Tourism in Morocco is booming – except here

Visitor numbers to Morocco are surging, but not in the nation’s sleepy, seaside capital. Here’s why the newly minted 2026 Unesco World Book Capital is worth a second look.

Strolling through the crowd-free lanes in Rabat’s old medina is a sharp contrast to navigating the narrow, labyrinthine streets swarming with tourists in Marrakesh. Here, it’s so calm that you can hear waves from the Atlantic that rhythmically lap against the nearby shoreline. Swaying palm trees and towering stone minarets poke their heads above the Moorish arches, adding a pop of color to the spotlessly clean whitewashed alleyways.