Riad el Medina

Converted from a 19th-century merchant house on Rue Farran Znaki, Riad el Medina keeps its original cedar-beam ceilings and zellige-tiled courtyard, tucked deep in Rabat's walled Medina a five-minute walk from the Kasbah of the Udayas.

Rooms open onto the central patio rather than a corridor, so guests pass the fountain daily on the way out. The rooftop terrace faces the Bou Regreg river toward Salé.

Narrow car-free lanes mean bags are carried in by hand from the nearest gate — a fit for travellers wanting Medina immersion over drive-up convenience.