The journal · field notes from Rabat
No top-10 listicles. Slow, opinionated dispatches from the atelier on the kasbah, the monuments, the river and the medina — when to come, where to stay, what to skip and how to use the calm capital as a base. Read before you book.
This month's long-read
One slow, in-house piece every month. No commissioned writers, no sponsored takes — just the answers we already give our guests on WhatsApp, written down properly.
Latest field note 9 min readHistory · June 2026
The question almost every visitor asks. Rabat became Morocco's capital in 1912, when the French protectorate moved the seat of government from Fes — and it stayed after independence in 1956. The history, the economic-vs-political-capital distinction, the four imperial cities, and what capital status means for travellers today.
The archive
Re-read every season by our team. If anything is out of date we annotate it at the top of the piece — Morocco changes slowly, but it does change.
02Practical 8 minPractical · June 2026
The two cities are 90 km apart on Morocco's busiest rail line. Al Boraq high-speed runs Rabat-Agdal to Casa-Voyageurs in under an hour; cheaper ordinary trains reach central Casa-Port. Full times, fares, which stations to use, and how to make Casablanca — and the Hassan II Mosque — an easy day trip.
03Day trips 9 minDay trips · June 2026
Rabat sits centrally on Morocco's main rail line, which makes it a great base. The best day trips compared: Meknes and the Roman ruins of Volubilis (the headline cultural day), the twin city of Salé across the Bouregreg, Casablanca and the Hassan II Mosque about an hour by train, the Atlantic coast for beaches, and Kenitra's Sidi Boughaba lagoon for birdlife — and how to choose by interest and time.
04Culture 9 minCulture · June 2026
Rabat is one of Morocco's most rewarding and relaxed culture stops: a UNESCO-listed capital pairing the Kasbah of the Udayas, Hassan Tower and the Chellah ruins with the Mohammed VI Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art — the country's flagship modern-art museum. What to see, how long you need, and how to do the highlights in a single day.
05World Cup 10 minWorld Cup · June 2026
The honest early guide: Morocco is co-hosting the 2030 FIFA World Cup with Spain and Portugal, and Rabat is an announced host city — but the schedule, dates, ticket prices and stadium details are not yet confirmed. What is settled, when to book, how to reach Rabat, where to stay, and what to see in the capital and nearby.
06Rabat 9 minRabat · June 2026
An honest answer to the question travellers keep asking: yes — here is what to see in a day or two (the Udayas, Hassan Tower, Chellah), how long to stay, and which day trips — Salé, Meknes, Volubilis, the coast and Casablanca — repay the drive, with real times.
07Practical 8 minPractical · June 2026
One direct ONCF Al Atlas train carries you Rabat to Marrakech in about 3h30 with no change — the same service runs through Casablanca and on south. Why Al Boraq high-speed doesn't yet reach Marrakech, plus private-car times, fares and station tips.
08Festivals 8 minFestivals · June 2026
For nine June nights, Morocco's calm capital becomes one of the largest music festivals on earth. The 2026 dates (19–27 June), why ~90% of it is free, the OLM Souissi headline stage, where each venue sits in the city, and how to plan a trip around it.
09Practical 8 minPractical · June 2026
Most visitors land at Casablanca Mohammed V (CMN), not Rabat — but the two are barely an hour apart. The direct airport train, private door-to-door transfers, grand taxis, costs, which Rabat station to use, and what to do on arrival.
10Rabat 9 minRabat · June 2026
Most people skip the capital and regret it. Here is the three-day rhythm we recommend — the Kasbah of the Udayas, Hassan Tower, Chellah, the medina and the river, what to skip and where to eat.
11Monuments 10 minMonuments · June 2026
A Roman town and a medieval royal necropolis layered into one walled site, full of nesting storks and wild gardens. What you're looking at, the entrance details, and the best hour to go.
12Practical 8 minPractical · June 2026
The etiquette and mechanics of bargaining on the Rue des Consuls — fair price ranges, the phrases that help, what's fixed-price, and why Rabat's relaxed souk makes it easy.
13Practical 6 minPractical · May 2026
Guides, taxis, riads, restaurants and hammams — who to tip, how much, and in what currency. The honest, no-guesswork numbers we give our own guests before every trip.
14Medina 10 minMedina · June 2026
After Fes and Marrakech, Rabat's medina is a relief — small, calm and behind the Andalusian Wall. The Rue des Consuls, the markets, where to eat, and the route up to the kasbah.
15Food 9 minFood · June 2026
Atlantic sardines off the charcoal, the Rabati fish tagine, Rue Souika street food, seven-vegetable couscous on a Friday — what to order, where, and how to eat well whatever your diet.
16River 7 minRiver · June 2026
A short boat ride from the capital lies its quieter twin. The marina, the rowing-boat crossing, Salé's medina and Bou Inania medersa — how to spend a relaxed half-day on the river.
17Weekend 7 minWeekend · June 2026
Morocco's green, walkable capital is a city to exhale in. How to spend a perfect 48 hours between the Kasbah of the Udayas, the Hassan Tower, Chellah and the Bouregreg.
18Planning 9 minPlanning · June 2026
The current picture for the calm capital — solo and women travellers, the rare set-ups, getting around by tram and taxi, health and the train. What we actually tell our own guests.
19Practical 7 minPractical · June 2026
No 'breathable convertible trousers'. A real packing list for a breezy Atlantic capital — the medina, the open monuments, the river and the gentle, even climate across the year.
20Planning 8 minPlanning · June 2026
Daily spend, the city's many free sights, and the honest ways to save — with sample budgets in USD for shoestring, mid-range and comfortable, plus why the train makes Rabat cheap to base in.
21Where to stay 7 minWhere to stay · June 2026
What a riad actually is, which neighbourhoods suit which travellers — medina, kasbah, Hassan, Ville Nouvelle — and what to look for before you book.
22Where to stay 8 minWhere to stay · June 2026
An area-by-area look at the capital — the medina and Kasbah of the Udayas, Centre-ville and Hassan, Agdal, and the Salé and marina side across the Bou Regreg — and who each one suits.
23Itineraries 11 minItineraries · June 2026
One calm riad, no packing every night — the capital's monuments and river, plus easy train day trips to Casablanca, Meknès, Volubilis and Fes, day by day with honest logistics.
24Practical 8 minPractical · June 2026
Why you rarely need a car in the capital — the rail hub, the tram to Salé, metered petit taxis — and when a private driver beats self-driving for trips off the line.
25Culture 6 minCulture · June 2026
Why it's poured from a height, what 'Berber whisky' means, how it's brewed and the etiquette of a glass — and where to drink it in Rabat, starting at the Café Maure above the river.
26Monuments 8 minMonuments · June 2026
The unfinished 12th-century Almohad minaret, its field of broken columns, and the modern royal tomb beside it — the history, what to see, and how to visit Rabat's great monument.
27Medina 9 minMedina · June 2026
Rabati carpets, leather, brass and embroidery — where to find the real thing on the Rue des Consuls, how to bargain without stress, and how to ship it all home.
28Family 9 minFamily · June 2026
Where to go, how to pace it, the river boat to Salé, the storks of Chellah, the zoo and beach, and food kids will actually eat — why the calm capital is so easy with children.
29Kasbah 7 minKasbah · June 2026
Why the lanes are painted blue and white, what to see beyond the photographs — Bab Oudaia, the Andalusian Garden, the Café Maure — and how to visit at the right hour.
30Culture 8 minCulture · June 2026
From the blue lanes of the Udayas to the Hassan Tower's columns, the storks of Chellah and sunset on the Bouregreg — where to shoot, when the light is right, and the etiquette of the lens.
31Compare 8 minCompare · June 2026
The polished capital or its quieter twin across the Bouregreg? We compare the monuments, the medinas, where to stay and who each side suits — and why you should see both.
32Culture 8 minCulture · June 2026
Jazz au Chellah among the ruins, the vast stages of Mawazine, Visa for Music in autumn — the capital's events worth planning a trip around, month by month.
33Where to stay 7 minWhere to stay · June 2026
Why Morocco's calmest city makes such a restful base — the walkability, the river, the evenings, and the rail hub that lets you day-trip without packing every night.
34Food 9 minFood · June 2026
Atlantic seafood and the Rabati fish tagine, Rue Souika street food, where locals actually eat, and the riverside and rooftop tables worth the splurge — how to eat well in the capital.
35Planning 8 minPlanning · March 2025
Rabat's mild Atlantic climate, season by season — the spring and early-autumn sweet spots, ocean-cooled summers, green winters and how Ramadan shifts the rhythm. Honest seasonal advice from the atelier.
36Practical 8 minPractical · March 2025
How to move around the calm green capital — the modern Rabat-Salé tramway, walking, blue petit taxis and shared grands taxis, trains and Al Boraq, the small airport, and the rowing-boat ferry to Salé.
37Practical 7 minPractical · March 2025
What to really expect from Rabat — the calm, low-hassle capital, the official no-go zones you can't enter, French alongside Arabic, modest dress, cash vs cards and the Atlantic beach.
38Planning 8 minPlanning · April 2025
While inland Morocco bakes, the ocean keeps Rabat comfortably warm — mid-to-high twenties and a sea breeze. Beaches and the Bou Regreg, the kasbah at golden hour, long café evenings, the Mawazine festival and the monuments without the heat.
39Planning 7 minPlanning · April 2025
A straight answer most guidebooks won't give: one full day suits most visitors for the Kasbah of the Udayas, Hassan Tower, Chellah and the medina, and two days for a relaxed pace. When to stay longer, and a quick rule of thumb.
Letters from Rabat
No marketing. Just one field note, one riad we love this season, one practical tip — written in plain English, signed by a real person.
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