Casablanca is Morocco's largest and most cosmopolitan city, a place that surprises nearly every visitor who arrives expecting a sleepy port. The undisputed highlight is the Hassan II Mosque, the world's seventh-largest mosque and one of the most spectacular pieces of religious architecture built in the 20th century.
Casablanca is Morocco's largest and most cosmopolitan city, a place that surprises nearly every visitor who arrives expecting a sleepy port. The undisputed highlight is the Hassan II Mosque, the world's seventh-largest mosque and one of the most spectacular pieces of religious architecture built in the 20th century.
Hassan II Mosque
The Hassan II Mosque is Casablanca's defining monument and one of the most extraordinary buildings in Africa. Completed in 1993, it can accommodate 105,000 worshippers (25,000 inside, 80,000 in the grounds), features the world's tallest minaret at 210 metres, and is built partly over the Atlantic Ocean on a massive platform — on clear days the sea is visible through the glass floor of the main prayer hall. The retractable roof, the laser beam pointing toward Mecca, and the sheer scale of the craftwork (zellij tilework, carved cedar, hand-painted plasterwork) make guided interior tours — available to non-Muslims — one of Morocco's most impressive experiences. Book morning visits to avoid afternoon tour groups.
Art Deco Architecture
Casablanca possesses one of the world's finest concentrations of Art Deco architecture, built during the French Protectorate period (1912–1956). The streets around Boulevard Mohammed V, the Place des Nations Unies, and the Quartier Gauthier contain extraordinary examples of the Mauresque style — Art Deco fused with Moroccan Islamic motifs. The Villa des Arts (in a restored Mauresque mansion) and the MACAAL (Museum of African Contemporary Art) are excellent art destinations. The Central Market (Marché Central) on Rue Chaouia is a beautiful Art Deco building and one of the best food markets in Morocco.
The Corniche
Casablanca's Corniche — the 4km seafront promenade of Aïn Diab — is the city's playground, lined with beach clubs, restaurants, and cafés that buzz from morning to midnight in summer. The beach clubs (private, day-access available from €10–30) offer an entirely different Morocco experience: rooftop pools, DJs, fresh seafood, and a thoroughly cosmopolitan Moroccan crowd. The Corniche gives a glimpse of the prosperous, modern, outward-looking Morocco that the medina cities don't show.
The Old Médina
Casablanca's old Médina is small and much less complex than those of Fes or Marrakech — it was a relatively minor fishing village until the French developed the modern city around it. The Médina's Sqala fortress walls, the Mosque of Sidi Allal el-Kairouan, and the covered market streets are pleasant for an hour's exploration. The Quartier des Habous (New Médina), built by the French in the 1930s in traditional Moroccan architectural style, is more architecturally interesting — a planned Moroccan quarter with good craft shops and an authentic neighbourhood atmosphere.
Day Trips
Casablanca's location makes it an excellent base for day trips. Rabat (40 minutes by train) offers the Kasbah of the Udayas, Mohammed V Mausoleum, and Chellah necropolis — an excellent full day. El Jadida (95km south) is an extraordinary Portuguese fortified city with a remarkable subterranean cistern that reflects its vaulted Gothic ceiling in shallow water. Azemmour (82km south) is a quieter, less visited walled city with a beautiful old Médina above the Oum Errabia river mouth.