Rabat is the perfect destination for exploring different points across North Africa due to its geographical location on the Atlantic coast, the fact it is a short distance from hugely important tourist cities such as Casablanca, Fez and Meknes, and its international airport with numerous European connections.
If you’ve spent several days discovering the capital of Morocco and would like to visit other places, using Rabat as your base, you have plenty of options to choose between.
Below is a selection of various activities and places near Rabat.
- Visit the desert
- Excursion to Fez
- Excursion to Volubilis
- Excursion to Chefchaouen
- Excursion to Casablanca
- Kenitra
- Maâmora Forest
Visit the desert
Morocco is known as the country of the dunes because these remarkable sand formations are typical across its land.
One of the most popular excursions run by travel agencies to the Sahara Desert is to Merzouga, in the Erg Chebbi (or Chebbi sea of dunes). It is not technically part of the Sahara but lies on the far edge of the desert.
Dunes can reach 150 m in height and stretch five kilometres wide. Merzouga is a village at the foot of the dunes where you can book excursions to the desert by camel or 4×4. You can even spend the night in the dunes and watch the spectacular sunrise the following morning.
Three-day tours are run from Rabat that take you to the Middle Atlas Mountains, Ouarzazate ‒ home to film studios where scenes from Hollywood movies such as Gladiator were filmed ‒ and Marrakesh.
Excursion to Fez
If you’re spending several days in Rabat, one of the best excursions to do is to Fez. Fez is one of Morocco’s “imperial cities”, together with Marrakesh, Mequinez, and Rabat, because it was once the country’s capital, and its fascinating history stretches back for twelve centuries.
Fez is about two and a half hours from Rabat by road and can be visited in a day if you leave early and return at night. If you’d prefer to explore its medieval streets at a more leisurely pace, spend the night there so you can enjoy exploring the city that is the spiritual and cultural heart of Morocco.
One essential activity to do in Fez is visit Fes el Bali medina, which was made a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1981 and is the largest pedestrianised zone in the world. Wandering around the medina feels like travelling back to medieval times, and it is home to two large mosques, the Mosque of the Andalusians and the Mosque of al-Qarawiyyin; the Bou Ina and Al-Attarine madrasas (Koranic schools); the Nejjarine School of Wood Arts and Crafts; and the Mausoleum or Zawiya of Moulay Idris II, among other places of interest.
After enjoying a cup of typical Moroccan tea and some local food, if you have time, head to one of Fez’s four traditional tanneries. Here you can watch the tanners dye leather by soaking it in vats of assorted colours.
Excursion to Volubilis
Volubilis is also roughly two and a half hours from Rabat by car. This Roman archaeological site is about 30 km from Mequinez, and 20 hectares have been excavated to date.
It was made a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1997 due to its excellent state of conservation. Founded in the third century BC, Volubilis was built to be the capital of Mauretania Tingitana until it was occupied by the Romans, who later abandoned it in the third century AD.
Magnificent remains at Volubilis include the Forum, Triumphal Arch of Caracalla, Capitolium, House of Bacchus, Basilica, House of Orpheus, remarkably well-conserved mosaics, ancient mills, and much more ‒ together they are a remarkable window onto the past.
A guided tour of the site costs around €10, while entry without a guide costs just over €6.
Excursion to Chefchaouen
Chefchaouen is in the north-east of Morocco, near Tetuán, and is surrounded by the Rif Mountains. It is another great excursion to make from Rabat, but it is over four hours away by road so you will need to spend one or two nights there.
Chefchaouen, also known as Chaouen, is famous for its blue and white houses, stairways, and interior courtyards. It is set on the slopes of a mountain and, when viewed from a distance, the whole town seems to be a beautiful shade of blue.
Chefchaouen was founded in the 15th century by the Berbers or Amazigh and was a refuge for Moriscos and Jews who had been expelled from Spain by the Catholic Monarchs; perhaps this is why it looks so much like a typical Andalusian village.
It has a wealth of cultural heritage, starting with the Medina, Kasbah (a large fortress with impressive red walls and lush gardens), the Grand Mosque, and Uta al-Hamman Square.
If you have time, there are also wonderful hiking trails that lead you to the surrounding mountains and rivers.
Excursion to Casablanca
Casablanca is the closest day trip you can make from Rabat, and you can get there in an hour by car. It has over three million inhabitants, making it the largest city in Morocco, and it is the heart of the country’s commercial, industrial, and shipping activity.
It is well worth making a one or two-day trip to Casablanca from Rabat to see its main tourist attractions and to soak up the modern atmosphere in this Moroccan city, the most European in North Africa. You instantly notice this modern vibe along boulevards such as La Corniche, in the city’s exclusive beach clubs, and the fact that some women do not cover their heads.
Visitors to Casablanca never fail to be amazed by vast Hassan II Mosque: it is the third largest mosque in the world after those in Medina and Mecca. It is set on a platform above the sea and is open to the public so you can admire its majestic interior. The mosque is surrounded by a huge esplanade that can hold up to 80,000 believers and is the only mosque that is open to non-Muslims.
Other fascinating places of interest include Mohammed V Square, the Royal Palace, the old and new medinas, and taking a stroll along the seafront promenade or going shopping in Quartier Habous. Casablanca has plenty of restaurants where you can enjoy a wonderful lunch or dinner, and the city is famous for its buzzing nightlife.
Kenitra
The coastal city of Kenitra is 40 km northwards by road from Rabat and is the capital of the agricultural Gharb-Chrarda-Béni Hssen region. The Romans, Almohads, Spanish, Portuguese and French have all ruled this city at one time or another. It has a river port on the Sebú that has been used for military, fishing, and trade purposes over the years.
Kenitra is a great destination if you would like to enjoy the sun and beach. The current city, which dates from the beginning of the 20th century and the French Protectorate, when it was known as Port Lyautey, also has several sights worth seeing: Mohammed VI Mosque, an old medina, and French-style buildings from its colonial past.
Maâmora Forest
Maâmora Forest is the largest cork tree plantation in the world and spreads out between Rabat and Kenitra along an 80 km plateau that runs inland from the Atlantic Ocean. Covering 133,000 hectares, the forest is the green lungs of the Moroccan capital and a wonderful place to spend a day in the countryside.
Spring is the best time of year to visit the forest when the ground is carpeted in a spectacular blanket of flowers.
