The city of Casablanca was founded around the year 1770, after the Portuguese settlement, which the Portuguese called Casa Branca, was destroyed by an earthquake. After the city’s reconstruction, the city was called Dar El Beida, an Arabic translation of the Portuguese name “The White House”. Later this was translated again by the Spaniards to present-day Casablanca. The city has grown from a small village to a metropolis with almost four million inhabitants and 70 kilometers of coast.
With Air Arabia you fly directly from Brussels for €49 per person one way to Casablanca. If you go by the guidebooks, it’s a place best to skip. However, Casablanca has a number of places that are worth visiting and is a very convenient and cheap starting point to start your Morocco journey. The culture shock will be less great upon arrival in Casablanca than in Marrakech , Moroccan Desert Tours . The city is a mix of east and west. A lot of work has been done to improve the infrastructure to make it easy to get around the city.
LANDMARKS IN CASABLANCA
HASSAN II MOSQUE
Casablanca has a number of tourist highlights, of which the Hassan II mosque is literally and figuratively the largest. In 1986 the previous king of Morocco gave the order to build a modern, new mosque. The Hassan || mosque even has a roof like the Amsterdam Arena, which can open and close. No expense was spared during construction. It is the third largest mosque in the world, only the Al Masjid al-Haram in Mecca and the Masjib an-Nabawi in Medina are larger. The marble floor offers space for 25,000 people and outside there is room for 85,000 people. The minaret of 210 meters is the highest minaret. You can also visit two traditional hammams. Every day you can visit the mosque four times with a guide. This is also the only way to visit the mosque. The first tour starts at 9:00 AM, the next at 10:00 AM, 11:00 AM and 2:00 PM. There are no tours on Fridays. Entrance to the mosque costs 120 dirhams and 60 dirhams for students. So don’t forget your student card.
THE OLD MEDINA
The first medina (city center) to be built is called the medina. When several city centers are built, it is often referred to as the nouvelle medina. The name may mislead you a bit, you will not find a real Moroccan souk here. It is the old town of Casablanca, where most people now live. Here you will find no souvenirs, but shops with cheap shoes and clothing. It’s fun to wander through this medina when you want to see how the people of Casablanca live. Mind you, not all of them like to be photographed!
It’s nice to stay in the old medinas because that’s where it happens. When restoring buildings, as much of the old atmosphere as possible has been preserved. It is not recommended to wander the medina alone at night, as the place is ideal for pickpockets. It’s good to watch your stuff. On the north side of the medina, towards the sea, is the Sqala. The sea once reached this ancient wall, hence the cannons on the bastion.
BOULEVARD DE LA CORNICHE
A nice boulevard by the sea with nice bars and clubs in Casablanca is the Boulevard de la Corniche. This boulevard is located west of the old Medina, on the Atlantic Ocean. Here you can enjoy a drink in one of the bars overlooking the sea. From the Hassan II Mosque it is about a half hour walk to the Boulevard de la Corniche. In the summer it is very busy here with sunbathers and young Casablancans who come to see and be seen. In the spring, however, it is quiet and a nice place to get a breath of fresh air. If you love oysters and other fish dishes, you can visit restaurant La Mer, which is located on the boulevard and overlooking the Atlantic Ocean.
THE HABOUS . DISTRICT
The Quartier Habous is a neighborhood with nice shops. This district is most reminiscent of a small souk as you see them so much in Morocco. You can buy the usual souvenirs, such as tajines, leather bags and jewelry. This district also houses the royal palace, which unfortunately you are not allowed to enter as a (regular) visitor. You can take a look at the Mahakma du Pasha. Mahakma du Pasha is a typical Moroccan Town Hall decorated with mosaics and wood with orange trees in the courtyard. It is very quiet and beautiful here if you want to visit an authentic building. The Habous district is located southeast of the old medina.
CENTRAL MARKET
The central market is located southeast of the old medina, south of the expensive hotel street (Ave des FAR). This is a nice market where, among other things, a lot of fish, fruit, herbs, olives and wicker baskets are sold. You can buy a beautiful wicker beach bag with leather handles for less than three euros here! Some haggling is of course part of it.
HOTEL KENZI TOWER
Pricey, but an experience in itself, is staying overnight or having a drink in Hotel Kenzi Tower; one of the two towers of the Casablanca Twin Center. This is a 28-storey hotel that literally towers above the rest of the city. From the bar and restaurant on the top floors you have a beautiful view of the entire city, including of course the sea, the Hassan II Mosque and the harbor. A drink will cost you a fortune, but the view is worth something!
HAMMAMS
Just like in any Moroccan city, in Casablanca there are many hammams where you can go for a scrub or a nice massage. The traditional hammam Ziani offers massages for about five euros. A petit taxi can take you there. The address is 59 Rue Abou Rakrak. There are many more modern hammams. Often these hammams even have jacuzzis and you can usually exercise there too.
RICK’S CAFE
Set against the walls of the old medina, this famous restaurant has been recreated in detail from the movie Casablanca. As soon as you enter the restaurant, you can taste the atmosphere of the film (which can also be seen continuously in the restaurant). The restaurant was set up by a diplomat (Kathy Kriger) who resigned after the attacks on the World Trade Center because she no longer agreed with George W. Bush’s policies and the negative signal sent to all Arab countries. Kathy was very satisfied with her life in Morocco and therefore came up with the idea of opening Rick’s cafe from the movie Casablanca. An e-mail to friends about these plans resulted in many enthusiastic reactions, so that the plan was actually put into effect. Details from the film can be found throughout the restaurant; the roulette table, the chips at number 21, the atmosphere and the piano music.
TRIPS OUTSIDE CASABLANCA
EL JADIDA
The town of El Jadida is about an hour and a half from Casablanca. In the summer, the town is busy with holidaying Moroccans, but outside the summer months it is a good place to find peace and quiet. The city was in Portuguese hands from the 16th to the mid-18th century. The old Portuguese city is the main attraction. You can walk through the small streets with shops and visit Citerne Portugaise. This is a large underground water storage facility that used to supply the city with water. You can look inside here for 20 dirhams.
Back outside you can walk on the walls of the old town, with views over the Atlantic Ocean. From here you have a good view over the harbor, where countless (sometimes half-decayed) boats are moored together. When you go back to Casablanca, you will pass a beach with a boulevard where you can sit for a while and people watch. There is a lot of football, talking and walking on the beach.
TRANSPORT TO AND FROM CASABLANCA
AIRPORT
Casablanca has a major airport: Mohammed V international airport with a train station. The Casa Port station is the closest to the city center. The trains don’t stop here as often as they do at the Casablanca Voyageurs station. It is most convenient to travel to one of these station. From Casablanca Voyageurs station you can take a petit taxi or the tram to the city center. A grand taxi that runs from the city to the airport and vice versa costs about 300 dirhams.
TAXIS
In Morocco there are petit taxis and grand taxis . A petit taxi takes a maximum of three passengers and stays in one city. Grand taxis carry up to six people and travel between cities. The large taxis are not intended for short trips and vice versa. In Casablanca, petit taxis are red and grand taxis are white. So you can easily recognize them.
TRAIN
The main Casablanca Voyageurs station is accessible from the city center by bus, petit taxi and tram. The Casa Port station is within walking distance from the center. Most trains stop at Casablanca Voyageurs station, including to and from Fes , Essaouira , Agadir, Chefchaouen, Marrakesh , Meknes and El-Jadida 5 dias desde Marrakech al desierto de Merzouga. Check the website of the Moroccan railways for departure and arrival times, travel time and rates .
BUS
The bus is a cheaper, but often slower mode of transport than the train. Bus company CTM Services runs to almost all Moroccan cities. The CTM bus station is close to the Marché Centrale tram stop. Other buses depart from Ouled Ziane bus station. This bus station can be reached by bus (you can get off at Avenue Mohammed V) or by petit taxi. The other major provider of bus rides is Supratours Services , which is part of the Moroccan Railways. Supratours train and bus trips are usually the easiest to combine.
RENT A CAR
If you’d rather drive yourself than let taxis and public transport do it, you can. You can rent a car and traverse the country with it .
If you want more information about Casablanca, you can take a look at the Morocco tourist office .
PLAN YOUR OWN TRIP TO MOROCCO?
Do you want to travel individually, go your own way locally, 3 days tour from Marrakech to Fes and with the certainty that accommodations and activities have been arranged? Travel organization Rickshaw Morocco offers an extensive travel program with building blocks that you can combine yourself. Experienced travel specialists who have traveled extensively in Morocco are happy to help you build your own journey.
