Rabat

Currency budget Morocco

The dirham cannot be bought abroad, so change on arrival at a bank or licensed bureau and keep the receipt. Rabat is a city of offices and ministries, and cards are taken more widely here than anywhere else in Morocco — but the medina is still cash.

ATMs & cards

Attijariwafa, BMCE, Banque Populaire and CIH machines are on every main street of the Ville Nouvelle and Agdal. Machines charge foreign cards a flat fee per withdrawal, so take out more, less often.

Machines charge foreign cards a flat fee per withdrawal whatever the amount. The dirham cannot be taken out of the country, so change leftovers back before you fly.

Wherever you are: if the machine offers to charge you in your home currency, decline. That is dynamic currency conversion and the rate is set by the ATM's operator, not your bank.

Safety all of Morocco

The calmest big city in Morocco, and the one where the hassle elsewhere is most obviously absent: shopkeepers in the medina mostly let you look. Ordinary city care is enough. Demonstrations outside the Parliament on Avenue Mohammed V are frequent and usually peaceful; walk round them. The beach by the river mouth has strong currents. Two nights is right for the city itself, and it makes a calmer first or last stop than Casablanca for anyone flying in or out of either airport.

Our own assessment, not a sourced index.

Entry & visa Morocco visa rules

Health & emergencies all of Morocco

Required to enter

• Yellow fever certificate, but only if you are arriving from a country where yellow fever is present

Orientation, not medical advice — entry rules change and what you need depends on your own history. Check with a travel clinic four to six weeks before you go.

Food tip

Rabat eats well and without a show: fish at the stalls by the river in Salé, pastilla, and the sweet almond pastries of the Kasbah cafés. The medina has cheap lunch counters doing harira and grilled meat where the clientele is civil servants rather than tourists.

Nightlife

A capital that goes to bed early: cafés until late, a handful of licensed bars in Agdal and the hotels, and the riverside restaurants at the marina.

• Agdal — cafés, restaurants and most of the licensed bars
• Marina Bouregreg — restaurants on the water facing the Kasbah
• Avenue Mohammed V — the evening promenade and the café terraces

Closing: The cafés around midnight; the bars not much later.

Alcohol is served only in licensed hotels, bars and restaurants, and drinking in public is not acceptable..

Getting around

• Tram — two lines across the Bouregreg to Salé, cheap and the simplest way across the city
• Petit taxi — blue, metered, and plentiful
• Train — Rabat-Ville is in the centre for Casablanca in about an hour and Fes and Meknes beyond; the Al Boraq to Tangier leaves from Rabat-Agdal
• On foot — the medina, the Kasbah of the Udayas and the Hassan Tower are all within half an hour of each other
• Airport: Rabat-Salé is 20 min from the centre by taxi

eSIM

A data eSIM for Morocco, installed before you fly and working the moment you land:Works hereWorks hereRevolutIn the app

Must-see

Nearby day trips

Say a few words

Arabic

• Helloمرحبا — MarhabaMAR-ha-ba
• Pleaseمن فضلك — Min fadlakmin FAD-lak
• Thank youشكرا — ShukranSHOOK-ran
• Yes / Noنعم / لا — Na’am / LaNA-am / la

Inshallah, meaning God willing, follows nearly any statement about the future and is conversational rather than religious.

Religion

Sunni Muslim

Islam is the state religion and the king holds religious authority. Non-Muslims may not enter most mosques — the Hassan II in Casablanca is the main exception. Ramadan changes opening hours everywhere.

Do's and don'ts

Do

• Haggle in the souks — the first price is an opening, and good humour is part of it
• Dress modestly, particularly women and particularly away from tourist areas
• Use the right hand for eating and giving
• Accept mint tea; it is the standard gesture of welcome

Don't

• Do not follow unofficial guides who offer to show you the way in the medina; the help ends in a demand
• Do not photograph people, market stalls or performers without asking — payment will be expected
• Do not enter mosques unless you are Muslim; almost all are closed to visitors
• Do not show public affection, and avoid discussing the monarchy critically