Things to do · Rabat
As Morocco's capital, Rabat holds the country's flagship national collections — from the modern-art museum that opened a new chapter for Moroccan painting to the archaeology hall that gathers the finest Roman bronzes from Volubilis. Add the restored kasbah palace and a handful of contemporary spaces, and the city makes an easy, rewarding day for culture. Here is where to go.
8 experiences
Opened in 2014, Morocco's first national museum of modern and contemporary art traces a century of Moroccan painting and sculpture alongside major touring exhibitions. Its airy galleries near the Ville Nouvelle anchor the city's art scene.
The National Museum of Archaeology gathers finds from across Morocco, most famously the exquisite Roman bronzes excavated at Volubilis, including the head of Juba II and the figure of a young man. A compact but essential collection.
Set in a 17th-century palace built by Moulay Ismail inside the Kasbah des Oudayas, this museum of Moroccan arts displays jewellery, carpets, ceramics and traditional costume around an Andalusian courtyard garden.
The central bank's museum on Avenue Mohammed V presents Morocco's history through coins and currency, plus a surprising collection of Moroccan and Orientalist paintings in a grand colonial-era building.
A contemporary art space run by the ONA Foundation, hosting rotating exhibitions of Moroccan and international artists in a restored villa. Admission is generally free, making it an easy cultural stop.
Rabat's commercial gallery scene, clustered in the Ville Nouvelle and Agdal districts, shows leading Moroccan painters and emerging names. A short gallery walk gives a feel for the country's living art world.
Beyond its permanent holdings, the modern-art museum stages internationally co-curated shows — from Picasso and Giacometti to surveys of African art — that have made Rabat a fixture on the regional cultural calendar.
Many of the city's museums sit among the art deco and Mauresque facades of the French-protectorate new town, so a stroll along Avenue Mohammed V doubles as an open-air architecture tour between collections.
The Mohammed VI Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art is the flagship, while the National Museum of Archaeology is essential for its Roman bronzes from Volubilis. The Oudayas Museum adds traditional Moroccan arts in a historic kasbah palace.
The famous Roman bronzes excavated at Volubilis, including the bust of Juba II, are displayed in Rabat's National Museum of Archaeology, making the capital the best place to see them.
Yes. All of Rabat's museums welcome international visitors. Some, such as Villa des Arts, are free, while the national museums charge a modest admission fee. Most close one day a week, often Tuesday.
Yes. The Mohammed VI Museum of Modern Art, the Archaeological Museum and the Oudayas Museum are all central and close together, so a culturally minded visitor can comfortably cover them in a single day.
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