Things to do · Rabat
For a capital, Rabat is unusually green. Andalusian courtyards, a vast exotic garden of bamboo and cacti, a royal botanical test garden and the wild walled garden of Chellah give the city a calm, shaded counterpoint to its monuments. Here are the best gardens and green spaces to slow down in.
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Laid out in Andalusian style within the Kasbah des Oudayas during the protectorate, these formal terraced gardens shade orange, banana and cypress trees around fountains and tiled walks — the city's most beloved green corner.
Founded in 1914 as a royal experimental garden to test crops and ornamental plants from across the empire, this restored botanical park near Agdal gathers palms, roses, a Japanese garden and shaded avenues — a quiet local favourite.
About 13 km north of the city, these whimsical landscaped gardens were created from the 1950s by horticulturist Marcel François, with bamboo groves, lily ponds, bridges and plants gathered from Asia, the Americas and the Mediterranean.
The walled necropolis of Chellah has become a wild garden where figs, oranges and bougainvillea grow through Roman and Merinid ruins beneath nesting storks — Rabat's most atmospheric green space.
The open, breezy terrace around the Hassan Tower and Mausoleum of Mohammed V is bordered by lawns and palms, an airy public space looking over the Bou Regreg toward Salé.
Landscaped promenades and gardens line the river between the marina and the kasbah, giving an easy, leafy walk along the water with the old town rising above.
A central public garden between the medina and the Ville Nouvelle, shaded by mature trees and used by Rabatis as an everyday city-centre green lung for a stroll or a pause.
The approach to the walled Royal Palace district runs through manicured gardens and palm-lined avenues, an ordered, ceremonial landscape best seen on the way to or from the Mechouar gates.
The Andalusian Gardens in the Kasbah des Oudayas and the historic Jardin d'Essais Botaniques are the city's finest, while the Exotic Gardens of Bouknadel just north and the wild gardens of Chellah are well worth the short trip.
Yes. The Andalusian Gardens inside the Kasbah des Oudayas are free, as is access to the kasbah itself. The Exotic Gardens of Bouknadel and Chellah charge a modest entrance ticket.
They lie about 13 km north of central Rabat near Sidi Bouknadel, on the way to Plage des Nations — a short taxi ride and an easy half-day outing combining gardens and beach.
Yes. Rabat is one of Morocco's greenest cities, with Andalusian courtyards, the Jardin d'Essais, riverbank promenades and the garden-ruins of Chellah, earning it a reputation as a calm, leafy capital.
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