What are the best things to do in one day in Casablanca?

What are the best things to do in one day in Casablanca?

Even though Casablanca is the biggest city in Morocco, you can easily do all the best things there in just one day. This article will show you the best things to do in Casablanca and give you tips on how to see the city.

Forget what you think you know or know about this busy city. You’ll find an amazing modern entrance to the amazing country of Morocco. It might be the perfect blend of old and new. Morocco Tours 8 days

This post tells you everything there is to do in Casablanca. It’s going to be a busy, fun day that you won’t soon forget.

Casablanca

The name “Casablanca” makes people think of love, Hollywood stars, and all kinds of exotic things. Most people think that Casablanca didn’t exist before the movie that made it famous, but that’s not true.

It was started around 700 B.C., a long time before Bogart and Bacall made us love it. The movie “Casablanca” wasn’t even shot in Casablanca or in Morocco, which is an interesting fact.

The nomadic tribes who lived there at the time called it Anfa, which means “hill” in the Berber language. In the 15th century, the Portuguese took over the city and changed its name to Casa Branca, which means “the white house.”

Later, when it was called “Casablanca,” the city and most of the country were ruled by Spain and France. Of course, the name has stuck.

In 1755, an earthquake in Portugal destroyed much of Lisbon and the areas around it. This earthquake also destroyed most of the city. When it was rebuilt, it was given an Arabic name, but the people who live there still call it Casa or Casablanca.

Casablanca is a port city, and it has the second-largest port in North Africa. It is Morocco’s main port and the business and economic center of the country. It is also one of the continent’s biggest financial hubs.

How long do you want to stay in Casablanca?

Even though Casablanca is a big city, there isn’t much for tourists to do there. I’ll tell you what I saw and what you have to see when you go.

Since you might be interested in different things than I am, you might want to make your own trip plan. You can see the main sights in one day, which I think is enough time to spend there.

Of course, you’ll want to spend more time if you want to learn more about the culture and get a sense of what it’s like to live there. But of all the places we went to in Morocco, I’m glad I only spent one day in Casablanca. This gave me more time to spend in other places. Viajes a Marrakech

Activities in Casablanca

I had a good time in Casablanca, even though there aren’t a lot of things to do there. Here are some of the things we liked and saw.

Hassan II Mosque

This was my favorite thing I saw in Casablanca by a long shot. It’s a beautiful mosque, and it’s one of the few places in the whole country where people can take a tour inside. It is one of the biggest mosques in the world and the biggest in Africa.

Both our guide and the guide at the mosque said it was the third-largest in the world, which was interesting (behind Mecca and Medina). Wikipedia says, though, that it is the 10th largest.

At 689 feet, the minaret is the second tallest in the world (210 meters). There, a whopping 105,000 people can worship. Only 25,000 can fit inside the mosque, but 80,000 can worship on the grounds outside the mosque.

It was built in 1993, and the walls are made of marble, and the roof is made of hand-carved cedar. The style of the building is Islamic, Arabic, and Moorish.

The columns are made of Carrera marble from Italy, and the glass chandeliers are made of Venetian glass from Murano, Italy, near Venice. Everything else inside the Hassan II Mosque is from Morocco.

The work is amazing, and it took 6 years and 3,000 people working in three shifts of 12 hours each to build. Just think about how hard that was!

Hammam:

Downstairs is the Hammam, where ritual bathing and washing are done to get clean before prayer. The king, his family, and official guests all have their own balcony. Part of the mosque is over the ocean, and there are nice views from lookout points on the mosque grounds.

The only thing I didn’t like about this tour was how big the group was. The tour group had at least 200 people, so it was hard to hear the guide. Still, it was worth it to walk through the mosque.

The only way for someone who is not Muslim to get into the mosque is on a guided tour, which costs 130 DH ($12.50 USD). Saturday through Thursday, tours start at 9:00, 9:30, 10:30, 11:30, and 1:00 in English, Spanish, and French. On Fridays, they are not available at 11 a.m. and 12 p.m., and the times change during Ramadan, so check the schedule online. During the summer, they are also sold from Saturday to Thursday at 4 p.m.

You have to take off your shoes, but you get a small bag to carry them in. You don’t have to cover your head, but you do have to cover your shoulders and knees because this is a religious place. The tour is about 45 minutes long. The Hassan II Mosque is on Boulevard Sidi Mohammed Ben Abdallah in Casablanca, Morocco, which is 20450.

Corniche

Next, go to the Corniche, which is right by the water. It’s a long street with a lot of shops and restaurants with great views of the water. This is a great place to go if you want to go to the beach in Casablanca. Tour del Marocco

There is also a picture from early 2019 of the King and his family (but not his wife) with the Pope. We didn’t choose to stay here, but if you have more than one day, I’d suggest checking out the restaurants and public beach.

The Moroccan mall, which is the biggest in Africa, is close to the Corniche. We decided not to stop here, but you might be interested. Also, we drove through an area where the wealthy live that our guide called the “Beverly Hills” of Casablanca. He said that homes cost at least $1 million USD.

We saw Franklin Roosevelt Boulevard and a big building that used to be the Anfa Hotel but is now a private villa. After World War II, Roosevelt, Churchill, General Gaul from France, and Mohammed V of Morocco met here in 1943 for a conference.

Boulevarde de la Corniche runs through the Corniche area. This road turns into Boulevard Sidi Mohammad Ben Abdallah, which is where the Hassan II Mosque is. There are places where you can lay out in the sun and a public and private beachfront area if you want to. There is also a surf school and a beautiful “renovated” park where people ride horses and play soccer.

Hippodrome Casa-Anfa

We stopped for a short time at the Hippodrome, which is where you can watch horse races, gamble, and play golf. Jazzablanca is a big event that happens every year. Most people in this area and in Morocco follow Islam, which says that you can’t drink, gamble, or smoke. But some people do choose to do these things, and they are available in some places.

You can walk through and see the gates where the horses and riders wait anxiously before the race and the tracks they run on. It’s a quick stop that’s worth seeing.

 

The address of Hippodrome Casa-Anfa is Rue Lice d’ANFA, Casablanca, Morocco.

The Catholic Church of Notre Dame de Lourdes

In Casablanca, there are two Catholic churches: Notre Dame and Sacre Coeur. When I went, the beautiful Sacre Cur was closed for repairs, so we went to Notre Dame instead.

I don’t think the outside of this church is very pretty, and I don’t think the inside is very interesting either. The only good thing about the building is that it has beautiful stained glass windows all over it.

I like old buildings and churches in general, but there wasn’t much to like about this one. You might think differently, so if you get a chance to go, please do so and let me know what you think.

Notre Dame is at the corner of Avenue Mers Sultan and Boulevard Mohammed Zerktouni. There is no charge to go inside.

The neighborhood of Quartier Habous The city of New Medina

The “new” market or medina, Quartier Habous, was built in the 1930s. It is a bit like a westernized medina, with wide, clean streets that are open to the sky.

People didn’t talk to us unless we paid attention to something, which made walking around a pleasant experience. Even back then, they were not at all pushy. There were some nice souvenirs and high-quality things to buy here.

There are also a few nice mosques that can only be seen from the outside. The Royal Palace is close by, but people cannot take tours inside. Not unless the King has asked you.

Still, it’s a beautiful building that’s worth a look. And who knows? It’s been said that the King is now single.

Mahkama du Pacha

Mahkama du Pacha, also called Makhamat al-Pasha, was one of my favorite things to see, and it’s only a minute’s walk from the new medina in Casablanca.

I had read that you couldn’t get in without a local guide, but I also saw some information that was different. Our guide was ready with a tip, but we didn’t need it.

This building was built to be the Governor’s home. It is now a building for running the government, and the courthouse is in it. During World War II, construction was done, but it was done the old-fashioned way.

It has bright colors, beautiful mosaics, and intricate wood scrolling. It’s worth going inside because it’s a beautiful building.

The address of Makahma du Pacha is 12 Rue Moulay Ismail, Casablanca, Morocco 20550. From 9 to 4, it’s open.

Muhammad V Square

Next, we went to Muhammad V Square, which is named for Morocco’s former king. Here is City Hall, as well as a big Casablanca sign for pictures and a lot of pigeons.

There are more pigeons here than at St. Mark’s Square in Venice or Plaza Bolvar in Bogotá. In fact, people in the area call it “pigeon square.” The interestingly beautiful and modern opera house is currently being built across the street. There were people walking around and selling things in the square.

To be honest, we weren’t too impressed. I had heard that this was a place to visit, but other than the Casablanca sign, there wasn’t much to see.

This is where we saw the Water Men for the first time.

Water Men

The Water Men wear big, colorful red hats and long red robes. They are easy to find in the main squares of Casablanca, Marrakesh, and other big cities.

In the past, they were people who sold water. They think that God gives water to everyone, so when people are thirsty, they pour water from goatskin bags into bronze cups and give it to them.

The color of the robes helps people see them from far away. People gave them food in exchange for the water. Now, only tourists see the Water Men. If you want a picture of them, you’ll have to pay at least 10 DH.

I read an article that said they looked like mariachis that had been moved around, and I laughed out loud. But the description is exactly right!

 

Medina

The old medina was our last stop before a late lunch. We only spent a few minutes here because we had just walked through Quartier Habous and the new media. A lot of it is made of fabric, which makes it very different.

In contrast to the new Medina, which has wide streets and lots of open space, this one feels a bit more cramped and narrow. It’s a bit busier and noisier than the new medina, and the experience is very different.

 

Rick’s Café

I was on the fence about whether or not to come here. The restaurant in the movie Casablanca, which I’ve already said wasn’t even filmed in Casablanca, was the inspiration for Rick’s Cafe.

It’s a recreation of the restaurant from the famous movie, with the same atmosphere and feel. I grew up in Boston, but I never went to Cheers because it isn’t the real Cheers; however, I was drawn to Rick’s.

I was glad I did! This place is great, and it’s one of the best restaurants in Casablanca. You pay for the name, and the meal wasn’t cheap, but the food is amazing, the service is great, and the atmosphere is great.

You feel like you’ve gone back in time to when big band music was popular and Louie Armstrong still played his horn and sang. Sinatra and all the old, well-known songs. It was a nice, comfortable way to end our trip and a really nice thing to do.

If you don’t have a reservation, it can be hard to get a seat, but it’s easier outside of peak times (we went mid-afternoon). If you can, you should try to make a reservation here to avoid a long wait (or not being able to dine).

The address of Rick’s Cafe is 248 Boulevard Sour Jdid, Casablanca, Morocco 20250.

My list of the top things to do in Casablanca that you must see

As I said, you might be interested in different things than I am, so I wanted to tell you what we saw. This is my list of what to see in Casablanca based on what we saw that day:

Hassan II Mosque Quartier New medina in Habous

Makahma du Pasha

Rick’s Café

I didn’t get to the Abderrahman Slaoui Museum, which is at Rue Du Parc, Casablanca, Morocco, 20070. This is something I wanted to do. I read good things about this museum on TripAdvisor, so it might be worth going to see for yourself.

A traditional Moroccan bath called a hammam is another fun thing to do in Morocco. They are in a lot of hotels.

Some of them are in spas, while others are the old-fashioned hammams. Check out this article to learn more about hammams and decide if you want to try one when you go to Morocco.

Where to Go in Casablanca?

There are many ways to see Casablanca, including private tours, tours with a guide, and self-tours. I’ve put some helpful information below that might help you figure out which choice is best for you.

Private Tour Guide

We hired a tour guide because we didn’t have much time. Even though most of Casablanca’s main sights are in the city’s center, it probably would have taken more than one day to see everything. Also, I like to learn more about the history and culture of the places I visit, so I like walking tours.

We did decide to splurge and hire a private guide to show us around Casablanca. We were glad we did because it let us choose what to see while we were there. This is a great choice for a city tour of Casablanca if you only have a short amount of time.