Medinas & craftsEditorial pick · go independently
Blue lanes and the Andalusian garden of the Kasbah of the Udayas
Climb through the Almohad gate of Rabat’s oldest quarter to white-and-blue lanes, a terraced garden and a bastion above the Bou Regreg estuary.
- Best timeLate afternoon into sunset, when the light warms the walls and the estuary.
- How it worksGo independently: nothing to book through MoroccanPlans.
Why go
The Kasbah of the Udayas sits on a promontory where the Bou Regreg river meets the Atlantic. Its walls go back to the first Almohad caliphs, and it is part of Rabat’s World Heritage listing, which UNESCO inscribed in 2012 together with the modern city built in the 20th century.
Inside, quiet residential lanes painted white and blue lead to a platform over the river mouth and the ocean. Below, the Andalusian garden is a calm, walled space of orange trees and flowers. It is a small area, perfect for an unhurried walk rather than a checklist.
What to expect
A residential neighbourhood: be discreet with photos of houses and people. Lanes are stepped and uneven. Young men may offer to guide you; it is easy to explore without one.
Our advice
- Start at the monumental gate, then walk down through the lanes to the platform over the estuary.
- Finish in the Andalusian garden, or continue to the Hassan Tower and the Mausoleum of Mohammed V, further along the river.
- The beach below the kasbah is popular with surfers.
Advice from our editors, not official rules: check opening times and conditions locally.
Where it is
Loading…
Sources
The facts on this page were checked against official sources on 25 October 2026.
- Rabat, Modern Capital and Historic City: a Shared Heritage — UNESCO World Heritage Centre · checked 25 Oct 2026
Descriptions are our own words. Opening hours, prices and access can change: the official website is the reference.
More around Rabat
Arts & museumsRabat
Modern Moroccan art at the Mohammed VI Museum in Rabat
The first major museum built in Morocco since independence, devoted to modern and contemporary art, with changing exhibitions.
Rabat
Chellah: layers of Rabat’s history in a ruined necropolis
Roman remains, a Merinid funerary complex and gardens, enclosed by walls just outside Rabat’s Almohad ramparts.
More experiences: medinas & crafts
Chefchaouen
Chefchaouen’s blue medina, then sunset from the Spanish Mosque
Wander blue-washed lanes below the Rif mountains, visit the kasbah on Outa el Hammam square and climb to a hilltop viewpoint at dusk.
Fez
Into Fes el-Bali: a first walk through the old medina
Enter through the blue gate of Bab Bou Jeloud and follow the slope of one of the largest and best preserved historic towns of the Arab-Muslim world.
