RABAT CITY //MOROCCO
Rabat literally "Fortified Place" is the capital city of Morocco. The city is located on the Atlantic Ocean at the mouth of the river Bou Regreg. On the facing shore of the river lies Salé, Rabat's bedroom community. Together with Temara the cities account for a combined metropolitan population of 2.6 million. It is an easy going city by Moroccan standards.
Eat
- Patisserie La Comedie on Mohammad V. Fancy pastries. Croissants, 4 dh. Ice cream, 6 dh per scoop.
- Cafe 7eme Art next to the movie theater. Has fake movie posters with meals as the stars. Light lunches, popular with business people and the more well-off. Miniature models of local scenes surround the outdoor patio. Pizzas, 35 to 40 dh, bland and tough. Friendly staff, stray cats beg for food.
- Le Majestic
- Ty Potes
- Cafe Weimar
- Pizza Hut, 05 37 68 13 00 for the Agdal neighborhood, 05 37 63 02 00 for the one in Souissi.
- Villa Mandarine Quite expensive, considered as one of the best restaurants in the city
- Le Petit Beur/Dar Tagine Delicious bstilla. Intimate setting.
- El Rancho Tex-Mex restaurant. Good food and one of the few places where you can get a decent beer.
- Mega Mall Food Court Free Wifi Hotspot
- Pizza de Gourmet
- Paul's Tradional French bakery that serves as a restaurant. Can be quite pricy, but the food is magnificent. Worth a visit for their Olive bread.
- La Mamma. One of the oldest pizzerias in town.
- Ya Mal Al-Sham (Syrian restaurant)
- Matsuri
- Dar Naji
- Le Grand Comptoir
If you find yourself in Agdal, try the brochettes at 'Sucre et Sale'.
- Old Medina: In the centre there are often inexpensive food stalls around the medina, serving delicious fish and salad sandwiches. Especially found right around the perimeter of the Marche Centrale, these places also serve fresh and simple salads, hot bowls of lubia (beans) or lentils, rotisserie chicken, and home-made tagines. There are also lots of stalls selling pancakes and pain au chocolat.
- Samaky ((Seafood and Tagines)), corner av. sidi mohamed benabdellah & av. zerktouni, Kebibat, Rabat (tram. station: sidi med benabdellah), ☎ 0537694829, [1]. 12 to 10pm. Samaky offers a rich and varied menu, friendly service and a good price / quality ratio all in a harmonious environment. Pleased to receive www.samaky.ma starts at 25dhs.
Drink[edit]
- Hôtel Balima, Ave Mohd V..
- Upstairs, 8 Avenue Michlifen. Irish/ English theme pub in Agdal. Women will feel comfortable here as it's not men-only. The food is typical pub-grub, with some vegetarian options. A pint costs 50 dirhams. Live music is on every now and then (check their facebook page)
- Café Weimar
- Le Bistrot Pietri, Place Pietri. located on the first place of Hotel Urban Pietry. It's a quite modern chic restaurant and bar. On Tuesday and Friday night, there are live jazz performance and on saterdays, rock'en roll. A cup of house beer costs about 38 Dhs and a glass of house wine, about 50 Dhs. It's usually packed on weekends. To get a table, resevation is required.
- 'El Rancho, Agdal.
- El Palatino.
- La Mamma.
- Le Dhow. Le Dhow is located in the marina near the Oudaya. It's the big wooden boat and is hard to miss. They have karaoke on Wednesday nights and occasionally live shows.
- Ty Potes.
- Las Tapas.
- Le Deux Palais, (Between Sofitel and Interior Ministry). 31 dh drafts and 17 dh small beers. Good food and the perfect place to watch a football match, both inside or on the patio. Food is pretty good as well, 10 dh for a plate for fries.
- Irish Pub.
Learn
- Goethe Institut, 7, rue Sana'a (close to the downtown train station), (212)537732650. A non-profit German cultural institution operational worldwide, promoting the study of the German language abroad and encouraging international cultural exchange and relations. The Goethe-Institut also fosters knowledge about Germany by providing information on German culture, society and politics It is named after German polymath Johann Wolfgang von Goethe.
- Instituto Cervantes, 3-5, zankat Madnine, (212) 537 70 87 38. A worldwide non-profit organization created by the Spanish government in 1991. It is named after Miguel de Cervantes (1547–1616), the author of Don Quixote and perhaps the most important figure in the history of Spanish literature. The Cervantes Institute is the largest organization in the world responsible for promoting the study and the teaching of Spanish language and culture.
- French Institut [2]. Offers a variety of books in French and sometimes shows.
- Qalam Wa Lawh Center for Arabic Studies [3]. 3 Ave. Ahmed Balafrej, Souissi, +212 (537) 75-57-90, arabic@qalamcenter.com. Qalam wa Lawh provides a comprehensive program for the study of Arabic as a foreign language and introductions to Arab and Moroccan culture. The quality of Qalam Center Arabic courses is supported by a partnership with Moulay Ismail University in Meknes. In 2009, Qalam Center hosted more than 700 students hailing from many countries around the world. The facility includes a library; language labs; and large, comfortable classrooms.
Sleep
MostBUDGET ACCOMMODATION is found in the Old Medina of Rabat. Walking on Mohammed V street, you’ll see a lot of signs pointing to hotels. On some days these fill up quickly, so it’s good to be early. A double room will set you back about 120–150 Dh.
- HI Hostel Rabat, 43 Rue Marassa Bab El Had (Medina). A worn-down hostel on the edge of the medina walls. Four large dorm rooms with 16 bunks each ensure that groups large and small can bunk down here. With peeling paint and some rather noxious odors in the bathroom, the place is past its prime and not a great value. A 10 minute walk from the train station. Breakfast is included. NOTE The website frequently says this hostel is full when it it not, it is very big so turning up on the day you are likely to get a bed regardless of what the website orHOSTELWORLD say. Dh 65 per bunk. edit
- Hotel Splendide in the Ville Nouvelle, an easy walk from the train station. Large rooms and big windows, lots of light, around a central courtyard. Quiet and clean. They offer meals which are just food from the place across the street brought across on a tray. The shared bathrooms are generally clean. 100dh / night. Showers 10dh, hot water only after p.m.
- Hotel de la Paix in the Ville Nouvelle. Dingy and dank. 150 dh. Warning: If you don't get a room with an in suite shower, you don't get to take one at all.
- Hotel Central, 2 Rue Al Basra (Ville Nouvelle). checkin: July 2009. Bright room with shower and sink, toilet outside. 10 minutes walk to Medina. 2 minutes walk from Rabat Ville Train Station. Next to main street Ave. Mohammed V. Dh 120 single.
- Golden Tulip Farah Rabat, Place Sidi Makhlouf 10, 10.000 Rabat (Take along the Mohammed V Avenue and then turn right on the Hassan II Avenue.), ☎ +212 5 37 73 47 47, [4]. 192 rooms located on the banks of the Bourgreg river. Practically within the city centre, next to some of the most recognized monuments within Rabat: the Hassan Tower, and the mausoleum of the late King Mohamed V. Warning It's located next to an extremely noisy area of the city From 1796dh / night.
- Hotel Sofitel Jardin Des Roses, [5]. 5 STAR HOTELlocated close to the Royal Palace and a park, considered by some the best (and one of the most expensive) hotel in the city edit
- Villa Mandarine, [6]. Set in an exotic orange grove hidden away from the hustle and bustle of the city,
- Hotel Majestic.
- Hôtel Balima.
- Majliss.
- Villa Yasmine (holiday rental villa), Villa lot 717, Hay Arsa, Salé, ☎ 0031651851712, [7]. checkin: 13:00; checkout: 10:00. Villa Yasmine, located in a quiet recently build suburb on the outskirts of Salé. Villa Yasmine is very spacious and has five air-conditioned bedrooms, four bedrooms are equipped with kingsize double beds and one is equipped with two single beds. Villa Yasmine offers space for groups up to maximum 18 persons and 4 babies. Villa Yasmine is also available for smaller groups, please enquire for prices | complete villa € 150 - € 285 per night with a group of max. 10 people. additional visitors at extra charge. edit
- Splendid Hotel, Rue Gaza. checkout: 12pm. Excellent location just off the main street Mohammed V, 6 min walk from the Rabat Ville Gare train station and just around the corner to the medina. 240Dh for a double room with private bathroom and balcony(Dec 2013). Clean room with hot water, free wifi in reception and the courtyard. edit
- Hotel Renaissance, Rue Sahraoui (Sahrawi). editPerhaps the cheapest option in medina, fully exposed to a noisy street below. Doubles for 100Dh per night. Pink walls, sink in the room, shared toilet and hot shower for additional 10Dh. Stayed there two times, seems to be a safe place. The manager is helpful, leaving baggage is not a problem.
Stay safe
Rabat is considered a safe city. Just use some common sense: avoid wearing expensive jewelry or looking flashy, do not flash large quantities of cash, and avoid unfamiliar and deserted areas at night. If you walk in the crowded streets of the Medina or use a bus, keep a hand on your pockets. Women should avoid low-cut tops, midriffs, or shorts to avoid harassment (which almost always consists of comments, but nothing physical) although this is less of a problem than in other cities. Don't feel the need to be polite--no Moroccan woman would put up with behaviour like that.
Errbaṭ; Moroccan Arabic: , Errbaṭ) is the capital and fourth largest city of Morocco with an urban population of approximately 620,000 (2004)[2] and a metropolitan population of over 1.2 million. It is also the capital of the Rabat-Salé-Zemmour-Zaeradministrative region.
The city is located on the Atlantic Ocean at the mouth of the river Bou Regreg. On the facing shore of the river lies Salé, the city's maincommuter town. Rabat, Temara, and Salé form a conurbation of over 1.8 million people. Silt-related problems have diminished Rabat's role as a port; however, Rabat and Salé still maintain important textile, food processing and construction industries. In addition, tourism and the presence of all foreign embassies in Morocco serve to make Rabat one of the most important cities in the country.
Rabat is accessible by train through the ONCF system and by plane through the nearby Rabat-Salé Airport.
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