Things to Do in Casablanca

Casablanca is known for the Hassan II Mosque, the Corniche along the Atlantic, the Habous quarter and its Art Deco centre. It is a business and port city rather than a postcard medina: the old medina is small, and the larger old towns of Marrakesh and Fez are each a train ride away. Many visitors stay one or two nights, see the mosque and use the city as a base for Rabat.

Yes, but only on a guided visit. The mosque’s own tours run several times a day in English, Arabic, French, German and Spanish, take about 40 to 45 minutes, and the times change with the season. The ticket for a foreign adult costs 140 MAD, roughly 13 €, children from four pay 30 MAD and under-fours go in free. Shoulders, torso and knees must be covered, shoes come off at the entrance, and visits pause for prayer times.

The airport is about 30 km from the centre. The train to Casa Voyageurs station takes around 35 minutes; a taxi is quoted at roughly 250 to 350 MAD (23 to 33 €); a prebooked private transfer starts at 18 € per person on this site. The train is the cheapest, the transfer the simplest with luggage or a late arrival.

Rabat is 40 to 70 minutes from Casablanca by train, so you can easily go alone and take a taxi between the sights. A guided trip from 65 € pays for the guide, the transfers and the planning – it covers the medina, Chellah and the Hassan Tower. If you like to wander on your own, the train is enough.

Technically yes, by high-speed train: the Al Boraq takes about two hours ten each way to Tangier. Day tours to Tangier start at 129 € and a Chefchaouen day trip by train is offered too, but both are very long days. Staying a night is more relaxed, and a two-day train tour to both is listed as well.

The train takes around two hours 40. Alternatives on this site are a shared mini-bus transfer from 43 €, a private transfer for up to four people from 198 € per group, and a guided day trip with a camel ride from 97 €. For the city itself, plan more than a day: Marrakesh is a different trip.

No. The film was shot in studios in California. Rick’s Café in Casablanca is a recreation that opened in 2004, inspired by the film. It is a pleasant place for a drink and it appears on several city tours, but it is not a historic location.