Travel Log: Casablanca, Morocco

Continuing my travel logs from our late August/early September northern Africa trip, today I am excited to share how we spent our time in Casablanca, Morocco! You can read more on our Marrakech excursions in this post and our Aman experience in Marrakech in this post. We arrived in Casablanca by train, taking an early afternoon ONCF train from Marrakech station to Casa Voyageurs station. Our train arrived with plenty of time for boarding and we departed promptly at 12:50pm and arrived at 3:30pm for a total of 1 hour and 40 minutes in transit. Upon arrival in Casablanca, we did not see any metered taxis and negotiated a taxi to our hotel that was our base for our three days in the city. We got around the city with a combo of taxis and walking, and to be polite all I will say is that you should take a metered taxi if you can and only negotiate a price when you know how much you should pay for the distance and absolutely have to--the taxi drivers who refuse to use a meter are going to try to overcharge as much as possible. However, when you know how much you should be paying (like I did), the scammers will usually walk away and leave you be to hail a metered taxi and pay the appropriate rate. The good news was that our hotel was located right next to the Medina and we could walk most places that we wanted to explore. Please continue reading to see more photos and details of how we spent our time in Casablanca, Morocco.

One of the more unique things we did in Casablanca was to visit the Hassan II Mosque. It is true that normally non-Muslims are not allowed inside mosques, but this particular one allows non-Muslims inside during specific paid guided tour timeslots and tours are provided in four languages: Arabic, English, French, and Spanish. Tickets for these ~45 min tours currently cost 140 MAD (approx $14 USD), and we took the opportunity to learn more about the mosque's history, architecture, and religious practices. This mosque is relatively new in terms of historical landmarks, having been built between 1986 and 1993 under the direction of King Hassan II. The building itself is a work of art and we were able to see the main hall with its upstairs gallery for women as well as one of the downstairs baths. If you decide to visit this mosque, please remember to wear clothing that covers your knees and shoulders, and you will need to remove your shoes but there are bags to carry them with you. However, women are not required to cover their hair. I recognize that visiting a mosque may not be at the top of everyone's travel list, but I thought it was informative and enjoyed seeing all of the stunning design details.

One of the most popular and well-known restaurants in Casablanca is Rick's Cafe. Now you may or may not know that the 1942 movie Casablanca was not shot in Casablanca or Morocco at all, but instead was filmed almost entirely at the Warner Brother's Studio in Burbank, California. The famous Rick's Cafe from the movie was created on that set in Burbank, but a former American diplomat decided to recreate the cafe to serve modern Moroccan dishes and create an experience in Casablanca for others to enjoy. Since this cafe is rated so highly, we had to go check it out and made a lunch reservation. Ambiance, cocktails, food, and service were all lovely and when the servers saw me taking photos they invited me to walk upstairs to see the additional bar with a tv playing the movie and the overhead view of the dining room. It is a beautiful restaurant indeed, we very much enjoyed our experience and I think it's worth checking out during a visit to Casablanca.

I used Hyatt points to book the Hyatt Regency in Casablanca for our 3 night stay, and I will say the hotel is a bit dated but the location and service are both very good. Since our hotel was right across the street from Casablanca's Medina, we spent quite a bit of time exploring its colorful winding alleys during different times of the day. The Medina can feel chaotic, especially in the evenings, but I found the mornings to be quieter and enjoyable to explore as locals were picking up fresh fish and meats, breads, herbs, produce, and spices. Small coffee stalls pulled shots of espresso, motorbikes chugged through with deliveries and shop owners were getting set up for the day. You may know that there are a lot of stray cats in Morocco, and I understood why when I saw a number of women leaving out fish heads for them. Afternoons and evenings were much busier with both locals and tourists, with so many stalls selling fake designer products, and you can certainly feel like everyone is trying to get you to buy something from them. However, verbalizing a polite no thank you worked for me and I never felt bothered. Exploring the market is a sensory experience, indeed, and one that I think is certainly a must do in Casablanca.

Our favorite dining experience in Casablanca was definitely Dar Dada, a gem of a riad restaurant tucked away in one of the alleys of the Medina. The ambiance, modern Moroccan dishes, and service were all so good that we dined there for dinner one night and went back for lunch the next day after our tour of the Hassan II Mosque! Dinner service included traditional live music and even some belly dancers. I may or may not post an Instagram story of me getting coerced into dancing with one of the belly dancers! All jokes aside, Dar Dada is a fabulous dining experience, it is no wonder that this restaurant is listed on the Worlds 50 Best Discovery list, and I highly recommend a visit.

Have you visited Casablanca or is this city perhaps on your travel list? I hope that after reading through today's post you may be interested to learn more about Morocco's largest city. If you have visited Casablanca, please don't hesitate to leave me a comment below to share your favorite moments. Thank you for visiting my blog today and I hope you have a great rest of your week!