Rabat sits at the hub of Morocco's rail and road network, making day trips easy. Casablanca is 90 minutes by train. Volubilis — the best-preserved Roman city in Morocco — is two hours by road. The beach towns south of the city are reachable in 30 minutes by taxi.
Salé, directly across the Bou Regreg, is the most accessible excursion. Take the boat from the medina waterfront or walk across the Hassan II Bridge. The medina of Salé is smaller and quieter than Rabat's, with a 14th-century Grand Mosque, the Medersa Bou Inania, and the impressive Bab Mrisa gate — the sea-gate that let pirates' ships enter the old city directly from the river. Few tourists make it here, which is the point.
