Casablanca travel Blog Guide

Casablanca travel Blog Guide 10 days tour from casablanca

Casablanca, main Moroccan city and capital of everything except for the administrative power, today is the largest port in the Maghreb claiming more traffic than Marseille itself. Casablanca appears like any southern European metropolis, with intense traffic, a large urban extension and the same problems that most big cities carry. Casablanca is the most cosmopolitan of Moroccan cities, the veil has almost disappeared from women’s heads and the beaches have modern clubs complete with pools, tennis courts, bars and restaurants. However, the European atmosphere hides some serious social problems. 

Next to the prestigious monuments and modern buildings, Casablanca is known for its poverty and all the problems that come with it. Particularly the presence of the “bidonvilles” (the ghetto) that developed on either side of the railway in proximity to the city is the result of the uncontrolled growth of the population and the lack of employment.

Casablanca is a big city that at first glance could appear confusing, but once you get to the centre it is not difficult to find your bearings. From Place Mohammed V as a starting point a variety of streets full of hotels, coffee houses and restaurants open up; a few blocks north of the square there is the old medina, which is still partly enclosed by the original city walls. The old town was the only built-up area in 1907 when the French arrived and built the new city, also known as the Habous quarter. Architecturally Casablanca is interesting for the large presence of art nouveau and art deco constructions in which styles most private buildings were built during the first colonial years. 

The most fascinating monument in the city is certainly the Hassan II Mosque that was only commissioned in 1980 and completed in 1993, but the size and the beauty of the architecture put it among the sites that must be visited. Although the Islamic tradition doesn’t allow visitors from other faiths to sacred temples, the Hassan II Mosque can be visited with 1hour guided tours. The large scale of the building can give a deceptive sense of distance when seen from afar making you think you are closer that you actually are. Finally another hot spot in Casablanca is the beach of Ain Diab, not for the sea or the beach itself, which is not one of the cleanest of the Atlantic, but for the presence of the beach clubs offering sea water pools, bars, restaurants and sport facilities such as tennis courts, volleyball courts and some of them even have dance clubs.

• What to eat in casablanca

Good Value Restaurants

Restaurant Khan Al Khalili, 69 Rue Jura (in the Marif district)
Good tasty food with Egyptian specialties such as falafel

Rotisserie Centrale, 36 Rue Chaouia
Chicken and fries served at good prices

Restaurant l’Etoile Marocaine, 107 Rue AllalBen Abdallah
Moroccan food and good ambience

Restaurant le Tonkin, 34 Rue Prince Moulay Abdallah
Vietnamese and Chinese food

Notre Alsace, 59 Boulevard de la Corniche, Ain Diab
Pleasant restaurant on the waterfront offering good seafood and meat dishes

High-end restaurants

Ostrea, Port de Peche de Casablanca
Restaurant specializing in seafood and fish, the oysters are particularly good

Al Mounia, 95 Rue du Prince Moulay Abdallah
Moroccan cuisine with option to eat in the garden.

Le Marignan, 69 Boulevard Mohammed V
Good Korean food, some of the dishes are cooked at the table in true Korean style

La Mer, 90 Boulevard de la Corniche, El Hank
This restaurant on the waterfront specializes in fish and seafood dishes

• Casablanca Things to See

When visiting Casablanca you won’t miss the Hassan II Mosque, the largest in the country. Its tower, 200 m high, is the tallest minaret in Morocco. Spectacular for its size and the Moorish and art deco lines of the architecture, the Hassan II Mosque is the only Islamic sacred place that is open to non Muslim visitors with guided tours and the only real monument in Casablanca.

Another place to visit in the city is Place Mohammed V, a huge square surrounded by large administrative offices that represent the architectural model for public buildings in Morocco. Take a tour amongst the colonial buildings all over the centre: most of the private buildings built during the 1920’s were highly influenced by the art nouveau first and then by the art deco movement. The best examples of colonial architecture are along Boulevard Mohammed V and the surrounding areas including the façade of the newspaper offices of Maroc Soir and Le Matin du Sahara, The Rialto cinema and the Hotel Transatlantique.

Casablanca’s main attraction is Ain Diab Beach, about 3 km from the port and the old medina, not so much for the sea but for the great variety of beach clubs. Each one of them offers great facilities including sea water pools, sports entertainments, bars and restaurants as well as night clubs. Some of the most popular are Miami, Le Tonga, Tahiti and Plage Anfa; the facilities and the prices vary according to the club.

• The Jewish Museum of Casablanca

The Jewish Museum of Casablanca, is the city’s only museum and the only Jewish museum in a Muslim country anywhere in the world. Situated 5km from the centre on Rue Chasseur Jules Gros 81, the museum is open Monday to Friday 11am to 5pm; there is an admission charge of 30dh. The museum represents an important information centre on the Moroccan Jewish community’s heritage. There are 5000 Jewish people living in Morocco and 60% of them are in Casablanca. According to the director of the museum, Morocco is the only country in the Arabic world where Jewish and Muslims have reached an understanding and it is the aim of the museum to consolidate it and make it grow. The museum displays photos of synagogues, old sacred sites, reconstructions of synagogues’ interiors, parchments, traditional costumes and sacred objects as well as silver jewellery. Jewish Moroccans are in fact expert silversmiths, still today in the city’s mellah (the Jewish quarter) one can find the stalls selling silver jewellery.

• Casablanca Events

The list below is only a selection of the many events that take place every year in Casablanca.

March
International video Arts Festival
This is a multimedia festival with performances by Moroccan and international artists

Urban Culture on Stage
This festival, taking place at the Zafzaf cultural centre, is dedicated to young rap, hiphop and fusion talent from all over Morocco.

April
Jazzablanca Festival
Jazz festival at the Megarama

May
Amazigh Theatre Festival
This festival features theatre performances in Berber languages

Safi in the Heart of Casablanca
This festival aims to promote the town of Safi with concerts, exhibitions and a market offering the famous ceramics from Safi

June
Boulevard des Jeunes Musiciens
Festival of young musicians featuring new local pop, rock and hiphop talents and international artists

July
Rawafid Festival
This festival features performances from the Moroccan diaspora

Festival of Casablanca
This very popular festival features concerts, open-air film screenings and street theatre

• Casablanca how to get there?

From the Airport
There is a train connection every hour linking Mohammed V airport with Casablanca Voyageurs station. The train journey lasts 35 minutes.
There is also a shuttle bus between the airport and the CTM coach station; from there12 buses run everyday from 7.30 to 12.30
The journey from the airport to the city centre by Grands Taxi should cost around 200dh and can take up to 6 people.

By Train
There are two train stations in Casablanca: Casablanca Port, which is rather central, and Casablanca Voyageurs, which can be reached by petit taxi or by bus.
Trains to El Jadida, Mohammedia, Rabat and Kenitra go from Casablanca Port.
Trains to Marrakech, Tangiers, Meknes, Fez and Oujda go from Casablanca Voyageurs.

By Coach
CTM coaches go from the central terminal in Rue Leon Africain for all destinations including Safi, Essaouira and Agadir.

Private Coaches go to and from Gare Routiere Ouled Ziane situated 4km southeast of the city centre.

Grands Taxis
Grands Taxis to Fez, Meknes and Tangier go from outside Gare Routiere Ouled Ziane, while those to Rabat go from Boulevard Hassan Seghir next to the CTM coach station.  Grands Taxis to El Jadida, Safi and Essaouira go from Boulevard Brahim Roudani in Marif, about 2 km from the centre. To get there, take either a petit taxi or the bus from Place des Nations Unies.

Urban Buses
Public buses get you around in Casablanca, but they are always very crowded.

Petit Taxis
Petit Taxis are the best way to travel within the city. They are easy to get on the streets and are meter operated. The usual fee for a cab journey within the city is 6dh, while the cost to get to the beach, Ain Diab, is around 18dh.