Casablanca, Morocco - a city most in the western world will have heard of, but what exactly is there it see and do? For many, Casablanca will not be your intended Morocco destination. Truth is most international flights to Morocco land in Casablanca and the vast majority of people will depart to other cities immediately. A lot of blogs will suggest to skip Casablanca completely but I've always believed that a city has something to see and learn which is why we chose to spend 24 hours in Casablanca, Morocco!
Our flight landed in the morning, so while we were tired, we still did our best to do a bit of exploring.
FIRST THE BASICS: WHAT TO WEAR IN MOROCCO:
This goes for all of Morocco - stay relatively conservative. It's a primarily muslim country and you will receive some looks if you are showing too much skin. I wore a long maxi dress but otherwise had my legs covered. For tops, I would stay away from anything too low cut or sleeveless. I did see women in shorts in Marrakech but honestly it felt a bit disrespectful that they were doing so. I did not need to cover my head at any of these stops. My boyfriend wore shorts on some warmer days with no issues.
WHERE TO STAY DURING YOUR 24 HOURS IN CASABLANCA, MOROCCO:
All the major cities of Morocco are based around their medinas - the oldest part of the town that commonly contains markets and the major mosques. These have narrow alleyways, are commonly car free and bordered by walls hundreds of years old. The main sights to see in each city will be here.
With that in mind, we picked the Hotel Moroccan House. It's reasonably priced (30 euros a night?!), offered a 5 euro breakfast and was within walking distance of Casablanca's medina. It also happened to be close to the train station which was a plus since we're here for less than 24 hours.
Hotel Moroccan House
04 Boulevard Mohamed Smiha, Casablanca 20000, Morocco
https://www.moroccanhousehotels.com/
TRANSPORTATION:
You will land at the Mohammed V Airport which is a 45 minute train ride from downtown Casablanca. Taxis are also available but since the train station was close to our hotel we opted for public transportation. Directions to the train are super clear in the airport so just follow the signs and you'll find the kiosk to buy your tickets. They accept international credit cards and tickets cost just 50 dirham or $3. You can check the train schedule on the ONCF website here. In March 2022, the trains were running just once an hour so regardless of the time you may just have to wait. If you have time this is an excellent spot to get cash from the ATM or grab espresso and pastries at the station cafe. The airport is the last station, so when it arrives, you'll have plenty of time to get settled and find seats for the 45 minute ride. If you're staying at Hotel Moroccan House, exit at Casa Port.
Once we arrived at our hotel, Hotel Moroccan House, we were pleasantly surprised to see that our room was HUGE. It felt super traditionally Moroccan and I loved that our bed was built in. Again just 30 euros!
WHAT TO DO FOR 24 HOURS IN CASABLANCA, MOROCCO:
Since our time in Casablanca was limited, we took a quick rest and then headed out for some lunch. We decided to start to the area around Hassan II Mosque and caught a cab outside of our hotel. By law, cabs must have a meter - make sure they turn it on when you get in. You will quickly learn that Moroccans are going to skim money from you whenever possible. You should always carry cash and have small bills/coins. Commonly, they will claim to not have change and you will over pay for your ride.
Once we reached the mosque, we wandered into the neighborhood, Sour Jdid to search for lunch. Its a fairly run down neighborhood filled with apartments, markets and small cafes. Never once did we feel uncomfortable or unsafe though. We checked out the local fruits and vegetables and finally settled for an open cafe selling "tacos." They are nothing like the Mexican style tacos you're thinking of but are equally as delicious.
Lunch complete, we were finally ready for some site seeing and walked back to the Hassan II Mosque to do a tour. The Hassan II Mosque is the largest in Africa and the 7th biggest in the world. It's definitely worth the stop.
You can view the current open hours and tour times here. Tickets cost 120 dirhams or about $11 and the tour will last 45 minutes. They have guides available for English, Spanish, French and Arabic speakers. Please keep in mind that you are entering a religion space and modesty needs to be maintained at all times. For men, that means long pants – for women, your knees and shoulders must be covered. I saw 2 women be turned away so it is a requirement for entry. I was also told prior that I needed to cover my head and came prepared with a head scarf. None of the women in my group covered theirs though and it was not mentioned.
The guide will tell you everything you need to know so I'm not going to spend a lot of time here. You can tell by the photos that it’s a beautiful, intricate space with an interesting history and is well worth the trip over. After your tour, be sure to walk along the ocean to the right. It provide a new view of the mosque and seems to be a popular spot for Moroccans to relax after prayer.
After you’ve had your fill of the stunning sea side scenery, make you way back south toward the Marche Bab Marrakech. A bab is a gate to the medina and heading this way will take you to the heart of Casablanca. Fruit and vegetable shops, turn to fish and meat vendors and as you walk further you’ll see clothing stores and eventually the more touristic area around what’s called the Old Medina Market on google maps. Stop at a café when you find one for an afternoon mint tea or espresso. Café culture is big in Morocco and while it tends to be very male dominated, western women are given an exception.
For dinner, considering heading to the world famous Rick’s Café – which recreates the restaurant featured in Casablanca. You won’t find much Moroccan food here but if you’re into the film, it’s a beautiful multi level restaurant and is one of the few restaurants in Morocco we found that serve alcohol. The prices are not cheap, but we found the quality to be high. The night we were there they had live music on the lower level.
Rick’s Cafe
Place du jardin public, 248 Bd Sour Jdid, Casablanca 20250, Morocco
Your whirlwind 24 hours in Casablanca nearly complete, catch up on some rest before you continue the rest of your trip to Morocco. Our Next Stop? Tangier
Or check out some of our other stops on our 2 weeks in Morocco:
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