Rabat is greener than most Moroccan cities, and the Jardins d'Essais Botaniques are the biggest concentrated piece of that green. The seventeen-hectare park sits at the edge of the Ville Nouvelle, just south of the medina, and was laid out in 1914 by the French horticulturalist Jean-Claude-Nicolas Forestier as the city's botanical test garden. The Forestier bones are still legible — long palm avenues, a clear cross-axis, formal French parterre near the entrance — overlaid with later additions including a Japanese garden at the centre, an Islamic parterre with citrus, and a long aviary of Moroccan birds.

Most visitors come for the shade and the paths rather than the specific plant collections. The main axes are paved and wide enough for prams; secondary sections use gravel and stepping-stones, with the Japanese garden inland from the central pond, and the aviary near the east gate. A small café opposite the main entrance serves drinks and snacks, but it is modest — plan to eat in the Agdal district immediately south, which has dozens of better options within a fifteen-minute walk.

The gardens were restored between 2002 and 2013 by a royal foundation; they have become the city's most popular park and are reliably busy with local families on weekends. Entry to the main gardens is free, with the aviary occasionally charging a small fee (10–20 MAD) depending on who is running it. Hours are roughly 9:00 to 18:30. Mornings (9:00–11:00) and late afternoons are the most comfortable for walking; weekday visits are calmer than weekends. Budget ninety minutes for a slow loop, longer if you sit on the benches near the pond.