Rabat-Salé Airport: where to stay, areas and recommended hotels

Rabat-Salé airport is about 10 km from the city centre, 20-25 minutes by taxi (100-150 dirhams) or 30-40 minutes with the Alsa bus linking the airport to the Rabat Ville and Rabat Agdal stations. The capital spreads across several distinct districts: the centre of Agdal, the marina on the Bou Regreg, the historic quarter near the Kasbah, the golf resort of Dar Es Salam to the south, and the Harhoura coast, even further south, where the transfer from the airport exceeds 30 minutes.

Agdal and Hassan

City centre · About 12-13 km and 15-25 minutes by taxi from the airport to Agdal; the Alsa bus also reaches Rabat Agdal station in 30-40 minutes.

Best for: Those who want Rabat's administrative and commercial centre, with Agdal station and the Royal Palace within walking distance or a few minutes away.

Pros

Royal Palace 10 minutes on foot from the Marriott, Agdal station less than a kilometre away
A district lively all day, with restaurants and shops from the Arribat shopping centre

Cons

The Kasbah des Oudayas and the medina remain 10 minutes away by taxi, not on foot
Little nightlife compared with the marina or the seafront

Recommended hotels in this area

Rabat Marriott Hotel: Opened in 2022 on Avenue Inaouane inside the Arribat shopping centre in Agdal: the Royal Palace is 10 minutes on foot, Agdal station less than a kilometre away.
Mercure Rabat Sheherazade: On Rue de Tunis, in the Hassan district, about 4 km from Agdal station: a central position closer to the historic monuments than to the business district.
Ibis Rabat Agdal: In the same Agdal district, an affordable option for those who want to stay close to the station and the administrative centre without the price of a 5-star.

See more hotels in this area →

The Marina on the Bou Regreg

Neighbourhood · About 20 minutes by car from the airport to La Marina, on the Salé side at the mouth of the Bou Regreg.

Best for: Those who want the seafront and the new marina district, a few steps from the Kasbah des Oudayas and the Hassan Tower.

Pros

Kasbah des Oudayas 0.4 miles away, Hassan Tower 0.7 miles and the beach 0.5 miles
A waterfront combining river, marina and ocean together, rare elsewhere in Rabat

Cons

A newly built district: less street life than Agdal or the medina
From the Salé side you still need a bridge or a taxi to reach central Rabat

Recommended hotels in this area

Fairmont Residences La Marina Rabat Sale: On the mouth of the Bou Regreg with views of the river, marina and ocean together: the Kasbah des Oudayas is 0.4 miles away, the beach 0.5.

See more hotels in this area →

Kasr Al Bahr and the Océan district

Neighbourhood · About 30 minutes by car from the airport; the Kasbah des Oudayas and the medina are 10-15 minutes away by taxi from here.

Best for: Those who want a historic palace by the sea a few minutes from the Kasbah and the medina, in the Océan district.

Pros

A restored former nineteenth-century royal palace, looking directly onto the Atlantic
The Kasbah, the medina and the city's main institutional addresses a few minutes away

Cons

Longer transfer from the airport than to Agdal or the Marina
A residential district, little evening life outside the hotel itself

Recommended hotels in this area

Four Seasons Hotel Rabat at Kasr Al Bahr: In the former nineteenth-century military hospital and royal palace on Avenue Brahim Roudani, in the Océan district: the Kasbah and the medina 10-15 minutes away, five hectares of gardens by the sea.

See more hotels in this area →

Dar Es Salam

Neighbourhood · About 23 km and 29 minutes by car from the airport; central Rabat is about 10-11 minutes by car.

Best for: Those who play golf or want an isolated resort among the pines, accepting to be far from the centre and the sea.

Pros

Direct access to the Royal Golf Dar Es Salam, designed by Robert Trent Jones
440 acres of pine forest and gardens, the most isolated and quiet resort among those in the capital

Cons

No monument or restaurant within walking distance outside the resort
Longer transfer from the airport than all the other areas of Rabat

Recommended hotels in this area

The Ritz-Carlton Rabat, Dar Es Salam: Opened in autumn 2024 at km 9 of Avenue Mohammed VI, inside the Royal Golf Dar Es Salam estate: 440 acres of pine forest, 10 minutes from the centre and about 29 from the airport.

See more hotels in this area →

Harhoura and Plage Val d'Or

Nearby town · About 35 minutes by car from Rabat-Salé airport; Rabat's corniche is about 15 minutes from here.

Best for: Those looking for a beach resort outside the city, accepting a much longer transfer to and from the airport.

Pros

An elevated view of the ocean, a lagoon and a private beach, more of a resort atmosphere than a city one
Access to the Salé marina for boat trips or fishing

Cons

The transfer from the airport is the longest among all the areas in this guide
Outside the resort, the Harhoura area offers little on foot

Recommended hotels in this area

Conrad Rabat Arzana: On Plage Val d'Or at Harhoura, north of the town of the same name: it isn't on the Bou Regreg marina as the name might suggest, but on its own beach and lagoon, about 35 minutes from the airport.

See more hotels in this area →