CASABLANCA Economic Travel Guide
From the original the city that is more fascinating..
Casablanca, which means white house in Portuguese, is the largest city in Morocco. A very cosmopolitan city on the coast of the Atlantic (Atlantic) ocean.. Its name is Spanish, its origin is Rome, and its layout is French.
With its population of around 4 million, Morocco’s largest city Casablanca also has the world’s largest artificial port, but there are no sea voyages from this port.
TRANSPORTATION TO CASABLANCA: HOW TO GET TO CASABLANCA?
By Plane: To Casablanca Mohammed V Airport Directly from Istanbul or by connecting flights. Since Casablanca flights are a bit more economical than Marrakech flights of the same date, this airport is generally preferred for travel to Morocco.. Non-stop flights take 4.5 hours, but we took the risk of arriving in Morocco in almost one day with Air France’s 12-hour flight with a connecting flight to Paris.. Because, while we had a Schengen visa ready, we had dreams of breathing the Parisian air we missed during the 12-hour transfer in Paris, wandering aimlessly in the streets of Paris, having breakfast with a croissant, and spending time in a delicious French restaurant in the evening.. However, this dream had to turn into a short Paris night tour of only a few hours when Air France changed this 12-hour pause from 9:00 to 21:00 in the daytime instead of 21:00 in the evening to 07:00 the next morning.. Anyway, we have stepped into Paris
By train: You can easily reach Casablanca from other cities of Morocco by ONCF trains.
By bus: CTM buses operate between many cities in Morocco. After getting off at the main bus station, Gare Routière, you can easily reach the city center by taxi.
By Car: You can easily reach Casablanca by renting a car, via the Moroccan highway.. An important piece of information to keep in mind is that highways are actually quite expensive compared to Turkey.. The roads are very comfortable, the resting facilities on the roadside are very clean, all the signs can be followed very easily and are easy to understand because they are written in Latin letters.. However, you still need to adjust your budget well due to both gasoline and highway prices.
CASABLANCA CITY TRANSPORTATION
In our Morocco tour that started in Casablanca, we rented a car and visited the cities of Fes, Marrakech, Essaouira, so we did not use public transportation here.. But of course, we also researched this subject for you.. Namely; After landing at the Casablanca airport, the first thing you need to do is fill in the embarkement cards that are distributed on the plane, but if you haven’t noticed, you can easily find it in the passport control area.. After leaving the passport control with this form, as you grab your suitcase, the right trains depart -1. you need to go down. The offices of car rental companies are also located on this floor.. You can reach the city center in half an hour with ONCF trains that depart every hour.. Train tickets are 30 MAD (ie 3 USD). Another alternative is the CTM buses.. The journey with these buses takes about 1 hour.. Of course, there are also taxis, but you definitely have to bargain. There are two main stations in the city center.. One of them is Casa Voyageurs, which is closer to the city center, the other is Casa Port, which is closer to the port, and you should prefer Casa Voyageurs, which is closer to the city center.
By the way, if you need internet on your trip On the way to collect your suitcase after going through passport control, you can buy free sim cards at the stand that says INWI, and then load 5 GB of internet on the ground floor for 100 MAD, approximately 50 TL.. The staff at the INWI office will assist you.
ACCOMMODATION IN CASABLANCA: WHERE TO STAY IN CASABLANCA?
We were on our 2nd visit to Morocco. We stayed overnight in Fes and 3 nights in Marrakech.. Casablanca is not a highly recommended city as a tourist attraction.. As far as we have read and researched, there is not much to do, there are not many historical buildings to see in this city.. Therefore, everyone talks about Casablanca as a city that you should not choose for accommodation if you do not have to.. We followed these suggestions too You can still compare accommodation alternatives on booking.com.
THINGS TO DO IN CASABLANCA
Although Casablanca is a big city. not a very good example of Morocco historically or culturally. In other words, a person who only spends time in Casablanca may have gone to Morocco, but he would not have seen, lived or experienced Morocco.. There really isn’t much to do in Morocco.. The most important must-see structures are Muhammed V square and Hassan 2 mosque, which we mentioned in the city tour.. After seeing these places for a few hours, unfortunately, you may not find much touristic activity that you can do extra.. So we couldn’t find it
KAZWHAT TO EAT IN ABLANKA? WHAT TO DRINK?
Seafood and French cuisine are at the forefront in Casablanca.
Mood Cafe in the Quartier Gauthier, Casablanca maybe The most popular restaurant in Al-Mounia, Patisserie Bennis Habous is recommended.
The most recommended one by far is Rick’s Cafe. The architecture of this place, inspired by a scene from the 1942 movie Casablanca, is of course eye-catching.. We didn’t eat anything very local, we preferred a classic hamburger menu.. The taste was good, the presentation was quite modern. The fact that there were more foreigners first on the plane and then in this restaurant gave us the impression that this city is a city where expats settle for work.
The regional dishes to be eaten throughout Morocco are tagine (stew), couscous (couscous); At the beginning of the drinks is mint tea.. You can follow our detailed article on this subject on the blog soon.
TRAFFIC IN CASABLANCA
Traffic is a complete chaos across Morocco. On our E5 type roads, which are called highway (A) or national (N), everyone obeys the speed and traffic rules perfectly, but as they get closer to the city, a traffic monster enters these polite and modern people.. We couldn’t figure out what kind of rule exists at wide roundabouts in the city.. Normally, the first person to enter the intersection gives way, but this rule does not apply here.. They turn from a place of no return, they become aggressive at intersections and usurp your right of way.. The main streets of the city are quite wide.. That’s why drivers are violating lanes, crossing from one lane to another without signaling.. We advise you to be very careful and cautious. In fact, we recommend that you do not drive in the city if possible Although we have been actively driving for 10 years in the chaotic traffic structure of Istanbul, our brains burned
SHOPPING IN CASABLANCA
The main souvenirs you can buy for yourself or your loved ones are; ceramics, rugs, mint tea or spices. There are many souvenir shops in the narrow streets of the Medina, the old city area.. If you are planning not only to stay in Casablanca but also to visit other cities, we say, take a postcard or magnet from the airport and save your shopping rights for other cities.. As we mentioned, since this is not a very touristic city, the original souvenir alternatives are less compared to Fes or Marrakech.
The Morocco Mall, located a little outside the city center, will come to the rescue of those looking for a mall.
CASABLANCA CITY TOUR
If you are only going to take a one-day tour, we recommend that you take a half-hour walk to the old city center Medina and then to the famous Hasan II Mosque after arriving at the Casa Port station from the airport. .
Click here for this route.
If you walk over the Boulevard Sidi Mohamed Ben Abdellah, you can also take a short break at the famous Rick’s Cafe.
If you have rented a car, you can diversify the route a little more and visit the regions where other structures such as the cathedral and palace are located.. You can click here for the route we have drawn for this.
- Muhammad V Square: A large and busy square that is the administrative center of the city with official buildings and new hotels.. This square, which proved that Morocco was trying to modernize the city when it was under the French colony, is again the work of a French architect.. We can also define this place as a gateway to the new city area.
- Hassan II Mosque: The largest in Morocco and 7th in the world.. biggest mosque. The interior architecture of this mosque, which is located right next to the port and took 7 years to build, is also quite impressive.
- Ain Diab: On this luxurious beach where you can swim, you can do many sports activities. In addition, Ain Diab is not only an important place with its beautiful beach, but also historically.. Because a 500-year-old skull, which can be considered as one of the oldest remains, was found here.. This is also known as the Corniche, which we can translate as the promenade, and it is one of the most lively squares of the city.. An area famous for nightclubs, restaurants, beaches.
- Casablanca Cathedral (Casablanca Cathédral): It was designed by the French architect Paul Tournon in 1930, when Casablanca was under the administration of France.. It has been accepted as the most eye-catching work of the century Africa.. After Morocco gained its independence, this cathedral was first converted into a school and then a cultural center.. Today, it poses for photos of tourists as an abandoned building closed to worship.
- Notre Dame de Lourdes: A European looking church with impressive architecture.
- Îlot de Sidi Abderrahman: When you walk along the Corniche This is a sacred place among religious and local people that will attract your attention with its white buildings on an islet.. When the tides and the waters recede, you can walk over the rocks to this islet.. This structure, which also includes the tomb of Sidi Abderrhamane Thaalibi, a Sufi from Baghdad, the founder of Algeria, has turned into a holy place visited by those seeking a cure.. Non-Muslims may not be allowed to enter.
Other places to see in Casablanca are;
- Museum of Judaism
- Sky28
- Royal Palace
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ENTERTAINMENT AND NIGHTLIFE IN CASABLANCA
Alcoholic drinks are served in the bars along La Corniche on the waterfront. Morocco is a Muslim country but selling alcohol to foreigners is legal. But keep in mind that alcohol is very expensive in Morocco.
OTHER PLACES TO VISIT CLOSE TO CASABLANCA: ALTERNATIVE TOURS
The Boulaouane Kasbah, located a little outside of the city, is among the places to see. most recommended. Kasbah means castle in Moroccan. This is an old castle that is idle.. It was built in 1710 by Moulay Ismail. You can go up to the 10-meter-high tower of this castle and watch the view.
Casablanca is a city where you can visit and finish more than one day, on foot, comfortably.. However, in our opinion, this city is the first step of Morocco.. The main important and must-see cities you can go from here are; Fes, Chefchaouen, Rabat, Marrakech, Essaouira.
CASABLANCA TRAVEL NOTES
- Casablanca’s magical name originating from the movie is too much. Don’t go with expectations, you may be disappointed.
- We recommend that you take dirhams (as MAD or DH) with you.. Many places do not accept credit cards, and if you want to exchange currency, they do so at low rates.
- The city is finished in half a day, we strongly recommend you to move to other cities without wasting much time and accommodation.
- French everywhere Don’t suddenly think that you are in France just because you see words and French is spoken on them.
- Casablanca is a very cosmopolitan city.. Many of the people you meet may be foreigners, don’t be surprised.
- When you buy money, count it, you can “accidentally” get the missing money!
- If you are going to drive in the city, keep your eyes peeled.. Because the traffic rules you know here will not be of use to you.. You will have to adapt to the specific rules of the city in its own dynamics.
- Remember that mosques in Morocco are generally only open during prayer hours.
