town around Avenue Mohammed V is lively, with café terraces and restaurants. Eating out alone is normal here. Taxis run on the meter. ## Travel time and how long to stay From Marrakesh it is a three and a half hour drive, and the train takes just as long. From [Casablanca](/en/destinations/casablanca) it is an hour. Half a day to a day is enough. Staying the night is pleasant if you continue from here by train or car to Fes or Tangier. Rabat works all year. The ocean keeps the temperature mild: 25°C in summer and 17°C in winter, with occasional rain. There are ATMs everywhere and every taxi runs on the meter. The rest is in [money and payments](/en/practical/money-and-payments). ## Rabat on the tour Rabat is a leg of the [imperial cities tour](/en/trips/imperial-cities-tour), usually as the first stop after Casablanca or the last one before you head home. Soukayna drives you there, walks with you through the Oudayas and the medina, and then drives on to [Meknes and Volubilis](/en/destinations/meknes-and-volubilis) or [Fes](/en/destinations/fes). If you would rather take the train for the stretch along the coast, that is possible too. She then picks you up again at the other end. ## Frequently asked questions **Is Rabat worth it, or can I skip it?** If you only have a week and want to see Marrakesh and the desert, skip it. On a tour of the north Rabat is a pleasant stop, because it is so relaxed. Half a day to a day is enough. **How does Rabat feel compared to Marrakesh?** Very different: wide avenues, trams, embassies, women in office clothes, and nobody trying to sell you anything. It feels closer to a European city than to Marrakesh. After a week of medinas that can be welcome. **Can I continue by train from Rabat?** Yes. Rabat is on the Al Boraq high-speed line from Tangier to Casablanca. Casablanca is an hour away, Fes two and a half hours. The trains are clean and safe, also for women on their own. --- Source: https://soukytours.com/destinations/rabat Souky Tours, contact through the chat on https://soukytours.com/contact