Casablanca Travelers Recommend

Casablanca is Morocco’s largest city but with three days, there’s time to cover the highlights and explore further afield. To maximize time, opt for tours that combine multiple sights or day trips that visit two cities in one day. Here’s how to spend three days in Casablanca.

Day 1: Sightseeing in the City

Start the day with a walking tour of Casablanca’s main food market, the Marché Central, for an introduction to local life in Morocco. Food lovers can combine a market tour with a seafood lunch or sign up for a cooking class that reveals the secrets of traditional Moroccan cuisine.

A half-day sightseeing tour offers a stress-free way to explore dispersed central neighborhoods such as the Habous quarter, with its Royal Palace and French colonial architecture, and the Old Medina. Keep your camera handy as you wander United Nations Place and Mohammed V Square before taking a peek inside the Sacre Coeur Cathedral.

In the evening, a visit to Rick’s Café—a replica of the café in the Casablanca movie—is a must but for the best views, indulge in a cocktail at Sky 28, the city’s highest bar.

Day 2: See More of Morocco

Three of Morocco’s imperial cities—Fez, Marrakech and Rabat—are reachable on a day trip from Casablanca and options for visiting are plentiful.

You can head to nearby Rabat and spend the day exploring the Moroccan capital, where attractions include the Hassan Tower and Mohammed V Mausoleum. Or, a little further afield, Fez is famous for its UNESCO-listed medina, and a walking tour of its colorful souks—in particular the much-photographed tanneries—is a must for day-trippers. Alternatively, a visit to Marrakech offers the chance to shop in Morocco’s most renowned souks, sample Moroccan cuisine at Jemaa el-Fna square, and take a camel ride in the desert.

For the best value, look for a tour that includes hotel pickup and lunch, or choose a private tour to enjoy the flexibility of a personalized itinerary.

Day 3: Explore the Corniche

The Ain Diab Corniche road runs parallel to the Atlantic coast and boasts numerous lookout points. Full-day tours allow you to soak up the scenery without having to worry about navigating and keeping your eyes on the road. A staple sight on these tours is the Hassan II Mosque, Casablanca’s most photographed landmark and one of the largest mosques in the world. The view from the outside is stunning but to visit the interiors, a tour guide is essential.

Continue along the Corniche to the sandy beaches of Lalla Meryem and Ain Diab. Right next door is the gigantic Morocco Mall (Africa’s largest mall) which has a huge selection of shops, restaurants, and cafés, as well as a cinema, ice rink, and aquarium.

You can’t visit Morocco without paying a visit to the cultural capital of Marrakech, a city of contrasts that is as bewildering as it is enchanting. Here’s what you need to know about visiting the city from Casablanca, located less than 2.5 hours by road to the north.

Day Trips

With only a day to spend in the city, start off with a visit to the UNESCO-listed medina. It’s the heart of historic Marrakech and is centered on the bustling Djeena El Fna square. This is the central hub of the city, where you can lose yourself in the labyrinth-like souks, tuck into steaming tagine at a rooftop restaurant, and be entertained by a constant stream of snake charmers, fortune tellers, and street musicians. Spend the afternoon checking off the sights with a tour of the opulent Bahia Palace, a visit to the 16th-century Ben Youssef Medersa, and a stroll around the colorful Jardin Majorelle (Majorelle Garden), owned by designer Yves Saint Laurent.

Multi-Day Tours

There’s a lot to see in Marrakech and its surroundings, and those who can spare the time will be rewarded with a deeper, more leisurely exploration of the city. Multiday tours, lasting up to 15 days, often take travelers further afield to other notable destinations like Rabat, Tangier, Fez, Chefchaouen, the Atlas Mountains, and the Sahara desert where you can sleep overnight in a Bedouin camp.

Things to Know

• Choose between the value of a small-group tour and the flexibility of a private tour.

• A Marrakech day tour from Casablanca can last upward of nine hours, while multi-day Morocco tours last anywhere from eight to 15 days.

• Most day trips include hotel pickup and drop-off in Casablanca, as well as entrance fees to attractions on the itinerary.

• Don’t forget to bring sunglasses, sunscreen, a hat, and some small bills for bargaining in the souks of the medina. 

Even though its Morocco’s largest city, one day in Casablanca is still enough time to tick off the highlights. To maximize your time, choose a tour that takes you to several historic neighborhoods or opt for a private tour to devise your own itinerary. Here’s how to spend one day in Casablanca. 

Morning: Markets and Monuments

Casablanca’s central landmarks are dazzling yet dispersed; a tour lets you cover more ground without navigating public transport. Tours typically cover French colonial architecture in the Habous quarter, the Royal Palace of Casablanca, Mohammed V Mosque, and the walled Old Medina. 

Pass by United Nations Place and Mohammed V Square and make a photo stop at the grand Sacre Coeur Cathedral. Time your arrival at Marché Central—Casablanca’s main food market—for lunch. For greater insight into Moroccan cuisine, food lovers can book a guided market and tasting tour, combined with either a seafood lunch or cooking class.

Afternoon: Explore the Corniche

Casablanca’s star attraction is undoubtedly the Hassan II Mosque, located on a cliff that overlooks the Atlantic Ocean. Tours of the interior must be booked in advance, so plan ahead to avoid disappointment—many Casablanca sightseeing tours include a tour of the mosque, which saves the hassle of booking independently.

Afterwards, tours tend to continue along the Ain Diab Corniche, the scenic boulevard that runs along the seafront, and stop to visit the shrine of Sidi Abderrahman. Further south, the Lalla Meryem and Ain Diab beaches offer sandy shores, where you can relax, sunbathe, and cool off with a swim. Opt for private tour if you want to explore further or enjoy extra time at the beaches. 

Night: Beachside bars

Stick around to watch sunset from the coast, then head to one of the many beachside bars or restaurants for dinner or drinks. Travelers looking to party can find some of Casablanca’s biggest nightclubs along the waterfront, where you can drink and dance into the early hours.

Alternatively, head back to the city for a cocktail at the elegant Sky 28 bar. Located on the top floor of the Twin Centre tower, it affords panoramic views of the illuminated city.

Two days in Casablanca gives you plenty of time to explore Morocco’s largest city. To make the most your time, choose tours that visit multiple sights in one day and offer an insight into Moroccan culture and cuisine. See below for some ideas.

Day 1: Markets and Monuments

Morning: A walking tour of the Marché Central—Casablanca’s lively food market—is a great way to experience local life; visiting with a guide means you learn more about regional ingredients. For the full experience, combine your tour with a seafood lunch at a market restaurant, or join a cooking class to create your own dishes under the guidance of a chef.

Afternoon: Explore Casablanca’s central neighborhoods on a half-day sightseeing tour. See the Royal Palace of Casablanca and admire the French colonial architecture of the Habous quarter. Tours tend also to tick off the walled Old Medina, the Sacre Coeur Cathedral and the main plazas of United Nations Place and Mohammed V Square.

Night: Casablanca is at its most atmospheric after sunset; the best city views are from the Sky 28 bar in the Twin Center tower. After a cocktail, head to Rick’s Café for dinner. A replica of the café in cult movie Casablanca, it’s an Instagram favorite, and offs tasty tagines and live entertainment that includes belly dancing.

Day 2: Sun, sand and shopping

Morning: The seafront Hassan II Mosque is among the largest in the world and is a magnificent example of Islamic architecture. Exploring the interiors is only possible with a guide, so it’s best to visit as part of a tour. Due to its icon status, the mosque is a staple of almost all Casablanca sightseeing tours.

Afternoon: Soak up the scenery along the Ain Diab Corniche, a coastal road that runs south from the mosque along Casablanca’s beaches. Jump out to visit the seafront shrine of Sidi Abderrahman and then stroll along the sandy Ain Diab beach and cool off with a swim in the Atlantic.

Night: Spend the evening at the Morocco Mall, the largest of its kind in Africa, is located right next to the beach. Open until late, it has dozens of shops, restaurants, and cafés, as well as a multiplex cinema, a luxury souk, a musical fountain, an aquarium, and even an ice rink.

With rambling medieval alleyways, the ambient scent of spice and leather, and the constant din of vendors and donkey hooves hitting the cobbles, Fez is a multisensory place to visit. For travelers searching for a fix of atmospheric, old-world Morocco, here’s what you need to know about Fez tours from Casablanca.

Highlights

• Browse the Fez Medina (Fez el-Bali) and shop in souks where artisans from carpenters to coppersmiths create traditional handcrafted goods.

• Tour the New Town (Fez el-Jdid) and the Fez Mellah (Jewish Quarter), a walled quarter where Fez’s Jewish community once lived. 

• Visit top landmarks and attractions including the Royal Palace of Fez (Dar el Makhzen), Bou Jeloud Gardens (Jardin Jnan Sbil), and more.

• Inhale the pungent smells of animal skin and dye, and observe leather-workers at the Chouara tannery.

• Admire exquisite Islamic architecture at the Al-Attarine Madrasa and Kairaouine Mosque.

• Opt for a multi-day excursion from Casablanca and visit both Fez and Chefchaouen, a mountain town known for its photogenic blue buildings. 

Things to Know

• Fez is about 183 miles (295 kilometers) from Casablanca. Driving from Casablanca takes about 3 hours 20 minutes. 

• Day tours from Fez to Casablanca typically last between 11 and 14 hours.

• Wear comfortable, cushioned shoes—you’ll spend a lot of time exploring the cobbled and car-free Fez-el-Bali on foot.

• Most tours feature free time for lunch or an optional upgrade of lunch at a local restaurant.