Family-friendly Rabat

#Party of Six- Morocco may not be the first place you think about taking your kids, but trust me – it’s incredibly family-friendly. Our boys had already been to Marrakesh, but Rabat offered a much slower pace, less stress, and more room for our toddler to, well…. toddle. We rocked the Kasbah, saw the ruins at Chellah, and checked out the Rabat Zoo. We only had two full days in Rabat; there’s much more to see if you spend a week! One of my absolute favorite things about Morocco is how wonderfully everyone treats your children. If you’ve never been to Morocco or another similar culture, you should probably be aware that people will often touch your children (ruffle their hair or pat their cheek) and offer them small treats. This is all well-meant and friendly – but it is worth preparing your kids for, especially if they are not accustomed to such attention.

Although there is a Rabat Airport, we flew into Casablanca on a Friday evening and had a private transfer to Rabat (practically a necessity with our family size). We stayed at a lovely bed and breakfast style riad – the Riad Dar Karma Rabat. The room was much larger than our family room in Marrakesh and incredibly comfortable. We got to choose a time for breakfast, which was served either in the beautiful courtyard or one of the rooms on the first floor. Breakfast was delicious and there were plenty of options for the kids to pick something that they liked.

We spent the first day exploring the Kasbah of the Udayas (or the Kasbah Ourdaia) and wandering around the Old Medina souqs in Rabat, with a guide of course. Most of the riads will be able to recommend a guide or company – prices are very reasonable and definitely worth it when you’re traveling with children. Our guide ended up carrying the baby on his shoulders part of the time. Although we wandered out by ourselves later that evening for dinner, it was much less intimidating when we weren’t in charge of navigation. The Kasbah of the Udayas is beautiful and very kid-friendly. Unlike most of the castles and palaces in Europe, the kids are able to run around, touch most things, and generally be kid-like in Rabat. We had tea and treats at the cafe, which overlooks the sea. You can stay at the cafe pretty much as long as you’d like and the staff even brought replacement treats when one kid got a little overexcited and dropped a treat. You’ll find the iconic blue walls (often pictured if you search for images of Rabat) inside the Kasbah and the roof offers a spectacular view of the ocean. I could probably have spent an hour on top of the Kasbah, watching the ocean. The Medina was full of traditional shops and we never felt pressed for space or worried about where the kids were walking. In general, wandering around Rabat felt very safe and much less chaotic than in Marrakesh.

On our second (and final) full day in Rabat, we visited Chellah and the Rabat Zoo. Chellah was an old city founded by the Carthaginians – it was conquered by Rome and later passed to Arab rule. The city was abandoned in 1145, but used as a royal burial ground in the 14th century. At Chellah, you’ll find extensive grounds to wander and lots of storks. Although there are no signs posted, the guards took exception to our kids climbing on one specific part of the ruins but didn’t seem to mind them playing on other parts of the ruins. Perhaps we missed a sign due to the language barrier but it’s probably best just to keep on the path.

The zoo was a lot of fun: It had kid-friendly fencing and the enclosures allowed for quite a bit of up close viewing. The animals seemed very well cared for and there were plenty of snacks and drinks available. The zoo is reasonably priced and took us about 3 hours to see.

We prearranged a meal with our riad for our final evening in Rabat. It was a traditional Moroccan meal cooked in a tagine – chicken and vegetables over cous cous. We ate and ate, but barely made a dent in it. It was a laid-back way to get dinner without having to venture out in the evening, when Rabat really picks up! If you don’t mind the crush of people, it’s a great atmosphere. I’d recommend taking younger kids in a stroller if you’re out in the evening. People will generally let you through no matter how crowded it gets and it helps you feel safer than trying to keep their hand or find them in the dark.

The next morning, we pretty much ate breakfast and then left for Casablanca to make our way back home. That final morning, we had the lovely privilege of dining with another American couple from New York who had been biking in the area. They were amazed by the fact that we had four children in Morocco and shared that a relative of theirs with two children would barely make an hour-long trip in New York to see the rest of the family. Apparently, the parents felt it was too difficult to manage the kids out of their home environment. If this is a parental worry for you, let me reassure you: Your kids will melt down occasionally no matter where you are… the soccer field, your living room, or in Rabat. We’ve handled some pretty crazy situations while traveling. (Seeing a foreign doctor at the airport? Check. Having to buy a whole new outfit? Check. Momentarily losing kids? Check.) For us, it usually ends up being a funny story about our trip and makes us more confident in our ability to handle any parenting emergency. Traveling has made our children more adaptable and less likely to lose their minds over not immediately getting their way. There’s always new things to see and think about, as well as some pretty great snacks. Properly managed, you really can cart your kids almost anywhere. While you’re here, if you’re interested in more about Morocco, along with a pretty great kid travel melt down story, check out our post about Marrakesh.