Riad El Maâti

Forty steps from the Kasbah of the Udayas ramparts, Riad El Maâti occupies a restored merchant house on Sidi El Maâti street in Rabat's old medina, its interior courtyard open to the sky above a central fountain. The address suits travelers wanting walkable access to the Andalusian Gardens and the Bou Regreg estuary without a car.

Rooms keep original cedar ceilings and zellige tile; a rooftop terrace overlooks the medina's flat roofs toward the river mouth. Breakfast is served there weather permitting, otherwise in the courtyard below.

The nearest taxi stand sits at Bab Oudaya, a five-minute walk through narrow lanes.