Hiring a guide or joining a Casablanca sightseeing tour is definitely one of the best ways to see Casablanca, Morocco. Abdel knew all the best photo spots and helped us capture great views along Boulevard Corniche. He also pointed out that many of the resorts along the boulevard have tidal pools that naturally fill with seawater during high tide, creating calm places to swim and relax.
Casablanca in One Day: City Tour vs Exploring on Your Own
Should You Explore Casablanca on Your Own or Take a Tour?
In December of 2022, I traveled to the African continent for the first time. To get to Africa, I flew into Casablanca, Morocco on Royal Air Maroc. While the main reason for my visit to Morocco was to tour the Sahara Desert, I wanted to spend a day seeing the main sights of Casablanca. The issue was that I only had 36 hours to spend in Casablanca, so I had to decide what was the best way to see Casablanca, Morocco.
I figured I had two options; either explore Casablanca on my own or take a guided Casablanca city tour. From my research, Casablanca is fairly safe, and when walking around the city, tourists only need to take general safety precautions. At the same time, I really had not done a lot of research on the top attractions in Casablanca. I knew I wanted to visit the Hassan II Mosque, Rick’s Café, and the Old Medina. When looking at tours, I found that almost every Casablanca sightseeing tour had those three attractions included. After careful consideration, I decided that, for me, the best way to see Casablanca with limited time was to take a tour.
Casablanca in One Day: City Tour vs Exploring on Your Own - Table of Contents
- Should You Explore Casablanca on Your Own or Take a Tour?
- About My Tour of Casablanca
- Walking the Casablanca Boardwalk
- Walking the Boulevard Corniche
- Visiting Rick’s Cafe from the Movie Casablanca
- A Guided Tour of the Hassan II Mosque
- Walking Around the Old Medina of Casablanca
- Casablanca City Tours and Packages
- Support Buzzin’ Around the World – Visit Our Affiliates
- Earning Points and Rewards
- Related Content
Disclaimer: Buzzin’ Around the World strives to provide accurate and up-to-date information based on our research at the time of publication. We respect all applicable laws and fair use principles. If you believe any information is incorrect or violates regulations, please contact us at buzzinaroundtheworld@gmail.com.
Affiliate Links and Reviews: We use affiliate links to generate income and may receive a commission at no additional cost to you when you use our links. We strive for honest and transparent reviews, even for products which we receive compensation.
Content Creation: Our content is based on our own travel experiences. All photos are our own unless otherwise stated. We sometimes utilize AI tools to assist with tasks like generating titles, summarizing content, and improving organization.
For more information: For more information, please click HERE to visit our private policy page. We can be reached at buzzinaroundtheworld@gmail.com.
My Casablanca City Tour: The Best Way to See Casablanca?
I booked my tour of Casablanca with the tour company Premium Transfers and Tours. This company provided such great service that I used them multiple times throughout my time in Morocco for transportation to and from the airport/train station.
The tour I booked cost just under $100 USD and lasted about six hours. Due to my transatlantic flight the day before, I chose the 1:30 pm tour. Doing so allowed me some additional time to sleep in and adjust to the time zone, which is ideal if you are treating this as a short Casablanca layover tour.
At exactly 1:30 pm, a van arrived, and I was introduced to our driver for the day, Amin, and our guide Abdel. Joining us were five other tourists from Europe and Asia.
The Casablanca city tour included the city’s main tourist attractions. Throughout the six-hour tour, we stopped at the Casablanca Boardwalk, Boulevard Corniche, Rick’s Café from the movie Casablanca, the Hassan II Mosque, and the Old Medina of Casablanca. Abdel rearranged the order of the stops so we could visit the outside attractions before an incoming rainstorm hit.
I thoroughly enjoyed this tour and give Premium Transfers and Tours my highest recommendation.
The Slums of Casablanca
Before our tour began, Abdel told us about the slums that we would see throughout the city. Apparently, the people who live in the slums of Casablanca can live there for free, with many living expenses covered by the government. According to Abdel, people take advantage of this by living in the slums and saving most of their money. He told us that some of the people who live here are able to afford housing but choose to live in the slums to be able to bank the money they make while working. This was his explanation based on his experience as a local guide.
The photo below shows a slum located directly behind some colorful apartment buildings.
Walking the Casablanca Boardwalk – Relaxed Casablanca Sightseeing
The first stop on our tour of Casablanca, Morocco was the newly constructed Casablanca Boardwalk. According to Abdel, the people of Casablanca had been complaining about a lack of green space. During the COVID-19 pandemic, he said the government of Morocco invested in a boardwalk along the coast of the Atlantic Ocean to provide more public space. This long seaside promenade stretches along a significant portion of Casablanca’s shoreline; Abdel told us it extended for more than 20 kilometers in total.
There are great views of the Hassan II Mosque from the Casablanca Boardwalk. The Hassan II Mosque is the most famous building in the city of Casablanca, and we toured it later in the day.
As we walked the boardwalk, I took photographs looking in each direction. On the side opposite the Atlantic Ocean were a mix of apartment buildings, condos, shopping, and restaurants.
We spent about 20 minutes walking around the Casablanca Boardwalk. Eventually, we came to an area where the boardwalk met the road, and our driver, Amin, was waiting for us. While Abdel, our guide, led us around, Amin had driven the van about a kilometer down the road so we wouldn’t have to retrace our steps. It was a relaxed start and a great introduction to Casablanca sightseeing.
Strolling Along Boulevard Corniche in Casablanca
The second stop on our tour of Casablanca was the famous Boulevard Corniche. This street follows the shoreline of the Atlantic Ocean and is a popular tourist destination during the summer when cruise ships are common. Amin dropped us off near the El Hank Lighthouse, and Abdel told him to meet us further down the boulevard about thirty minutes later.
The El Hank Lighthouse has been in service since 1920 and is the tallest lighthouse in Morocco. Its powerful light has a range of about 30 nautical miles (around 55 kilometers) and emits three grouped flashes every 15 seconds to warn ships of the coastline.
As we walked along Boulevard Corniche, we passed numerous hotels, restaurants, and beach clubs. Abdel explained that during the height of cruise season, Boulevard Corniche would be extremely crowded. During our visit, it was Friday afternoon, and the Friday Prayer was taking place. Since most Moroccans follow Islam, the streets were empty as the residents of Casablanca were at the city’s many mosques.
After walking for about thirty minutes, we had a great view of the El Hank Lighthouse. In the photo below, you can see the necessity of the lighthouse as it is on a point that stretches out into the Atlantic.
Visiting Rick's Café from the Movie Casablanca
The famous 1942 movie Casablanca was supposedly set at Rick’s Café in Casablanca, Morocco. According to Abdel, our guide, the movie was actually filmed in the United States on Hollywood soundstages, and Rick’s Café in Casablanca, Morocco was later created to look like the restaurant/bar made famous in the movie.
Abdel said that Rick’s Café is one of the places that tourists typically want to see during a tour of Casablanca, Morocco. Our group had little to no interest in Rick’s Café, and we only spent about five minutes photographing the exterior. To show you how little I know about the movie Casablanca, my mother posted on one of my social media accounts, “Play it again, Buzz!” and I had no idea what she was talking about.
A Guided Tour of the Hassan II Mosque – Top Thing to Do in Casablanca
The highlight of my tour of Casablanca, Morocco was a visit to the famous Hassan II Mosque. As we arrived at the Hassan II Mosque, it began to rain. Thankfully, there was a covered walkway to get from the ticket office to the mosque.
The Hassan II Mosque is one of the largest mosques in Africa and among the largest mosques in the world. It can hold around 105,000 worshippers in total—about 25,000 inside the main prayer hall and another 80,000 in the courtyards. The mosque is fairly new, as it was completed and inaugurated in 1993 under the guidance of King Hassan II. This portion of this page only features a short summary of my trip to the Hassan II Mosque. I have a full page dedicated to my Hassan II Mosque tour.
The Hassan II Mosque was the largest mosque I’ve ever visited. Upon entering, we were introduced to an English-speaking guide who worked for the mosque. Abdel was not allowed to join us for our tour of the Hassan II Mosque. As is common in mosques, we also had to take off our shoes. Since they were wet from the rain, we were given a shoe bag to carry our shoes. In total, there were about fifty people in our English-speaking tour group.
The inside of a mosque does not contain any photos of people. This lack of photos is because Muhammad, the main prophet of Islam, did not want anyone to worship him as an idol. Instead, Muslims are supposed to focus all of their attention toward Allah (God). Instead of displaying images of Muhammad or the other prophets of Islam, mosques are decorated with geometric shapes.
Below is the ceiling of the Hassan II Mosque. This ceiling covers the main prayer hall and is retractable. During the hot summer months, the roof can be opened to provide a cool breeze coming off the Atlantic Ocean.
Below the main prayer hall is the wudu area, or the area for ablution. This location is where Muslims wash their hands, faces, arms, and feet before praying. There are two separate ablution halls, as men and women need to perform the ablution separately. Together, the ablution halls house 45 marble fountains designed to look like lotus flowers and about 600 taps along the walls.
The Hassan II Mosque was the highlight of my time in Casablanca. If you only have time to see one tourist attraction in Casablanca, make sure it is the Hassan II Mosque. It is easily one of the top things to do in Casablanca in one day.
Walking Around the Old Medina of Casablanca
The final stop on our tour of Casablanca was the Old Medina of Casablanca. The Old Medina is the oldest part of the city and typically is full of locals and tourists visiting hundreds of tiny shops. We visited the Old Medina on Friday, which is the Day of Prayer for followers of Islam, also known as Al-Jumah. Due to visiting on Friday, the majority of the shops and kiosks were closed. Abdel still suggested that we spend a few minutes walking around the narrow streets of the Old Medina.
It was interesting walking around the Old Medina even though most of the shops were closed. Later in my visit to Morocco, I was able to experience the chaos of walking around the Medina of Marrakech. I assume that the Old Medina of Casablanca is a similar experience when crowded.
Located near the Old Medina of Casablanca is the Jamaa Chluh Mosque (Jamaa as-Chleuh). Multiple sources note that this mosque dates back to 1899 and was originally known as the “Fig Tree Mosque” before it expanded with the growing congregation.
After we visited the Old Medina of Casablanca, our tour came to an end. I was impressed with how much I was able to see during the six-hour tour. I highly recommend taking a Casablanca city tour, especially if you have limited time.
Casablanca City Tours and Packages – Best Way to See Casablanca in One Day
In my opinion, the best way to see Casablanca is to take a tour, especially if you only have one day or a short Casablanca layover. Below are various Casablanca city tours and packages that should suit a variety of travelers. Please note that I am an affiliate of Viator. If you purchase a package using one of my links, I will receive a small commission. This commission is at no additional cost to you.
Affiliate Partner of the Month – Fourthwall
Fourthwall powers our brand-new Buzzin’ Around the World Merch Shop. Pick up a tee, hoodie, or sticker. All profits will help me continue to run this site and deliver great content!
Buzzin Around the World's Merch Shop
Want to Launch Your Own Merch Line?
Scroll to the bottom of our Fourthwall page and tap “Start Your Own Store.” That’s a referral link—if you sign up, Fourthwall rewards me with store credit I can use to buy more gear (at no extra cost to you). We only recommend tools we use and love.
Earn $200 in Travel Rewards with the Capital One VentureOne Rewards Card
The Capital One VentureOne Rewards Card is one of the few rewards cards that does not charge an annual fee. Cardholders can earn 1.25 points for every dollar spent while enjoying 0% APR for 15 months.
Currently, Capital One is offering a signup bonus of 20,000 points (worth $200 in travel rewards) when the cardholder spends $500 in the first three months. If you are interested in this card, I would appreciate it if you would sign up with the link below, as I earn a referral bonus of 10,000 points. Those points are worth $100 in travel rewards and will help me continue to bring great content to Buzzin’ Around the World.
Once again, the Capital One VentureOne card is one of the few reward cards without an annual fee and is the perfect card for someone who is just starting to get into the travel points game.