Dayworthy
ENES

Dayworthy itinerary

Two days in Casablanca, from the Hassan II Mosque to the Art Deco center

A realistic 2-day Casablanca itinerary

A balanced first visit split into the coast and the new medina on Day 1 (the Hassan II Mosque, the Corniche, Habbous, Place Mohammed V) and the markets, parks and Art Deco streets of the center on Day 2.

Destination
Casablanca, Morocco
Length
2 days
Pace
balanced
The tall, ornately tiled minaret of the Hassan II Mosque rising above its prayer hall
Photo: Tinuzzo · CC BY 4.0

Day-by-day plan

A paced plan, not an endless list.

Day1

Hassan II Mosque, the Corniche, Habbous, and Place Mohammed V

Start with a guided tour of the Hassan II Mosque, then walk the Corniche for sea air and lunch. In the afternoon go to the Habbous quarter, the new medina, and finish in the Art Deco plaza of Place Mohammed V before dinner.

  1. 1 hour 30 min

    Hassan II Mosque

    Take a guided tour of the largest mosque in Morocco, built out over the Atlantic (interior by guided tour only; tickets are sold at the on-site ticket office).

    The Hassan II Mosque is Casablanca’s great landmark, completed in 1993 and built partly out over the Atlantic, with a minaret about 200 meters tall and a prayer hall of carved cedar, plaster, and marble. It is worth visiting for the craft and the scale, and it is one of the few mosques in Morocco that non-Muslims can enter. Expect the interior to open only on guided tours at fixed times, which are paused for prayer and limited on Fridays, so buy your ticket at the on-site ticket office, arrive by about 08:30 for the 09:00 tour, dress modestly (shoulders and knees covered, and shoes come off), and plan about an hour for the tour.

    The minaret of the Hassan II Mosque silhouetted against a setting sun over the Atlantic
    Photo: Milamber's portfolio · CC BY 2.0
  2. 1 hour 15 min

    Boulevard de la Corniche

    Walk the Atlantic promenade of Ain Diab, lined with cafes, beach clubs, and seafood restaurants.

    The Corniche is Casablanca’s seafront strip along the Ain Diab district, with a long promenade, beach clubs, cafes, and seafood restaurants facing the Atlantic. It is worth a walk for the sea air and a look at how Casablancans spend their weekends. Expect a polished, resort-style strip rather than a historic one, with its liveliest hours in the late afternoon and on weekends.

  3. 1 hour 15 min

    Lunch in Ain Diab

  4. 1 hour 30 min

    Habbous (the New Medina)

    Wander the arcaded lanes of the interwar “new medina,” with its bookshops, pastry shops, and the Mahkama du Pacha courthouse.

    Habbous, often called the new medina, is a neighborhood the French protectorate built from the 1910s through the 1930s in a neo-Moorish style, with arcaded lanes, a market, a mosque, bookshops, and well-known pastry and olive shops. It is worth an afternoon for a calmer, more walkable Casablanca than the big boulevards. The ornate Mahkama du Pacha courthouse stands at its edge and is usually enjoyed from outside, since interior access is limited, so treat it as architecture to look at rather than a visit.

  5. 45 min

    Place Mohammed V (Muhammad V Square)

    See the French-era Art Deco civic buildings and the pigeons of Casablanca’s main square.

    Place Mohammed V is the civic heart of colonial-era Casablanca, a large plaza ringed by Art Deco and neo-Moorish government buildings, with fountains and a famously large flock of pigeons. It is worth a stop for a sense of how the city looked in its interwar boom. Expect an open, busy square, a quick visit of about half an hour, and good photos of the buildings in late-afternoon light.

    Pigeons on the plaza of Place Mohammed V, with pale administrative buildings and a bus behind
    Photo: Dr. Didier Hinz · CC BY-SA 3.0
  6. 1 hour

    Mint tea and downtime near Place Mohammed V

  7. 1 hour 30 min

    Dinner in the Gautier area

Day2

Central Market, the old medina, Arab League Park, and Art Deco Casablanca

Spend the morning at the Central Market and in the old medina, then take a break in the palm-lined Arab League Park. Finish with the Sacred Heart Cathedral, the Villa des Arts, and a walk along Boulevard Mohammed V before dinner.

  1. 1 hour

    Central Market

    Browse a covered market built between 1917 and 1920 of fish, fruit, olives, and spices, with small grill counters for lunch.

    The Central Market, or Marché Central, is a covered market built between 1917 and 1920 in downtown Casablanca, with stalls of fish, fruit, vegetables, olives, spices, and small counters grilling seafood. It is worth an early visit for the color and the produce, and for an easy introduction to Moroccan market life without the pressure of a souk. Expect set prices and busy aisles, mornings are best, and the market closes around 16:30 (earlier on Fridays, later on weekends), so check hours and bring small change.

    Crates of fresh fruit stacked at a stall in the Central Market
    Photo: Mustang Joe · CC0
  2. 1 hour 30 min

    Ancienne Medina (Old Medina)

    Walk the white-walled old medina near the port, a small, lived-in quarter away from the big landmarks.

    The Ancienne Medina is Casablanca’s small old quarter near the port, a maze of whitewashed lanes, shops, and workshops that predates the French city. It is worth a walk for a glimpse of the older, more local Casablanca, though it is much smaller and less polished than the medinas of Fes or Marrakech. Expect a lived-in neighborhood rather than a major sight, with some tired corners, and go in the morning when it is most comfortable.

  3. 1 hour 15 min

    Lunch near the old medina

  4. 1 hour

    Arab League Park

    Rest under the palms in Casablanca’s largest city park, with fountains and long shaded avenues.

    Arab League Park is Casablanca’s biggest city park, with long avenues of palm trees, fountain-lined canals, and shaded benches in the middle of the city. It is worth an hour as a green break after the markets and traffic, and as a place to see how locals relax. Expect a quiet, mostly local park of an easy, flat stroll, with the Sacred Heart Cathedral on its edge.

    A long rectangular fountain canal lined with palm trees in the Arab League Park
    Photo: Petar Milošević · CC BY-SA 4.0
  5. 30 min

    Sacred Heart Cathedral

    See the white 1930s cathedral by the park, now used as a cultural space (usually viewed from outside).

    The Sacred Heart Cathedral is a white 1930s church with Art Deco and Gothic influences beside Arab League Park, no longer used for regular services and now a cultural space. It is worth a short stop for the unusual architecture and the view from its grounds. Expect to see it mostly from the outside, since interior access depends on events and visits, so check before you go.

  6. 1 hour

    Villa des Arts

    See contemporary Moroccan art in a restored Art Deco villa (check its open days).

    The Villa des Arts is a restored Art Deco villa near Arab League Park that hosts exhibitions of modern and contemporary Moroccan art. It is worth about an hour for a calm, air-conditioned stop and a look at the Moroccan art scene, in a building that is itself part of Casablanca’s interwar heritage. Expect a small gallery with changing exhibitions, and check its open days, since galleries here are often closed one day a week.

    The white, Art Deco facade of the Villa des Arts behind its iron gate and palm trees
    Photo: Fraguando · CC BY-SA 4.0
  7. 1 hour

    Boulevard Mohammed V

    Stroll past the Art Deco and neo-Moorish facades of the city’s old main boulevard (take a taxi or the tram from the Villa des Arts).

    Boulevard Mohammed V is one of the central streets of old Casablanca, lined with Art Deco and neo-Moorish buildings, cafes, and shops that show off the city’s interwar architecture. It is worth a walk in the late afternoon for the facades and the street life. Expect busy traffic and some worn buildings, so look up and take it as an open-air architecture walk rather than a single sight.

  8. 1 hour 30 min

    Dinner in Maârif

Itinerary decisions

What makes the cut, what can wait, and what is less worth it.

Essential

  • A guided tour of the Hassan II Mosque
  • Habbous and Place Mohammed V
  • The Central Market and the old medina

Optional

  • The Corniche and Ain Diab
  • Arab League Park, the Sacred Heart Cathedral, and the Villa des Arts
  • A Boulevard Mohammed V Art Deco walk

Not prioritized

  • A day trip to Rabat or Marrakech, which is too much for a two-day stay
  • Rick’s Café and other nightlife

Before you use this plan

  • Hours, closures, prices, and conditions can change.
  • The Hassan II Mosque interior can only be visited on guided tours at set times, which pause during prayer and are limited on Fridays, so check the official site for the current times (they shrink during Ramadan) and dress modestly. Standard tours are sold at the on-site ticket office rather than booked ahead with the Foundation, so arrive around 08:30 for the 09:00 tour, which also runs on Fridays; resellers sell pre-booked slots at a higher price.
  • Casablanca is a big working city rather than a polished tourist town, and many of its Art Deco buildings are worn. Use red petit taxis for short trips (insist on the meter) and the tramway for longer ones.
  • The Central Market is best in the morning, and it closes around 16:30 (earlier on Fridays, later on weekends). The Villa des Arts and the Sacred Heart Cathedral have limited visiting hours, so check them before you go and treat both as optional.
  • This is a public example; Dayworthy adapts it to your dates, pace, hotel, and interests inside the app.

Read our editorial standards

Dayworthy

Turn this example into your trip.

Dayworthy adapts the itinerary to your dates, pace, hotel, interests, and saved places.