Travel guide – rabat

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Overview

Morocco's capital, Rabat, is a modern city with wide boulevards, gardens and light, white buildings, for the most part a far cry from the hectic warrens of the other Imperial cities of Marrakech and Fez, but no less steeped in history with its origins going back to the 7th century. The King of Morocco lives here in his palace amid trees and flowers. Being an administrative capital the city is somewhat conservative and serious, but there is some local colour to be found in the old part of the city, the Medina, and the Kasbah. Recreational opportunities abound too, with a world-renowned golf course (the Dar Es Salaam Course) and a few lovely beaches at hand. Rabat sits on the Atlantic coastal plain at the mouth of the river Bou Regreg, opposite to its twin city of Sale.

Climate

Morocco's climate is moderate and subtropical, cooled by breezes off the Mediterranean Sea and Atlantic Ocean. In the interior the temperatures are more extreme, winters can be fairly cold and the summers very hot. Marrakech has an average winter temperature of 21ºC (70ºF) and 100°F (38°C) in summer. In the Atlas Mountains temperatures can drop below zero and mountain peaks are snow capped throughout most of the year. The winter in the north of the country is wet and rainy, while in the south, at the edge of the Moroccan Sahara, it is dry and bitterly cold.

Health

No vaccinations are required to enter Morocco, but most travellers to Morocco will need vaccinations for hepatitis A and typhoid fever, as well as medications for travellers' diarrhoea. It is advisable to drink bottled water outside the main cities and towns, and avoid street food. Medical facilities are good in all main towns. Health insurance is essential.

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