What is the Kasbah of the Udayas in Rabat?

The Kasbah of the Udayas is the reason I never let people write off Rabat as 'just the administrative capital.' Perched on a bluff where the Bou Regreg River meets the Atlantic, it is the city's original fortified core — a kasbah being a walled citadel — and it has aged into one of the most tranquil and pretty quarters in Morocco. You enter through the magnificent Bab Oudaia, a monumental gate of carved sandstone built in the late 12th century under the Almohads, the same dynasty behind Marrakech's Koutoubia. From there you are into a maze of narrow lanes where the houses are painted brilliant white below and a soft cobalt blue above.

The blue-and-white palette gives it a gentle, almost Greek-island calm — it predates and rivals Chefchaouen for me, with the bonus of the sea right there. The lanes are quiet, residents still live here, cats doze on doorsteps, and at the seaward end the ramparts open onto a wide view of the Atlantic and across the river to the old corsair town of Salé. It is the kind of place to wander without a plan, camera in hand, and just enjoy the light and the quiet after the bustle of the medina below.

Two things not to miss. First, the Andalusian Garden, a formal walled garden of clipped hedges, orange trees and fountains laid out in the colonial era within the kasbah, with a small museum in the former palace. Second, the Café Maure, perched on the ramparts above the river — sit with a glass of mint tea and a plate of almond pastries and watch the boats and the gulls. It is a deservedly beloved spot and a lovely way to end a visit.

Practically, the kasbah is free to wander, compact enough for an hour or two, and easy to combine with Rabat's other highlights — the Hassan Tower and the Mausoleum of Mohammed V are a short distance away, and together they make Rabat a very rewarding day. It is calm, safe and photogenic, and an easy, civilised counterpoint to the intensity of Fes or Marrakech.