Best Things to Do in Casablanca (2026 Guide)

Casablanca (Dar al-Bayda in Arabic) is the commercial engine of Morocco and the most modern of its major cities — not primarily a heritage destination like Fes or Marrakech, but a working 21st-century metropolis that happens to contain one of the great religious buildings of the modern world in Hassan II Mosque. The city grew rapidly under French Protectorate rule (1912-1956), and the French planners left behind a grid of Art Deco and Mauresque buildings that make the city centre architecturally distinctive. Most Morocco itineraries use Casablanca as an arrival/departure point, but it rewards an overnight stay in its own right.

Best Time to Visit

Casablanca’s Atlantic climate keeps temperatures moderate year-round — 14-22°C in winter, 22-28°C in summer. It rarely reaches the scorching temperatures of the Saharan interior. Spring (March-May) and autumn (September-November) are the most comfortable. Summer has the most tourists from European beach destinations. Ramadan (dates vary) affects restaurant hours during daylight but adds a distinctive atmosphere to the medina evenings.

Getting Around

Mohammed V International Airport (CMN) is Morocco’s main hub, 30km southeast of the city, with an express train connection to Casablanca-Voyageurs station (30 minutes). The city centre, Corniche, and Old Medina are all accessible by taxi (metered) or the Casablanca tramway. Rabat is 90 minutes north by train; Marrakech is 3 hours south.

Hassan II Mosque

Hassan II Mosque is the largest functioning mosque in Africa and the seventh-largest in the world — completed in 1993 under Hassan II’s direction with 2,500 Moroccan craftsmen working for six years on the zellige tilework, carved plaster, and cedar woodwork. Its 210-metre minaret is the tallest religious structure in the world; the prayer hall, built partly over the Atlantic Ocean, holds 25,000 worshippers. Non-Muslim visitors are permitted to enter on guided tours (one of very few mosques in Morocco open to non-Muslims) — the interior’s scale and craftsmanship are overwhelming. The roof opens hydraulically to reveal the sky in the massive prayer hall. Evening illumination makes the exterior particularly dramatic.

Art Deco Casablanca

The French colonial city centre is an under-appreciated architectural collection. Mohammed V Square (Place Mohammed V) is the finest ensemble — the Prefecture, Post Office, Law Courts, and Bank of Morocco are all in the Mauresque style (French colonial architecture incorporating North African motifs). United Nations Square (Place des Nations Unies) is the commercial hub. The Central Market (Marché Central) has an Art Deco iron structure from 1916, still operating as a food and flower market. Guided Art Deco walking tours operate from several tour operators and provide context for what can otherwise seem like undifferentiated European-style buildings.

Medinas and Neighbourhoods

The Old Medina of Casablanca is smaller and less touristically developed than Fes or Marrakech — a genuinely local neighbourhood with craftsmen, market stalls, and the small mosques and hammams of everyday Moroccan life. The Quartier Habous (New Medina), built by the French in the 1930s to rehouse Moroccan residents while preserving a traditional market character, is an unusual example of planned Moorish architecture. Its bookshops, brassware, and pastry shops are less pressured than the old medina. La Corniche, the Atlantic seafront road, has restaurants and cafes with sea views and is the city’s main leisure strip.

Food & Drink

Casablanca has the most cosmopolitan dining in Morocco — French-influenced bistros and international restaurants sit alongside traditional Moroccan restaurants. Le Cabestan and La Sqala (in a converted 18th-century fortification on the Corniche) are the most celebrated Moroccan dining institutions. The Central Market area has excellent fresh fish (grilled at market stalls for immediate consumption) and the standard Moroccan tagine and couscous at numerous restaurants around the medina. Café culture is strong — Café de France on Mohammed V Square is a colonial landmark; Rick’s Café (a recreation of the Casablanca film’s fictional bar) is a tourist institution but serves genuinely good Moroccan food.

Practical Tips

• Hassan II Mosque tours: Book online or at the ticket office near the mosque entrance. Tours run at set times (typically 9am, 10am, 11am, 2pm on non-Friday mornings) and are guided in French, English, and Arabic. Cover shoulders and knees; shoes removed inside.
• The airport express train (Al Bidaoui) connects Mohammed V Airport to Casablanca-Voyageurs station in 30 minutes — much more reliable than taxis during peak times.
• The Corniche is 30 minutes from the city centre by taxi — most notable for the Ain Diab beach area and seafront restaurant strip rather than architectural significance.
• Currency: Moroccan dirham (MAD). ATMs widely available; better exchange rates at city exchange bureaux than at the airport.