↻Free cancellationFull refund up to 24 h before start, local time
€Reserve now, pay on the dayPay Youssef in cash when you meet
◷3 hours or more9:30 AM
◎Small groupFrom 2 to 8 guests · Ages 4–99
◉English 🇬🇧 · Moroccan Arabic 🇲🇦Confirmation by email & WhatsApp
Overview
A closer look
A morning walk through the stories that shaped Rabat.
From the meeting point we cross the old medina to the Kasbah of the Oudayas, a maze of blue-and-white lanes above the spot where the Bouregreg river meets the Atlantic. In the 17th century this was the stronghold of the Salé Rovers, the corsairs who used this coast as their base.
Inside the Kasbah we stop at Café Maure for mint tea and traditional Moroccan cookies, looking across the river to Salé. Then the Andalusian Garden, created in the 1920s by the architect Tranchant de Lunel at the foot of the old Kasbah palace. Despite the name it is a 20th-century garden, styled on the great gardens of Islamic Spain — a small Alhambra of tiled fountains, cypress, orange and lemon trees, roses and bougainvillea. At its entrance stands the Museum of Clothes and Jewellery, in pavilions built for Sultan Moulay Ismail in the late 17th century.
We walk down Consular Street, where foreign legations once stood and where today the souk sells traditional clothing and crafts, and on into the Mellah, the historic Jewish quarter, to talk about the long history of Jewish life in Morocco.
We finish at the Mausoleum of Mohammed V, the white-marble resting place of Morocco's late king, guarded day and night by royal guards in traditional dress, and beside it the Hassan Tower, the unfinished 12th-century minaret. Mounted royal guards stand at the gates, two at each — one of the best photographs of your trip.
Experience highlights
The blue-and-white lanes of the Kasbah of the Oudayas
The story of the Salé Rovers, Rabat's 17th-century corsairs
Mint tea and Moroccan cookies at Café Maure, overlooking the river
The Andalusian Garden, a 1920s 'little Alhambra' at the foot of the Kasbah palace
The Mellah, Rabat's historic Jewish quarter
The Mausoleum of Mohammed V, the Hassan Tower and the mounted royal guards
The details
Everything you need to know
What’s included
Included
Local licensed guide for the whole walk
Mint tea and traditional Moroccan cookies at Café Maure
Small group, never more than eight guests
Not included
Museum of Clothes and Jewellery entrance, if you choose to visit
Transport to the meeting point
Other food and drinks
Shopping in the souk
Gratuities
What to expect
Three hours or more on foot at an easy pace, with some steps and cobbled lanes in the Kasbah and a tea break halfway.
Meeting point & pickup
Agreed with you after booking — usually at your hotel or riad, or a landmark in the medina close to you.
Agreed by WhatsApp after your booking is confirmed.
Know before you book
We start at 9:30 in the morning, before the heat and the crowds.
Wear comfortable shoes — the medina and the Kasbah are cobbled and uneven.
Bring water, a hat in summer, and something to cover your shoulders for the Mausoleum.
You pay in cash on the day.
What to bring: If anyone in your group cannot walk far or manage steps, tell me when you book and I will adapt the route.
Cancellation: Cancel at least 24 hours before the local start time for a full refund.
Step by step
Itinerary
9 stops · open any stop for details
⌖
StartMeeting point
Agreed by WhatsApp after your booking is confirmed.
1Old Medina30 min
We cross the old medina on the way to the Kasbah, through the streets where Rabat still shops and works.
2Kasbah of the Oudayas25 min
Blue-and-white lanes above the meeting of the Bouregreg and the Atlantic — once the stronghold of the Salé Rovers, the 17th-century corsairs.
3Café Maure15 min
Mint tea and traditional Moroccan cookies, with the view across the river to Salé.
4Andalusian Garden15 min
Created in the 1920s by Tranchant de Lunel in Hispano-Moorish style: tiled fountains and ponds, around 650 plant species, cypress, orange, lemon and banana trees, roses, datura and bougainvillea.
5Museum of Clothes and Jewellery (optional)20 min
In palace pavilions built for Sultan Moulay Ismail in the late 17th century: traditional Jewish, Amazigh and Sahrawi dress, and regional kaftans from the north and from Fez.
6Consular Street25 min
Once home to the foreign legations, now a souk of traditional clothing and crafts.
7The Mellah20 min
The historic Jewish quarter, and the long story of Jewish heritage in Morocco.
8Mausoleum of Mohammed V20 min
The white-marble resting place of Morocco's late king, guarded around the clock by royal guards in traditional dress.
9Hassan Tower20 min
The unfinished 12th-century minaret, with mounted royal guards at the gates — two at each.
⚑
FinishHassan Tower
The tour ends at the Hassan Tower, with taxis close by.
Guest feedback
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Traveller photos (3)
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Rabat through Youssef's eyes
I didn’t expect Rabat to surprise me this much. Youssef took us through the Kasbah of the Udayas and the old medina at an easy pace, stopping along the way to share stories and little details about the city that we would never have noticed on our own.
He’s warm, funny and clearly proud of Rabat, and he made sure we never felt rushed. It felt much more like discovering the city with someone who genuinely knows and loves it than simply following a guided tour.
If you only have one day in Rabat, spend it with him.
More than ten tasting stops in the medina of Rabat: merguez off the coals, sardines, jben with amlou, tagine, dates and almonds, Moroccan pastries and mint tea poured the traditional way.
