Casablanca

Likes & Dislikes

Likes

1. The beautifully restored promenade, La Corniche, especially late in the afternoon
2. The whitewashed buildings are dazzling in the strong sunshine
3. The (French) colonial buildings from the 1930s are interesting – there’s even some Art Deco!
4. Moroccan cuisine is delicious, and there are lots of great restaurants in Casablanca – what’s more, the prices aren’t high
5. The flea market in the Hay Hassani district is filled with buyers and sellers (though it’s also pretty chaotic)
6. In many places you can find cheap, freshly squeezed orange juice
7. The Hassan II Mosque when illuminated in the evening, and the atmosphere in the square in front of it, which is full of families with children

8. The divine taste of the oranges in the Old Town

Dislikes

1. The wide belt of poverty-stricken districts encircling the city center (which they call Bidonville, or Tin-Can Town) is a depressing sight
2. The very frequent traffic jams, and the deafening noise which accompanies them
3. It’s a good thing for the city that there’s a lot of development and construction, but from a tourist perspective it does mean a lot of noise and dust
4. The time we’d set aside to see the Hassan II Mosque was precisely when it wasn’t open to tourists, and we could only view it from the outside, which was a shame
5. The beach next to the Hassan II Mosque certainly didn’t appear very enticing, but all the same it’s filled at weekends with paddling locals
6. Most of the taxis are rust buckets – cars that were run into the ground in Europe then sent on here
7. Not much to see in the city center – mostly boring, anonymous modern buildings
8. Anyone looking for the magic and romance of the film is likely to be disappointed by this big, modern city

“Though it has some pretty parts, for the most part I really wasn’t impressed by Casablanca. The worst thing was the smog – I don’t know whether it was just our bad luck with the weather, but during the day the smog from the endless traffic jams was so bad that on one occasion we stopped our beat up old taxi half way to our destination, got out, and went looking for a modern taxi with rolled up windows and climate control to take us onward :D On the other hand, at least in the bazaar the prices are quite fair. Most vendors didn’t call out to us, and if they did, it was just a half-hearted attempt to get our attention. There was certainly no aggression, and everyone was content to ‘leave us be’. Still, Casablanca remains one of my least favorite stopover destinations to date. (2018)

Opinions

The only place I felt at home in Casablanca was in Rick’s Café. It’s a great place, and really sets the standard. I’d definitely recommend stopping by for at least one good coffee if you’re in the city, and the food is delicious too!

We stayed in the ‘Majestic Hotel’ and it’s…. Well, let’s just say there’s nothing particularly majestic about it. It has one solitary star, so of course it wasn’t expensive. Not at all like it looked on booking.com

As for the medina – I guess I’ve seen dirtier places in my life, but it would have to be in the top three! I mean, good gracious! It’s a bit like one of those old Chinese markets from the eighties, but about ten times grungier. That sort of thing doesn’t bother me as much as some people, and I was happy to eat the local fried fish and drink sugarcane juice, but if you’re not used to places like that, it might shock you. We encountered practically no other white tourists. (B. V. 2017)

Practicals

Transport

Traffic can be very bad at certain times of the day so often a 10-minute drive can mean 40 minutes in the car at certain times.

Casablanca city bus

Casablanca -contrast

Accomodation

We don't advise choosing a downtown hotel because of the noise problem. Few hotels can adequately isolate the rooms from the traffic noise.

Shopping

Carry cash at all times; very few places like to accept credit cards. American Express is pretty much only taken at luxury hotels and Starbucks.

Public safety

Although everyone will tell you the water is fine to drink from the tap, weI would recommend doing it sparingly.

Morocco - Casablanca - police

Background

Casablanca - Hassan II Mosque - forefront - s.i. photo

Destination in brief

Casablanca is Morocco's largest and most important city, which is south of Rabat (the capital), right on the Atlantic coast.

Locals call their city: Casa.
Casablanca, in Spanish, means,,white house" suggesting that Casablanca is full of white houses.

Population (in 2020): 3.7 million

Average net monthly salary (in 2020): 440 USD

Casablanca is the financial and economic center of Morocco. 80% of the industrial companies are here, and 60% of the Moroccan maritime transport is connected to the city. Nowadays, huge investments, capital is pouring into Casablanca, and many big hotels are built. Most of the visitors are not tourists, but businessmen.

Many tourists skip Casablanca from their Moroccan program, with the prejudice that it is an unpleasant big city, with poor public safety and not having many tourist attractions. This prejudice is not totally fair, but Casablanca is indeed by no means as pleasant and cozy as Marrakesh.

Before visiting the city, still, at home, it’s worth watching the iconic movie, Casablanca (from 1942), but aware that all scenes were shot in California.