Casablanca is Morocco's largest city, with over 5 million inhabitants. It is also the commercial and trade centre of the country. It is a wonderful city to visit and is located in the western parts of Morocco at the Atlantic Ocean. Casablanca is a modern city with a rich heritage where the various arts, cultures and old traditions can live harmoniously together. It’s also known as Casa or Dar el Baida. Casablanca port is a mean of connection with Europe and other continents through importing and exporting goods. Visitors can easy find this city as a nice place for rest and relax, it’s filled with a variety of fascinating attractions that are well worth seeing. Casablanca offers its visitors an array of interesting sights, many great restaurants and a wide variety of shopping.
Casa is one of the interesting places to do shopping in all of Morocco . Around the old Medina it's easy to find places selling traditional Moroccan goods. Old Medina is a small traditional walled town in the north of Casablanca. It has markets that offer wide variety of local crafts. The hustle and bustle might be overwhelming but it is an experience in itself. Leather items are a big hit here also pottery. You can also buy Jellabiya, which is the traditional Moroccan attire worn by both women and men. Walk around and check in different shops before buying something. Prices normally differ from shop to shop. So if you do shopping in Old Medina, be prepared to bargain as the locals enjoy haggling for sales. This is the perfect place to find that special gift for someone back home or for yourself to remember Casablanca.
New Medina is a great place to wander around and buy Moroccan carpets, copper and brass goods that are handmade. Hand crafted carpets make a good addition to any room. It is the hospitality of the people in Casablanca to offer you mint tea while shopping. Like in any other European city the streets have signs, and passersby are helpful in French or Arabic and, more rarely, in Spanish or English.
There are plenty of hotels and riads in and around Casablanca. Visitors have possibility to choose from a big range the place to stay in for every taste and wallet.
Transport
By train
The downtown station Casa Port only has a couple of trains, but they are rather comfortable, the stations easy to navigate, and boards display the time of departure/arrival. Trains are divided into first and second-class compartments, the first-class ones generally cost an extra 50%, but have more room and guarantee a seat. Boarding second-class compartments during peak hours may mean that you have to stand until a seat opens up.
By bus
The intercity buses and various private lines run services to most notable Moroccan towns as well as a number of European cities. These run from the Gare Routière on Rue Léon l'Africain in downtown Casablanca. Many bus companies run through the city. Going by bus is the cheapest way to get around.
By Plane
Casablanca has one of the busiest airports in africa, connected to the whole world and also operate local flights to national airports such marrakech or agadir.
Eat and Drink in Casablanca
The best restaurants are in downtown Casa, near the Corniche and in the shoppings center "Centre 2000". There you can find African food restaurants , fish restaurants and Moroccan style cuisines. Restaurants in Morocco are like restaurants in Spain - they don't open until around 7pm. In the Medina there are cheap places for having meal. The Port of Casablanca is a great place to have lunch. Seafood restaurants line the port. So you have possibility to eat in the largest man-made port in Africa, the view from here is spectacular with the Hassan II Mosque in the distance. The best places to drink are European-style restaurants, which usually have a decent selection, or hotel bars, which are inevitably safe and relaxed. Many western-style nightclubs exist in Casablanca where you have possibility to drink, dance and people watch.
Beaches
If you are looking for an exotic beach vacation, try none other than Morocco and be sure Casablanca is a right place for that. The best time to visit Casablanca is during the summer months of June to August. This is the time when Morocco is hot, sunny and rain-free. Just a short journey from the city center and you are in front of many beach clubs . Ain Diab is a stretch of beach that is easily over a mile long. The sea is often breezy and rough and may not be best suited for swimming. Pools along the seafront are perhaps a better option to choose when desiring to swim. The beach clubs situated on the seafront have day memberships available to buy and the hotels will let some non-residents in for a small fee.
What To Do
The King Hassan II Mosque . It's the largest in Morocco and the third largest in the world, with the tallest minaret in the world. It is one of the two main mosques in Morocco open for non- muslims. Its the identifying landmark of Casablanca . The Hassan II Mosque is an amazing structure, built with intricate detail, and nearly all the materials that were used in construction are native to Morocco. The Mosque is open for daily prayers and are able to take a guided tour.
The Boulevard de la Corniche is located on west of the Hassan II Mosque. It is home for many nightclubs, and is the place to go for nighttime entertainment. The Boulevard de la Corniche is bustling with locals and visitors, is a great place to people watch, and it offers some spectacular ocean views.
El Hank Lighthouse , also known as Pointe d'el-Hank Light, stands 161 feet high, and its light can be seen from 30 nautical miles away. The lighthouse is another famous landmark associated with Casablanca, and is a great place to bring a picnic lunch and watch the waves crash below.
Rêve de mon œil. This art gallery exhibits a bizarre collection of modern welded sculptures by artists from all over Morocco.
Corniche Beach is a nice place to lie back and enjoy the warm climate or go for a swim in the Atlantic Ocean. The beach and water are clean but the surf can get rough at times due to the wind.
Kashbah Boulauane
Located on the Wadi Oumer Rbia river, this is an opportunity to view an 18th century Moroccan castle. Built by Moulay Ismail, the Kasbah reveals incredible mosaic tiles and architecture of the area and period. This is also where Sidi Mancar, honored saint of Casablance, is buried.
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