Salé is a city in its own right, on the north bank of the Bouregreg, facing Rabat. The tramway that crosses the river does not make Salé a district of Rabat: each city has its own stations, districts and administration. Inside Salé itself, people mainly travel by tram, train, bus, and on foot in the medina.
1. Getting around the city
**The tramway.** The Rabat-Salé tramway links the two banks over the Hassan II bridge. On the Salé side, Line 1 ends at Hay Karima and Line 2 at Hôpital Moulay Abdellah. Two stops serve the centre directly: Bab Lamrissa, at the entrance to the medina, and Gare de Salé, near Salé-Ville station. The network is operated by Transdev for the Rabat Région Mobilité authority. It is the clearest route across the city and into Rabat without a car.
**On foot in the medina.** The medina is explored on foot. Its lanes are narrow, and a car cannot pass everywhere. Bab Lamrissa stop is the simplest starting point: from there, you enter the old city without looking for parking.
**Buses.** The Rabat-Salé urban bus network is operated by ALSA City Bus. Several lines serve Salé-Ville station and the city's districts. For a specific journey, check the line of the day on the ALSA site, as numbers and routes can change.
**Taxis.** Petit taxis run inside the city limits, with a meter required by law. For journeys to neighbouring towns, grand taxis apply: no meter, and the price is agreed before departure. In the medina, a taxi drops you at the nearest accessible point, and the rest of the way is on foot.
2. Getting to and from Salé
**By train.** Salé has two ONCF stations. Salé-Ville station, also called Salé-City, is the main one: it is the busiest station in the city, it connects with the tramway, and it sits on the Tangier–Casablanca line. Salé-Tabriquet station, in the Tabriquet district, is the city's second station and mainly serves the northern districts. Trains link Salé with Rabat, Kenitra and Casablanca, among others.
**By plane.** Rabat-Salé Airport (RBA), operated by ONDA, is located in the city of Salé, even though its name joins the two cities. The tramway does not serve the airport. To reach it, take a taxi, or take the ALSA shuttle to Rabat-Agdal station and then the train or tramway. Check the option of the day before you leave, as no direct tramway link exists between the airport and Salé.
**By road.** Salé stands on the Atlantic coast, north of Rabat. The region's motorways link north towards Kenitra and Tangier, and south towards Rabat and Casablanca. The Hassan II bridge carries the tramway and the road between the two banks. Small boats also cross the Bouregreg between the two cities.
3. Everyday commuting
Salé is largely a residential city, and many of its residents work in Rabat. Morning and evening, the main flow of travel therefore runs towards the Hassan II bridge and the stations.
The tramway is the simplest spine between Salé's districts and the centre of Rabat. The train links Salé's two stations with each other and with neighbouring cities. Buses fill in for districts the tramway does not serve. In the medina, people walk. By car, the bridges and the roads towards Rabat fill up at busy hours, while the tramway runs on its own track.
No timetable or journey time is given here: frequencies vary by day and hour, and only the operators' sites give the information for the day.
4. What a newcomer needs to know first
This page gives general information only. It sells nothing and verifies no operator, timetable or price.
- **Validate at every boarding.** On the tramway, the ticket must be validated at every boarding, including when changing between the two lines. An unvalidated ticket is not valid.
- **Pick the right station.** For the centre and the medina, get off at Salé-Ville. For the northern districts, Tabriquet station is closer.
- **Do not mix up the two cities.** A home in Salé is not a home in Rabat, even if the tramway links the two in a few stops. Addresses, stations and stops carry distinct names.
- **Check before you leave.** No fare or timetable is printed here, because the sources consulted do not agree. Check the fares and times of the day on the tram-way.ma, ALSA and ONCF sites.
- **Keep your documents.** Ticket, card and receipts: checks take place on trains as well as on the tramway.