Just inside Bab Laalou on the edge of the medina, this safe but unexciting choice offers small rooms with double-glazed windows, comfortable beds and satellite TV. We liked the 3rd-floor restaurant with its medina view, but were disappointed by the dodgy plumbing and lack of hot water.
Rabat Youth HostelHOSTEL€
(Auberge des Jeune Rabat; MAP GOOGLE MAP ; %0537 72 57 69; [email protected]; 43 Rue Maressa Bab El Had, Quartier Bab El Had; dm Dh60; W; jMedina Rabat)
A peaceful courtyard garden is the main reason to stay in this old-style hostel occupying a riad next to Bab El Had bus station. There are two 16-bed male dorms and one 20-bed female dorm; none have air-con or fans. The shared bathrooms (four showers for men, three for women) are clean but lack hot water.
oL'AlcazarBOUTIQUE HOTEL€€€
( MAP GOOGLE MAP ; %0537 73 69 06; www.lalcazar.com; 4 Impasse Ben Abdellah, off Ave Laalou, Medina; r Dh1000-3500; paW; jMedina Rabat)
Rabat's most stylish hotel is entered through a royal-blue doorway at the end of an impasse (dead-end lane) near Bab Laalou. A chic French-style adaptation of a traditional riad, the hotel offers eight extremely comfortable rooms, a charming central dining area and a multitiered rooftop terrace with expansive medina views. Amenities are top-quality, breakfast is delicious and service is friendly.
Riad OudayaRIAD€€€
( MAP GOOGLE MAP ; %0537 70 23 92; www.riadrabat.com; 46 Rue Sidi Fateh, Medina; s/d incl breakfast Dh1100/1300, two-/ three-person ste Dh1650/1920; W; jMedina Rabat)
Tucked away down an impasse just north of Mosquée el-Mekki, this small French-owned riad is an oasis of style and tranquillity in the heart of the medina. There are two standard rooms on the rooftop and two suites sleeping two or three people downstairs. Dinner in the gorgeous open courtyard costs Dh250 but must be booked in advance.
Note that it is a great choice in autumn or spring but rooms are too hot in summer and the open courtyard means that the restaurant will be cold in winter. Credit cards are not accepted.
RABAT FOR CHILDREN
Other than the crowded plage (beach), which is child-friendly, there are few specific attractions in the city for younger visitors. Children may enjoy tram journeys and will almost certainly have fun crossing between Rabat and Salé on one of the commuter rowing boats. They will also enjoy exploring the Kasbah les Oudaias, where they can pretend to be pirates or expend energy running around the Plateforme du Sémaphore and Andalusian Gardens.
5Eating
Considering its status as the nation's capital, Rabat's restaurant scene leaves a lot to be desired. The best of the local eateries are in the ville nouvelle, with one or two decent options in Agdal. Ave Mohammed V, just inside the medina gate, is a good place to find a cheap eat.
Ville Nouvelle & Agdal
La RiveMOROCCAN€
( MAP GOOGLE MAP ; %0537 73 00 01; www.restaurantlariverabat.com; Pl Moulay Hassan, Ville Nouvelle; snacks from Dh10; h7.30am-midnight; jPlace al-Joulane)
Modern and airy, this is one of three popular cafe-restaurants on this sunken plaza – it's a good spot away from the traffic and bustle. All three have terrace seating and offer set menus for less than Dh100.
La ComédieCAFE€
( MAP GOOGLE MAP ; 269 Ave Mohammed V, Ville Nouvelle; pastries from Dh10; h7am-10pm; jMedina Rabat)
Friendly and efficient staff serve excellent coffees and good pastries and gateaux at this popular cafe. Claim a table under the large trees and watch the passing parade on Ave Mohammed V.
oLe Petit BeurMOROCCAN€€
( MAP GOOGLE MAP ; %0537 73 13 22; 8 Rue Damas, Ville Nouvelle; salads Dh45, mains Dh80-120; h11.30am-2pm & 7-11pm Mon-Sat; jMohammed V/Gare de Rabat)
Known for its friendly waiters and fresh Moroccan food, this small restaurant offers an array of daily specials, tajines, brochettes, briouates and pastillas. The set menu of salad, brochettes and water for Dh90 is excellent value. Lunchtimes are quiet but it's wise to book for dinner, when an oud player serenades diners.
Ty PotesFRENCH€€
( MAP GOOGLE MAP ; %0537 70 79 65; http://typotes.com/; 11 Rue Ghafsa, Ville Nouvelle; salads Dh60-85, tartines Dh65-95; hnoon-2.45pm Tue-Sat, 7-11pm Thu-Sat, 11am-3pm Sun; jPlace al-Joulane)
Head to the leafy street behind the St Pierre Cathedral and Institut Française to find this popular expat haunt. The menu features sweet and savoury crêpes and galettes, salads and tartines (open-faced sandwiches), which are ideally enjoyed in the rear garden. The Sunday brunch (Dh120) is particularly popular. Both alcohol and charcuterie are served; service can be brusque.
Tajine Wa TanjiaMOROCCAN€€
( MAP GOOGLE MAP ; %0537 72 97 97; 9 Rue de Baghdad, Ville Nouvelle; tajines Dh65-86, tanjias Dh128-148, couscous Dh55-85; hnoon-3pm & 7pm-midnight Mon-Sat; W; jMohammed V/Gare de Rabat)
Down-to-earth Moroccan dishes are the speciality at this friendly restaurant near the Rabat Ville train station. The menu is dominated by brochettes, tajines and tanjias (stews slow-cooked in a pottery vessel) prepared according to traditional recipes, with couscous served on Fridays only. The ambience is romantic at night, helped along by live oud music.
Le Bistro du PietriFRENCH€€
( MAP GOOGLE MAP ; %0537 70 78 20; Le Piétri Urban Hotel, 4 Rue Tobrouk, Ville Nouvelle; mains Dh140-170; hnoon-3pm Mon-Fri, 7-11pm daily; aW; jMohammed V/Gare de Rabat)
We usually shy away from dining at restaurants in business hotels, but this eatery in the Le Piétri Urban Hotel is an exception to our self-imposed rule. The predominantly French food is well prepared and tasty. There's a good wine list, a kids menu and live jazz on Friday and Saturday between 9.30pm and midnight.
La KoutoubiaMOROCCAN€€
( MAP GOOGLE MAP ; %0537 70 10 75; 10 Rue Pierre Parent, Ville Nouvelle; mains Dh80; hnoon-3pm & 7-10.30pm; jMohammed V/Gare de Rabat)
It opened way back in 1955, and this Moroccan restaurant, with attached bar, has managed to retain its clients and traditional decor over the decades. All the classic Moroccan dishes are available – tajines, brochettes, couscous and pastillas – and the helpful English-speaking owner is happy to translate the menu.
La MammaITALIAN€€
( MAP GOOGLE MAP ; %0537 70 73 29; 6 Rue Tanta, Ville Nouvelle; pastas Dh55-100, pizzas Dh55-90; hnoon-3pm & 7.30pm-midnight; jPlace al-Joulane, Mohammed V/Gare de Rabat)
This bistro serves some of the best Italian food in town, so the fact that the dining area is dark and slightly smelly is overlooked by regulars. Some of the pasta portions can be on the small side, but the wood-fired pizzas will leave you planning a return visit.
CosmopolitanMODERN FRENCH€€€
( MAP GOOGLE MAP ; %0537 20 00 28; http://restaurant-cosmopolitan.eresto.net/; cnr Ave Ibn Toumert & Rue Abbou Abbas El Guerraoui; mains Dh160-250; hnoon-2.30pm & 7.30-10.45pm; jMohammed V/Gare de Rabat)
This swish place near Bab Ruach occupies a handsome art deco villa and is one of the only restaurants in town serving modern French cuisine. The menu changes daily according to what is fresh at the market, with seafood taking pride of place. Dine in the front courtyard in warm weather and upstairs during the cooler months. Excellent wine list.
L’EntrecôteFRENCH€€€
( MAP GOOGLE MAP ; %0661 15 59 59; http://lentrecote.ma/; 74 Blvd al-Amir Fal Ould Omar, Agdal; mains Dh80-180; hnoon-11pm; jAgdal/Ave de France)
The menu at this old-fashioned eatery is classic French with occasional forays over the border into Spanish territory, and the result is popular with locals and tourists alike. Steak and seafood dishes dominate (vegetarians should steer clear), and there's a good value deal of a plat et dessert du jour for Dh120.
Medina
Restaurant de la LibérationMOROCCAN€
( MAP GOOGLE MAP ; 256 Ave Mohammed V; mains Dh60; h11.30am-10pm Mon-Sat; jMedina Rabat)
Cheap, cheerful and marginally more classy than the string of other eateries along this road (it has plastic menus and tablecloths), this basic restaurant does
a steady line in traditional favourites. Friday is couscous day, when giant platters of the stuff are delivered to the eager masses.
InzaFAST FOOD€
( MAP GOOGLE MAP ; Ave Mohammed V, Medina; pizza/panini/shwarma Dh15/10/12; h10am-11pm; jMedina Rabat)
Popular fast-food joint on busy Ave Mohammed V, with street tables and a bustling atmosphere.
BidawaiFAST FOOD€
( MAP GOOGLE MAP ; Ave Mohammed V, Medina; pizza/shwarma/panini Dh15/12/10; h10.30am-11pm Mon-Sat; jMedina Rabat)
One of the most popular fast-food joints in the medina, with seating on the street.
Boulangerie Pâtisserie MajesticBAKERY€
( MAP GOOGLE MAP ; %0537 20 71 86; cnr Rue Ammane & Ave Allal ben Abdallah, Ville Nouvelle; pastries from Dh10; h7am-10pm; jMedina Rabat)
The shaded terrace here is lovely and the pastries are excellent, but the service and coffee have been so terrible on our last few visits that our recommendation can only be half-hearted.
SELF-CATERING
To stock up on picnic lunch supplies and your five-plus a day, head to the medina.
Fruit & Vegetable Market ( MAP GOOGLE MAP ; Ave Hassan II; h8am-7pm Mon-Sat; jMedina Rabat) has a good choice of fresh produce, dried fruits and nuts. You should be able to find everything else you need (including booze) at the surrounding stalls or along Rue Souika and near Bab el-Bouiba.
6Drinking & Nightlife
Rabat’s nightlife is a lot more limited – and subdued – than Casablanca’s, but there are a few clubs and bars in the ville nouvelle and Agdal worth a visit. Expect to pay around Dh200 to enter clubs, and the same for drinks.
Café MaureCAFE
( MAP GOOGLE MAP ; Rue Bazo, Kasbah les Oudaias; h9am-5pm; jBab Chellah)
Sit back, relax and gaze out over the estuary to Salé at this open-air cafe spread over several terraces above the Andalusian Gardens. Mint tea is the tipple of choice, accompanied by cornes de gazelle pastries (Dh8) ordered from the dedicated pastry seller.
Cafetéria du 7ème ArtCAFE
( MAP GOOGLE MAP ; Ave Allal ben Abdallah; h9am-9pm; W; jMedina Rabat)
Set in the shady grounds of a cinema, this popular outdoor cafe attracts a mixed clientele of students and professionals. While most popular for a tea, coffee or ice cream, it also serves a set breakfast (Dh18) and snacks such as pizza (from Dh38) and sandwiches (Dh17).
AmnesiaCLUB
( MAP GOOGLE MAP ; %0612 99 11 90; 18 Rue de Monastir, Ville Nouvelle; h11.30pm-4am; jMedina Rabat)
A Rabat institution (it opened in 1989), this huge, pricey and perennially popular club can accommodate over 1000 patrons and sees plenty of action on its dance floor. Resident DJs have a fondness for house and R&B.
OliveriCAFE
( MAP GOOGLE MAP ; %0537 77 78 00; cnr Ave de France & Blvd Al-Amir Fal Ould Omar; h7am-11pm; jAgdal/Ave de France)
Agdal branch of a popular ice-cream cafe.
Le PuzzleBAR
( GOOGLE MAP ; %0673 12 00 73; 79 Ave Ibn Sina, Agdal; h5pm-2am; jIbn Rochd)
Predominantly a sports bar, with occasional live bands.
3Entertainment
Cultural centres associated with Rabat's many foreign embassies often host music, dance, art and literary events. Most films are dubbed in French, unless marked as version originale.
When it opens, the new Grand Théatre de Rabat, designed by the late Zaha Hadid and currently under construction, will be the city's preeminent cultural and entertainment venue.
Cinéma RenaissanceCINEMA
( MAP GOOGLE MAP ; %0537 72 21 68; www.renaissance.ma; 360 Ave Mohammed V; adult/student Dh50/30; jMedina Rabat)
This large cinema complex on the main drag shows mainstream Hollywood flicks.
Cinéma du 7ème ArtCINEMA
( MAP GOOGLE MAP ; %0537 73 38 87; Ave Allal ben Abdallah; jMedina Rabat)
Art-house cinema screening Moroccan, Middle Eastern and European films.
7Shopping
Rabat’s great shopping secret is its laid-back merchants. There’s little pressure to buy, so you can stroll the medina in relative peace, but there is also less room to bargain. There's a fair selection of good handicrafts on offer, particularly in and around the Rue des Consuls in the medina. Here you’ll find everything from jewellery, silks, slippers and pottery to zellij and carved wooden furniture.
8Information
Emergency
Police Station (Préfécture de Police; GOOGLE MAP ; Ave Tripoli, Ville Nouvelle; jPlace al-Joulane)
Medical Services
Town pharmacies open nights and weekends on a rotational basis; check the rota, posted in French and Arabic, in all pharmacy windows.
Agdal Clinic ( MAP GOOGLE MAP ; %0537 77 77 77; www.clinique-agdal.com; 6 Pl Talhah, Ave Ibn Sina, Agdal; jAgdal/Avenue de France) Twenty-four hour emergency department.
SAMU (%0537 73 73 73; www.samu-rabat.org; h24hr) Private ambulance service.
SOS Médecins (%0537 20 2020; h24hr) Doctors on call.
Money
Numerous banks (with ATMs) are concentrated along Ave Mohammed V and the parallel Ave Allal ben Abdallah.
Post
Main Post Office ( GOOGLE MAP ; cnr Rue Soékarno & Ave Mohammed V; h8.30am-4.30pm Mon-Fri)
Tourist Information
Office National Marocain du Tourisme (ONMT; %0537 27 83 00; www.visitmorocco.com; cnr Rues Oued el-Makhazine & Zalaka, Agdal; h8.30am-4.30pm Mon-Fri) Predominantly a marketing outfit, and offers little assistance to travellers.
8Getting There & Away
Air
Considering the notoriously long and chaotic immigration queues at Casablanca's Mohammed V International Airport, opting to fly in or out of Rabat-Salé Airport is a decent alternative option to consider.
Rabat-Salé Airport, 10km northeast of town, is used by an ever-growing number of international airlines, including Ryanair, Air France, RAM, Lufthansa, KLM and Air Arabia.
Stareo ( MAP GOOGLE MAP ; %0530 27 87 00) buses travel between the airport and a stop on Ave Mohammed V, opposite Rabat Ville Train Station/Mohammed V Tramway Station, between 6.30am and 8.45pm. These depart from the airport one hour after each arrival and from the city centre two hours before each flight (a schedule is posted on the bus stop). Tickets cost Dh20 and the journey takes approximately 30 minutes.
A grand taxi to the airport should cost Dh150 during the day and Dh200 at night, although you will need to bargain to get these prices.
Bus
Intercity buses do service Rabat, but you are much better off using the train.
Rabat has two bus stations – the main Gare Routière Kamra ( GOOGLE MAP ; %0537 79 58 16; Blvd Hassan II/N1; jIbn Rochd), from where most buses depart and arrive, and the less chaotic CTM station, 500m south. To get to the town centre from Kamra, take bus 30 (Dh4) or a petit taxi (Dh30). The closest tram stop, Ibn Rochd, is a 1.3km walk east along Ave Ibn Rochd.
Note that some intercity buses pass through central Rabat rather than stopping at Kamra.
Routes not covered by rail link include the following:
AAgadir Dh240 to Dh280, 6¾ to 9½ hours, six daily
AEr-Rachidia Dh165 to Dh175, 8¾ to 9½ hours, two daily
ALaâyoune Dh490, 20¾ hours, two daily
ATetouan Dh120 to Dh155, 3½ to 6½ hours, five daily
Car
Avis Ville Nouvelle ( MAP GOOGLE MAP ; %0537 72 18 18; www.avis.com.au; 7 Rue Abou Faris al-Marini; h8am-7pm Mon-Sat, to noon Sun; jMohammed V/Gare de Rabat); Airport (%0537 83 11 98; www.avis.com.au; Rabat-Salé Airport; h8am-midnight)
Budget Ville Nouvelle ( MAP GOOGLE MAP ; %0530 20 05 20; http://locations.budget.com/ma; Rabat Ville train station, Ave Mohammed V; h8.30am-noon & 2.30-7pm Mon-Sat, 9am-noon Sun; jMohammed V/Gare de Rabat); Airport (%0660 17 41 11; http://locations.budget.com/ma; Rabat-Salé Airport; h7am-10.30pm)
Europcar Ville Nouvelle ( MAP GOOGLE MAP ; %0537 72 23 28; www.europcar.com.au; 25 Rue Patrice Lumumba, Ville Nouvelle; h8.30am-noon daily, 2.30-7pm Mon-Sat); Airp
ort (%0537 72 41 41; Rabat-Salé Airport; h7am-11pm)
Hertz Ville Nouvelle ( MAP GOOGLE MAP ; %0537 70 73 66; http://en.hertz.ma; 467 Ave Mohammed V; h8am-noon & 2-6.30pm Mon-Fri, 9am-noon & 3-6pm Sat, 9am-noon Sun; jMohammed V/Gare de Rabat); Airport (%0537 82 97 00; http://en.hertz.ma; Rabat-Salé Airport; h7am-10pm)
Taxi
Grands taxis ( MAP GOOGLE MAP ) leave for Casablanca, Fez, Meknès and Salé from a lot opposite Bab Chellah, next to the petrol station.
Train
Train is the most convenient way to arrive in Rabat, as the Rabat Ville train station (not to be confused with Rabat Agdal train station, to the west of the city) is in the centre of the ville nouvelle and within easy walking distance of the medina. The station has a food court and wi-fi, as well as Budget car-rental and Supratours offices.
Trains run every 30 minutes from 6am to 10pm between Rabat Ville and Casa Port train stations (1st/2nd class Dh69/37, 70 minutes, every 30 minutes). You can connect with trains to Casablanca's Mohammed V International Airport at Casa Port.
On all long-distance routes there’s always one late-night ordinaire train among the rapide services. Second-class rapide services include the following.
AFez 1st/2nd class Dh127/85, 2½ hours, hourly
AMarrakesh 1st/2nd class Dh195/127, five hours, nine daily
Lonely Planet Morocco Page 34