How many days do I need in Rabat?

Rabat is one of my favourite underrated stops, and one day is the perfect amount for it. As the national capital it is green, orderly and refreshingly low on hassle — a gentle, dignified city after the intensity of Marrakech or Fes. Everything worth seeing sits close together and can be enjoyed in a single unhurried day on foot, which is exactly why it makes such a pleasant pause rather than a multi-day base.

The morning belongs to the Kasbah of the Udayas, a blue-and-white walled citadel above the river mouth that feels like a miniature Chefchaouen with an ocean view, complete with a serene Andalusian garden. From there it is a short hop to the iconic Hassan Tower — the stump of a 12th-century minaret surrounded by rows of unfinished columns — and the adjacent Mausoleum of Mohammed V, a jewel-box of Moroccan craftsmanship that you can enter freely.

In the afternoon, the Chellah is the highlight: a romantic, overgrown complex where Roman ruins and a medieval Islamic necropolis sit side by side, storks nesting on the old minarets. Add a walk through the small, calm medina and along the modern, café-lined boulevards, and you have filled a lovely day. Rabat's pace is unhurried and its people unbothered by tourists, which makes the whole experience feel like a deep breath.

I would not extend it to two days unless you are using Rabat as a relaxed base to also dip into Casablanca, which is only an hour away by frequent train. Otherwise, one day captures the capital beautifully and lets you move on. It slots perfectly into a northern itinerary between Fes and the coast, or as a half-day-plus stop on the train line linking Marrakech, Casablanca and Tangier.