What to see
The Kasbah of the Udayas is a 12th-century fortress whose blue-and-white lanes lead to the Andalusian Gardens and a terrace over the Bou Regreg river. Across the city, the Hassan Tower, the minaret of a mosque left unfinished in 1199, faces the marble Mausoleum of Mohammed V.
The Chellah combines a Roman town and a Merinid necropolis, now home to nesting storks. Rabat's medina is smaller and calmer than those of Fes or Marrakech, which makes it a pleasant introduction to Moroccan souks.
Getting there
Rabat is on the main railway line, about an hour from Casablanca and about 1 hour 20 minutes from Tangier by Al Boraq. Trams link the centre with Salé across the river.