9 Best Sights in Rabat, Casablanca, and the North Atlantic Coast, Morocco

This lovely museum is hidden away in a splendid Art Deco villa. Permanent exhibits feature a collection of the nation’s treasures, including delicate crystal perfume bottles, Jacques Majorelle paintings, vintage travel posters, and 300-year-old jewelry from Fez. The museum has a café spilling out onto the rooftop, and a shop. Guided visits are available for 100 DH and there are creative art workshops in subjects such as photography, tapestry, and drawing and painting for children.

All that remains are ruins, but Chellah was an elaborate, independent city before Rabat ever existed. Thought to be founded by the Phoenicians, it dates from the 7th or 8th century BC. You'll see the remains of the subsequent Roman city, Sala Colonia, on your left as you walk down the path. Though these remnants are limited to broken stone foundations and column bases (with lots of resident storks), descriptive markers point to the likely location of the forum, baths, and market. Sultan Abu Saïd and his son Abu al Hassan, of the Merenid dynasty, were responsible for the ramparts, the entrance gate, and the majestic portals. The Merenids used Chellah as a spiritual retreat, and at quiet times the baraka (blessing) of the place is still tangible.

The entrance to the Merenid sanctuary is at the bottom of the path, just past some tombs. To the right is a pool with eels in it, which is said to produce miracles—women are known to toss eggs to the eels for fertility. The ruins of the mosque are just inside the sanctuary; you can still see the beautiful arches and the mihrab (prayer niche). Birds nest on the impressive minaret. On the far side of the mosque is a beautiful wall decorated with Kufi script, a type of Arabic calligraphy characterized by right angles. To the left of the mosque is the zaouia (sanctuary), where you can see the ruins of individual cells surrounding a basin and some ancient mosaic work. Beyond the mosque and zaouia are some beautiful, well-maintained walled gardens. Spring water runs through them at one point, and they give Chellah a serenity that's quite extraordinary considering that it's less than a mile from the center of a nation's capital. From the walled gardens you can look out over the River Bou Regreg: you'll see cultivated fields below and cliffs across the river. On the right is a hill with a small white koubba.

El Jadida's main attraction is the atmospheric Cité Portugaise, which was built for military purposes in the early 1500s, overtaken by the Moroccans in 1769, and registered as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2004. Impressive (and still imposing) stone walls make it difficult to miss. The Portuguese city was originally a rectangular island with a bastion on each corner, connected to the mainland by a single causeway. Take the entrance on the right where you'll see that the Portuguese street names have been retained.

This mosque dominates the city skyline, and through its monumental titanium doors, it’s a masterclass of Moroccan craftsmanship—hand-carved plaster, gilded cedar ceilings, exquisite zellige tilework, and acres of marble. Its foundations lie partly on land and partly in the sea. The main hall, with a retractable roof for summer months, holds an astonishing 25,000 people, with a further 80,000 in the courtyard. The minaret is more than 650 feet high, and the women's section on the mezzanine floor (about 6 feet above the main floor) seems dwarfed by the nearly 200-foot-high ceiling. Don’t miss the marble ablution room; there is also a small museum showcasing the crafts involved in its construction.

Funded through public subscription, designed by a French architect, and built by a team of 35,000, the mosque was erected between 1987 and 1993 and is one of the largest in the world. It was built in Casablanca primarily so that the largest city in the kingdom would have a monument worthy of its size. Except for the ruined Tinmel mosque in the High Atlas Mountains, this is the only mosque in Morocco that non-Muslims are allowed to enter. One-hour guided tours of the mosque are offered daily (six per day, Saturday to Thursday; four on Friday, with reduced hours during Ramadan). Be sure to dress conservatively, and note that you will be required to remove your shoes at the entrance.

If you fly out of Casablanca, try to get a window seat on the left for a good view of the mosque in relation to the city as a whole.

At the end of the 12th century, Yacoub al Mansour—fourth monarch of the Almohad dynasty and grandson of Abd al Mu'min, who founded Rabat—planned a great mosque. Intended to be the largest in the Muslim world, the project was abandoned with the death of al Mansour in 1199. A further blow to the site occurred with the strong tremors of the 1755 Lisbon earthquake, and this tower is the only significant remnant of al Mansour's dream. A few columns remain in the mosque's great rectangular courtyard, but the great tower was never completed (which is why it looks too short for its base). Note the quality of the craftsmanship in the carved-stone and mosaic decorations at the top of the tower. From the base there is a fine view over the river. Locals come here at dawn to have their wedding photos taken.

Just 10 km (6 miles) north of Salé, you'll find the extraordinary Jardins Exotiques, which were created in the mid-20th century by a Frenchman named Marcel François, who used to play classical music to his plants. Planned to represent different regions (like Polynesia, Brazil, or Japan), the gardens are a haven for birds and frogs. There are two circuits of different lengths and the walkways and bridges make this a wonderful playground and educational experience for children, too. Since François's death in 1999, the property has been maintained by the government and a touching autobiographical poem forms his epitaph at the entrance. Many people combine a visit to the gardens with a day at the beach at Plage des Nations, another 10 km (6 miles) to the north, around 300 DH in a taxi.

Rabat's early history is based around this kasbah: built strategically on high ground over the mouth of the Bou Regreg River and the Atlantic, it was originally constructed for defensive purposes. Still inhabited, it once comprised the whole of the city, including the castle of Yaqoub al Mansour.

Walk up the steps to the huge, imposing ornamental gate, built, like Bab Rouah, by the Almohads. The gate's interior is now used for art exhibits. Enter the kasbah and turn right into Rue Jama (Mosque Street). The mosque, which dates from Almohad times (it was built in the mid-12th century), is on the left; it was supposedly reconstructed in the late 18th century by an English Muslim—Ahmed el Inglizi. Continue to the end of the road past a house called Dar Baraka, and you'll emerge onto a large platform overlooking the Bou Regreg estuary. Here there is the magnificent view across the river to the old quarter of Salé, and you can walk down to the water's edge. Go back along Rue Jama until you come to Rue Bazo on the left; this winds down the kasbah and past picturesque houses.

Turn left, walk to the bottom of the street, and proceed down to the banks of the Bou Regreg to see the beautiful Andalusian Gardens, a walled retreat filled with citrus trees, lofty palms and bright bougainvillea, where you can stop for mint tea-break at Café Maure. The garden was laid out by the French in the early 20th century, but its enclosure dates from the beginning of the present Alaouite dynasty in the 17th century. At the top of the garden is the National Museum of Jewelry & Adornment, with a collection of glittering jewelry, elaborate costumes, and a 12th-century Koran.  

The resting place of King Mohammed V, who died in 1961, this mausoleum is adjacent to the Hassan Tower and, thanks to a commanding position above the river, is similarly visible to anyone approaching Rabat from Salé. The tomb itself is subterranean; the terrace that overlooks it is approached by steps on each side. Looking down, you're likely to see someone ritually reading the Koran. Beyond the central sarcophagus of King Mohammed V are those of his sons Prince Moulay Abdallah and King Hassan II; the latter was interred here in July 1999 as world leaders stood by for his state funeral. Designed by a Vietnamese architect and built between 1962 and 1966, the tomb is cubical, with a pyramidal green-tile roof, a richly decorated ceiling, and onyx interior walls. A mosque, built at the same time, adjoins the tomb.

This striking must-see museum is an exquisite showcase of contemporary art pieces from across the country. The permanent collection charts the evolution of Moroccan artwork from the 20th century onward, while the skillfully curated temporary exhibitions focus on fascinating themes. There's a nice café here, too.