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 8 min readPractical · 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.
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 If anything is out of date we annotate it at the top of the piece — Morocco changes slowly, but it does change.
02Festivals 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.
03Practical 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.
04Rabat 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.
05Monuments 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.
06Practical 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.
07Practical 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.
08Medina 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.
09Food 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.
10River 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.
11Weekend 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.
12Planning 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.
13Practical 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.
14Planning 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.
15Where 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.
16Where 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.
17Itineraries 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.
18Practical 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.
19Culture 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.
20Monuments 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.
21Medina 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.
22Family 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.
23Kasbah 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.
24Culture 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.
25Compare 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.
26Culture 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.
27Where 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.
28Food 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.
29Planning 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.
30Practical 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.
31Practical 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.
32Planning 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.
33Planning 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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