The capital of the Kingdom houses few entertainment spaces intended for children. Indeed, parents have trouble establishing a programme for their little ones, so much so that these places are lacking. Rabat is, however, supposed to set an example for other cities in the Kingdom. "Children aspire to interrupt the infernal rhythm of the week (lessons and exercises) by taking an outing so that they can change their air and recharge their batteries. But, it must be recognised that Rabat does not offer many choices," indicates with great disappointment Nadia, a civil servant and mother of three children. She says she is confused when it comes to deciding which direction to take at the end of the week, so limited are the options. Indeed, in Rabat, leisure places for children can be counted on the fingers of one hand. Apart from a few small playgrounds here and there, and whose services are very modest, the city cruelly lacks entertainment venues. Only one large, proper amusement park was able to see the light of day a few years ago, and even then! "I would have preferred to take my children elsewhere, because there are too many people during the weekend and, de facto, they have to show a lot of patience before their turn comes to play. It must also be recognised that the prices of the various services are not within everyone's reach and, personally, I cannot offer such an outing to my children every week," indicates Ahmed, an employee and father of two children. Apart from the small existing parks, there is practically no leisure space for children in Rabat, except for the few travelling funfairs that sometimes invite themselves into popular neighbourhoods. Certainly, this concept offers many interesting games for children, but often parents are reluctant to frequent these places. Indeed, these spaces are poorly secured and are not subject to regular control to verify the safety of the rides. "I know that these fairs offer interesting games and at very low prices, but I cannot risk my child's life, I prefer to keep her at home than to see her fall from a ride or see myself attacked by a vagrant. Anything can happen in these places as long as access is free and the space is open to the general public," exclaims Amal, a bank employee and mother of a 5-year-old girl. In the absence of other alternatives, some parents therefore choose to have their children accompany them to large commercial areas, in order to change their air and take advantage of the small play areas offered to children on site. "Every time I go there, I take my son with me. It allows me to do my shopping quietly while knowing that my toddler is having fun right next to me and in complete safety. I would have liked to take him to a large space dedicated only to children, but I, alas, have no choice!" confides Amina, mother of Amine, 6 years old. However, even this solution is not valid for all children, because these spaces are not accessible to all ages. Thus, if the lack of amusement parks or other leisure places remains an evil that parents take in patience during the year, this is not the case in summer, a period that is already pointing its nose. "I am already starting to think about the place where I will be able to take my children during this summer, I am embarrassed, because I know in advance that in Rabat we find neither public swimming pools, nor clubs for young people, even less amusement parks…," grumbles Nadia. For lack of better, families are thus content with the very limited choice that the city offers, while waiting for a reaction from the local authorities… The zoo, a unique breath of fresh air Operational since January 2012, the national zoological park of Rabat has experienced a huge influx of citizens since its opening, who have come, besides Rabat, from several cities in Morocco. Located near the Moulay Abdallah sports complex, the park offers its visitors a collection of 1,200 animals representing 120 species. And in order not to exclude any social category from access to this privileged place, the park has designed a fairly diversified range of prices. Thus, the price range varies between 30 DH (for a child) and 120 DH for a couple accompanied by two children.