Popular Destinations in Casablanca
Hassan II Mosque
One of the world’s largest mosques, built partly over the Atlantic on a 9-hectare platform. The 210-metre minaret is Africa’s tallest. Non-Muslims can join guided tours of the prayer hall, ablution chambers, and underground hammam — book ahead.
Ain Diab & La Corniche
Casablanca’s seafront strip stretches from the El Hank lighthouse to Aïn Diab beach — a 4 km promenade of beach clubs, rooftop bars, modern restaurants, and the Morocco Mall. The favourite weekend escape for the city’s residents.
Old Medina (Ancienne Médina)
Smaller and more low-key than Fes or Marrakech, Casablanca’s old medina sits behind crumbling Portuguese walls between the port and the modern city. Authentic, walkable, and a good antidote to the city’s glassy modernity.
Quartier Habous & Mahkama du Pacha
The “New Medina” built by the French in the 1920s blends traditional Moroccan architecture with planned colonial layout. Home to historic patisseries (Bennis Habous, Driss), the Mahkama du Pacha courthouse, and the Royal Palace gates.
Place Mohammed V
Place Mohammed V is Casablanca’s grand administrative square — fronted by the colonial-era courthouse, prefecture, post office, and a striking central fountain often lit at night. Designed by French architect Henri Prost in the 1920s, the square’s blend of Mauresque and Art Deco architecture defines downtown Casablanca’s distinctive skyline.
Morocco Mall
Morocco Mall, on the Corniche south of Aïn Diab, is Africa’s largest shopping centre — anchored by international brands, a vast indoor souk, a musical fountain, an IMAX cinema, and a three-storey aquarium with a glass elevator passing through it. Equally popular as a shopping destination and a family day out.
Cathedrale Sacre Coeur
The disused Cathédrale Sacré-Coeur is one of Casablanca’s most striking Art Deco landmarks — completed in 1930 by French architect Paul Tournon, with twin white concrete towers, Gothic-inspired vaulting, and stained-glass windows. No longer a working church, it now serves as a cultural and exhibition centre well worth visiting for its dramatic interior.
Villa des Arts
The Villa des Arts is a contemporary art museum housed in a beautifully restored 1934 Art Deco mansion near Parc de la Ligue Arabe — temporary exhibitions of Moroccan and international modern artists alongside a permanent collection in elegant period rooms. Free entry, and a calm garden setting in the heart of Casablanca.
