Casablanca: A First-Timer's Guide

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If this is your first stop in Morocco, start with the basics: Casablanca is the country’s economic capital and largest city, home to around 3.7 million people, but it is not the political capital. Rabat holds that title, just 57 minutes away by train. Treat Casablanca as a 1-2 day introduction and transit hub rather than a medina-heavy destination like Marrakech or Fes.

Before you land

Visitors from the US, UK, EU, Canada, and Australia, along with roughly 70 other nationalities, can enter visa-free for 90 days. Officially your passport needs 3 months of validity, but airlines often enforce 6 months, so play it safe. You’ll fill out a paper arrival card on the plane or at the border, since there’s no e-visa for visa-exempt travelers.

Money, first

The dirham (MAD) is a closed currency, so you cannot buy it before arriving. Withdraw or exchange cash at the airport, keep every receipt, and know that cash export is capped at 2,000 MAD when you leave. Budget around 9.3 MAD per US dollar as of August 2026, though this rate moves, so verify current numbers. Cards work at hotels, malls, and mid-range restaurants, but carry small notes for the medina, petit taxis, and cafés. Round up for tips, and keep a few coins (2-5 MAD) handy for the curbside “gardiens de voiture” who watch parked cars.

The one unmissable sight

The Hassan II Mosque is why most first-timers come. It’s the largest mosque in Africa, built out over the Atlantic and finished in 1993, with one of the tallest minarets in the world (Algeria’s Djamaa El Djazair took the outright height record in February 2024). As a non-Muslim visitor, you can only enter on a guided tour, around 140 MAD (about $14-15, verify), and this is one of just two mosques in Morocco that admit non-Muslims. Tours run shorter on Fridays, pause for the five daily prayers, and stop entirely on Eid, so check the schedule before you build your day around it. Cover shoulders and knees, and bring socks since shoes come off.

Getting in and getting around

From Mohammed V International Airport (CMN), the ONCF train to Casa-Voyageurs or Casa-Port takes about 35 minutes for roughly 50-60 MAD, cheaper and faster than the fixed 250-350 MAD taxi fare. Once in the city, the Casablanca Tramway covers four lines for a flat 6 MAD, and red petit taxis are metered, so insist on the “compteur.” Uber officially relaunched in Casablanca in November 2025 after leaving Morocco years earlier, and now runs alongside inDrive, Careem, Yango, and Heetch.

First-timer essentials

  • Pace yourself. Casablanca’s core sights (the mosque, the Old Medina, the Habous Quarter, downtown, and the Corniche) realistically fill 1-2 focused days. Extra time is better spent on a day trip or moving on.
  • Skip the medina hype. Casablanca’s Old Medina is a genuine, workaday souk, smaller and less polished than Marrakech’s or Fes’s. It’s worth an hour, not a full day.
  • Eat the seafood. Casablanca is a major port and Morocco is the world’s leading canned-sardine exporter, so sardines, sole, and sea bream show up often. Marché Central lets you pick your fish and have it grilled to order.
  • Rick’s Café is real; the movie wasn’t filmed here. The 1942 film was shot entirely on a Warner Bros. backlot in Burbank; Rick’s Café is a genuine restaurant opened in 2004 as an homage.
  • Weather is mild, not desert-hot. Expect roughly 17°C in January up to 26°C in August, with April to June and September to October the sweet spot.

A word on safety

Morocco sits at US State Department Level 2, “exercise increased caution,” a nationwide rating shared with dozens of popular destinations rather than a Casablanca-specific flag. Western Sahara, far to the south, isn’t part of a typical Casablanca trip. A 2025 protest movement has quieted down, but check current conditions and steer clear of any demonstrations. Use common big-city sense: watch for pickpockets in crowds, insist on the taxi meter, and brush off anyone claiming to be an official “guide” at the mosque gate.

Book ahead

Read more: our full Casablanca Travel Guide covers the Art Deco downtown and the Corniche in more depth, and the 2-day Casablanca itinerary turns this into an hour-by-hour plan.