Casablanca on $35, $90 or $280 a day
Casablanca is Morocco's largest city and economic capital — a cosmopolitan, largely modern city that bears little resemblance to the romantic image conjured by its name. The magnificent Hassan II Mosque, one of the world's largest and the only mosque in Morocco open to non-Muslims, sits on a promontory over the Atlantic. Art deco architecture from the French Protectorate era lines the boulevards, and the dining scene has become increasingly sophisticated.
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Plan by budget
One city, three ways to travel it.
How much does Casablanca cost per day? Budget travellers get by on about $35 a day, mid-range trips run around $90, and luxury starts near $280 — accommodation, food, transport and activities included. That makes Casablanca the 28th cheapest of 110 cities for a mid-range trip (see all 110 ranked).
Daily budget · Budget
Casablanca is excellent value. Street food — msemen (flatbread), harira soup, and brochettes — costs pennies, local cafés serve mint tea and café au lait for almost nothing, and the old médina has cheap restaurants used only by locals. The main budget challenge is navigation — the city is sprawling and not pedestrian-friendly, so plan tramway routes in advance.
Where your money goes
How to Get There
Where to Stay
Dependable budget chain hotel: compact rooms, consistent standards, usually near transit.
Map ↗ Check prices on Klook →Dependable budget chain hotel: compact rooms, consistent standards, usually near transit.
Map ↗ Check prices on Klook →Official youth hostel in central Casablanca, cheap and clean
Where to Eat
Traditional Moroccan café for mint tea, msemen, and harira soup
Brochettes, msemen, and fresh-squeezed orange juice in the old médina
Fresh seafood grilled to order at the central market, extraordinary value
Simple seafood restaurant near the port, excellent fresh fish at local prices
Map ↗Sample 3-Day Itinerary
Mosque & Medina
The Hassan II Mosque exterior and esplanade (free to roam; guided tour ~$13).
An Old Medina wander and cheap grilled fish by the port.
A Corniche sunset walk.
Art-Deco Downtown
Mohammed V Square and an Art-Deco architecture walk (free).
The Habous quarter for crafts and pastries.
A cheap tagine at a local diner.
Beach & Cathedral
Ain Diab beach (public stretches are free).
The Sacré-Cœur Cathedral and the Villa des Arts (free).
Street food and mint tea.
The Casablanca Tramway is cheap and efficient — get the 10-ride card. Eat at the Marché Central for excellent cheap seafood — the surrounding cafés serve fresh fish grilled to order. The old médina is small and far less overwhelming than Marrakech or Fez — easy to explore independently. Avoid tourist traps around the Corniche — walk 10 minutes inland for local café prices. The Hassan II Mosque guided tour is essential and costs only MAD 120 ($12).
Daily budget · Mid-range
Mid-range Casablanca offers a compelling city break — elegant Art Deco architecture, excellent Moroccan and French cuisine, a lively wine bar scene (Morocco produces excellent wine), and day trips to Rabat or the Roman ruins of Volubilis. The Corniche area has good beach access, and the city's café culture rewards slow afternoons.
Where your money goes
How to Get There
What to Do
In-depth guided tour of this extraordinary building and its ocean-facing terrace
Map ↗Guided tour of Casablanca's extraordinary 1930s French Protectorate architecture
Traditional cooking class — tajine, couscous, and pastilla with a local chef
Where to Stay
Iconic tower hotel in the business district, great city views
Map ↗ Check prices on Klook →Reliable Accor property near the Corniche, good for mid-range stays
Map ↗ Check prices on Klook →Upper-tier international hotel: larger rooms, a pool or spa at most properties, central location.
Map ↗ Check prices on Klook →Where to Eat
Sample 3-Day Itinerary
Hassan II & Corniche
A guided Hassan II Mosque interior tour.
Lunch on the corniche; the Morocco Mall.
A seafood dinner at Ain Diab.
City & Culture
A downtown Art-Deco guided walk.
Habous and the Royal Palace gates.
Dinner at Rick's Café (Casablanca-themed).
Coastal Escape
A day trip down the coast or to Rabat.
Return for the medina.
A Gauthier dinner.
The Quartier des Habous (New Médina) built by the French in 1930s is more elegant and less chaotic than the old médina — excellent for shopping. Rick's Café is a tourist construct (no connection to the film) but genuinely well-executed as a mid-range restaurant. The Hassan II Mosque guided tour is essential. Day trip to Rabat (1 hour by train) to see the Royal Palace and Chellah ruins is excellent value. Morocco's wine production in the Boulaouane region is a genuine revelation.
Daily budget · Luxury
Luxury Casablanca surprises visitors with its quality. The Hyatt Regency and Sofitel Tour Blanche are both genuinely good hotels, the restaurant La Sqala offers fine dining in a 18th-century fortress, and private day trips by chauffeured car to Fez, Marrakech, or the blue city of Chefchaouen are feasible. A private tour of the Hassan II Mosque with a specialist guide is extraordinary.
Where your money goes
How to Get There
What to Do
Private car to UNESCO Roman ruins of Volubilis and imperial city of Meknès
Chauffeured car or charter flight to Marrakech and the Djemaa el-Fna
Private cooking experience with a Moroccan palace chef, elaborate traditional feast
Where to Stay
Modern luxury near the Corniche, excellent pool and spa facilities
Map ↗ Check prices on Klook →Casablanca's finest hotel — elegant tower with rooftop pool and panorama
Check prices on Klook →Twin towers on the Place des Nations Unies, largest luxury hotel in city
Map ↗ Check prices on Klook →Where to Eat
Traditional Moroccan palace restaurant, extraordinary setting, elaborate cuisine
Hotel fine dining — sophisticated and reliable for formal occasions
Sample 3-Day Itinerary
Private Casablanca
A private mosque and architecture tour.
A spa and hammam at a luxury hotel.
Fine dining at La Sqala or Le Cabestan over the sea.
Coast & Cuisine
A private drive to El Jadida or Rabat.
A private cooking class.
A corniche tasting dinner.
Sea & Shopping
A private yacht or beach-club day.
A personal shopper for crafts and caftans.
A farewell rooftop dinner.
The Sofitel Casablanca Tour Blanche has the best rooftop pool and panoramic views in the city. La Sqala restaurant in the old Portuguese fortifications is the most atmospheric dining room in Casablanca. Private charter flight to Marrakech (40 minutes vs 3 hours by train) makes the Medina easily accessible for day or overnight. The Dar El Jeld private cooking experience with a Moroccan chef covers the full spectrum of regional cuisine. A private car to the Ait Benhaddou kasbah makes an extraordinary overnight.
About Casablanca
When to go, and what it's like on the ground.
Best time to visit
April – June, September – November
A mild Atlantic-tempered climate. Warm, dry summers (26°C, sea-cooled) and mild, wetter winters (17°C). Spring and autumn are ideal; the ocean keeps Casablanca cooler and more humid than inland Morocco.
- January: 13°C average high, 9 rain days, low crowds
- February: 14°C average high, 8 rain days, low crowds
- March: 15°C average high, 7 rain days, moderate crowds
- April: 16°C average high, 6 rain days, moderate crowds
- May: 18°C average high, 4 rain days, moderate crowds
- June: 20°C average high, 1 rain day, high season
- July: 22°C average high, 0 rain days, high season
- August: 23°C average high, 1 rain day, high season
- September: 22°C average high, 2 rain days, moderate crowds
- October: 20°C average high, 6 rain days, moderate crowds
- November: 17°C average high, 8 rain days, low crowds
- December: 14°C average high, 9 rain days, low crowds
Getting around
Getting around Casablanca
A modern tramway links the main districts; red "petits taxis" are cheap (insist on the meter) and shared "grands taxis" run longer routes. The centre and the corniche are walkable, and Careem/inDrive apps operate.
A travel eSIM gets you online the moment you land in Morocco — data plans start at $4 — no roaming bill, no queue for a local SIM, and nothing to swap in and out of your phone. Install it before you fly.
On foot
Walking routes in Casablanca.
The largest mosque in Africa on the Atlantic, the old walled quarter, and the French colonial square.
The French-built new medina, the art deco downtown, the cathedral and the Atlantic seafront.
Where to stay
Casablanca, neighbourhood by neighbourhood.
Habous (New Medina)
A 1920s French-built "medina" of arcades and craft shops — calmer and more orderly than an old medina, great for olives, books and babouches.
Best for mid-rangeCorniche (Ain Diab)
The Atlantic seafront strip: beach clubs, seafood restaurants, the Morocco Mall and the city's smartest nightlife.
Best for luxuryCentre-Ville
The Mauresque and Art-Deco core around Mohammed V Square — faded 1930s grandeur and the commercial heart.
Best for mid-rangeGauthier / Maârif
Cafés, boutiques and restaurants in the city's most fashionable shopping districts.
Best for mid-rangeOld Medina
The original walled medina by the port — rougher and less touristy than other Moroccan medinas, with cheap eats and local life.
Best for budgetAnfa
Hilltop villas and quiet avenues — the city's most exclusive address.
Best for luxuryLocal etiquette
Dos & Don'ts
Do
- Insist on the meter in petits taxis, or agree the fare first
- Dress modestly — Casablanca is liberal, but covering shoulders and knees respects locals
- Greet with "Salam" and accept mint tea when it's offered
- Tip small dirhams for help, parking guardians and service
- Bargain politely in the medina and Habous
- Use your right hand for eating and greeting
Don't
- Photograph the mosque interior without a ticket, or people without asking
- Show public affection or drink alcohol in the street
- Enter mosques as a non-Muslim (the Hassan II guided tour is the exception)
- Accept unsolicited "guides" — they will expect payment
- Eat or pass items with the left hand
- Discuss the monarchy or religion critically
Useful phrases
Say it like a local.
Beyond the city
Day trips worth the journey.
Rabat
The relaxed royal capital: the Kasbah of the Udayas, the Hassan Tower and a walled medina.
El Jadida
A Portuguese-built Atlantic port (UNESCO) with an atmospheric underground cistern.
Marrakech
The imperial city of souks, palaces and the Jemaa el-Fna (a long day by fast train).
The Marrakech guide →Azemmour
A quiet whitewashed medina and street-art town on the Oum Er-Rbia river.
Bouznika Beach
A clean stretch of Atlantic coast between Casablanca and Rabat.
Where to eat
Must-try dishes.
Tagine
A slow-cooked stew (lamb-and-prune or chicken-and-preserved-lemon) named after its conical clay pot.
Couscous
Steamed semolina with vegetables and meat — the traditional Friday lunch.
Grilled Seafood
Casablanca's Atlantic coast means superb grilled fish, calamari and oysters from nearby Oualidia.
Harira
A hearty tomato-lentil-chickpea soup, the classic to break the Ramadan fast.
Pastilla
A sweet-savoury pie of poultry in flaky pastry, dusted with sugar and cinnamon.
Msemen & Mint Tea
Flaky square pancakes with honey, washed down with sweet mint tea.
Sardines Chermoula
Fresh sardines marinated in herb-and-spice chermoula and fried — a coastal staple.
Travel insurance
Do I need travel insurance for Morocco?
Travel insurance is strongly recommended for any trip to Casablanca. Safety is rated Generally safe — petty theft, aggressive touts and taxi overcharging are the main nuisances. — even in safe destinations, unexpected medical emergencies or trip cancellations can be costly. Make sure your policy covers emergency medical treatment, hospitalisation, trip cancellation, and emergency evacuation.
Visa note: Visa-free for up to 90 days for most Western nationalities.. Some countries require proof of travel insurance as part of the visa application.
Good to know
FAQ: Casablanca travel questions
Is Casablanca safe to visit?
Generally safe — petty theft, aggressive touts and taxi overcharging are the main nuisances.
When is the best time to visit Casablanca?
April – June, September – November A mild Atlantic-tempered climate. Warm, dry summers (26°C, sea-cooled) and mild, wetter winters (17°C). Spring and autumn are ideal; the ocean keeps Casablanca cooler and more humid than inland Morocco.
How much does a trip to Casablanca cost per day?
- Budget $35–$60 / day
- Mid-range $90–$165 / day
- Luxury $280–$520 / day
Do I need a visa to visit Morocco?
Visa-free for up to 90 days for most Western nationalities.
How do I get around Casablanca?
A modern tramway links the main districts; red "petits taxis" are cheap (insist on the meter) and shared "grands taxis" run longer routes. The centre and the corniche are walkable, and Careem/inDrive apps operate. Taxi base fare ~$1. Day pass ~$2.
Is tipping expected in Casablanca?
Expected — round up taxis, tip 5–10% at cafés and restaurants, and small dirhams for help and parking guardians.
What currency is used in Morocco?
The local currency is MAD (DH), and the official language is Arabic, French.
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