Bouregreg Marina

The Bouregreg valley between Rabat and Sale was for a long time a gap - mudflats, boatyards and scrub between two cities that faced away from each other - and since the mid-2000s it has been the subject of a large state-backed redevelopment, of which the marina was the first substantial piece: a yacht basin on the Sale bank with an esplanade, restaurants and apartments, connected to Rabat by a bridge and the tram. What has followed on the Rabat side is the Grand Theatre by Zaha Hadid Architects, a museum, towers and a good deal of construction that continues. The result is a working riverside where there was none, with the kasbah of the Udayas on its rock at the mouth, the Hassan Tower on the ridge, and small rowing boats still ferrying people across for a few dirhams alongside the marina, which is a good summary of the whole thing.

The main sights

• A filled-in gap - the valley between two cities that had faced away from each other.
• The first built phase - a yacht basin and esplanade on the Sale bank.
• The Hadid theatre opposite - on the Rabat side, with towers and construction around it.
• Rowing-boat ferries - the old crossing still working beside the marina.

When to go

October to April; late afternoon along the water. Two to three hours.

Practical notes

Much of the valley is still a building site. The marina is corporate and restaurant prices are high. There is little shade on the esplanade. The scheme has been criticised locally for what it displaced.

Nearby

The kasbah of the Udayas is at the river mouth; Sale medina is north.

Key facts