Casablanca City Tour with the Hassan II Mosque

Overview

In short: The Casablanca City Tour is a 4–5 hour guided visit of Morocco's largest city, centred on the Hassan II Mosque (completed 1993, minaret about 210 m), one of the few mosques in Morocco open to non-Muslims on guided tours. It also covers the Habous quarter, the Art Deco centre, Mohammed V Square, the old medina and the Corniche.

Duration

Half day (4–5 h)

Starts

Casablanca

Ends

Casablanca

Tour type

Private guided tour

Language

English or French; Spanish or Italian on request

Stops

6 places

Meeting point

Your hotel, the port or Casa-Port / Casa-Voyageurs station

Difficulty

Easy

Best time

All year; book the mosque tour slot in advance

Entry fees (approx.)

Hassan II Mosque guided visit ~130 MAD per adult; museum extra; Habous and Corniche free

Casablanca has a reputation problem. People land here, take the train to Marrakech and never look back. That is a pity, because this is the city that shows you modern Morocco: busy, a bit chaotic, very proud, and full of buildings nobody expects.

The reason most visitors stop is the Hassan II Mosque, and it deserves it. Finished in 1993, it stands on the edge of the Atlantic with a minaret of about 200 metres, and it is one of the very few mosques in the country that non-Muslims can enter, on a guided visit. We plan the morning around your slot there.

Then we go into town. Downtown Casablanca was largely built in the 1920s and 30s, and its Art Deco and early modern façades are some of the finest in Africa. We finish in the Habous, a 'new medina' from the French period, with bookshops, olive sellers and pastry shops that people cross the city for.

Highlights

• Hassan II Mosque
• The old medina
• Art Deco downtown
• Place Mohammed V
• The Habous quarter
• The Corniche

Route

Street map of the visit (map data © OpenStreetMap contributors). The dotted line joins the stops in order. Open the route in Google Maps

The route, stop by stop

1. Hassan II Mosque

   Visits are guided only and run at set times, so we arrive a little early. Inside, the prayer hall can hold around 25,000 people, the roof can open to the sky, and part of the floor is built out over the sea. Downstairs, the ablution rooms are almost as impressive as the hall.

2. The old medina

   Small, plain and very much lived in. It is not Fès, and that is the point: this is where Casablanca was before it became a metropolis. We walk to the old ramparts and the Sqala bastion.

3. Art Deco downtown

   Boulevard Mohammed V and the streets around it are lined with 1930s buildings: carved balconies, ironwork, mosaic entrances. We point out the best ones; most people walk past without looking up.

4. Place Mohammed V

   The administrative heart of the city, with the courthouse, the post office and the old prefecture, all in a style the French called neo-Moorish. Pigeons, children and fountains.

5. The Habous quarter

   Built in the 1930s as a tidy version of a traditional medina. Arcades, olive and spice stalls, bookshops, and Pâtisserie Bennis, which has been making almond pastries since the 1930s.

6. The Corniche

   To finish, the ocean road in Aïn Diab: beach clubs, joggers, cafés and, on a clear evening, the mosque glowing at the far end of the bay.

Checked in October 2026. Prices and opening hours change, so we confirm them again when you book.

What’s included

Good to know

• Dress for the mosque: shoulders and knees covered for everyone. Shoes come off and go in a bag they hand you.
• Fridays have fewer visiting slots because of midday prayer.
• If you have a long layover, this tour fits well between flights; the airport is about 40 minutes from the centre.
• The film Casablanca was not shot here. There is, however, a Rick's Café, opened in 2004, if you would like a drink with the legend.

Tours that pass through Casablanca

This visit can be added to any of these private tours, usually on the day you arrive.

Read before you go

Questions about this trip