What is Rabat like in November?

November is the city softening back toward winter, but make no mistake — by Atlantic standards it stays mild. Highs around 21°C mean daytime is still light-jacket weather, and the rain that returns this month tends to come in bursts rather than settling in for days. I describe it to clients as bright-and-showery: bands of cloud and rain blowing through off the ocean, then clear, fresh, sparkling spells in between.

The landscape responds quickly to the first proper rains. The countryside and the city gardens green up again, the Chellah starts to look lush rather than parched, and the air has that clean, washed quality I love about coastal Morocco in the cooler months. I build flexibility into November days — indoor anchors like the Mohammed VI Museum of Modern Art and the souks for the wet windows, and the Hassan Tower, Kasbah and riverfront for the bright ones.

This is low season again, which brings real rewards. The monuments are quiet, you can wander the Oudayas almost alone, restaurants have space, and hotel and riad rates drop well back from the autumn shoulder. For travellers who do not mind packing a brolly and staying flexible, November offers a remarkably peaceful, atmospheric and affordable take on the capital that the spring crowds never see.

Pack layers and a genuinely waterproof jacket — not just water-resistant — plus shoes that handle wet cobbles, because the old-city lanes get slick. Evenings turn cool now, so carry a warm layer for dinner by the river. This month I pair Rabat with Casablanca, Fes or Marrakech rather than the High Atlas, where the first snows and cold can arrive on the higher passes.