3 Days in Casablanca: First-Timer Plan
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Three days covers Casablanca’s core plus a day trip to Rabat, Morocco’s actual political capital, just 57 minutes away by the Al Boraq high-speed train.
Day 1
Morning: Hassan II Mosque, guided tour only for non-Muslims (around 140 MAD, about $14-15, verify), largest mosque in Africa with one of the tallest minarets in the world. Check tour times in advance; they run shorter on Fridays and pause for prayer.
Midday: Old Medina, a genuine working souk, smaller than Marrakech’s or Fes’s, worth an hour rather than a full afternoon.
Afternoon: Corniche and Aïn Diab for the seafront; free to walk, with private beach clubs around 200-300 MAD a day.
Evening: Marché Central for grilled fresh seafood, or La Sqala inside its 18th-century bastion.
Day 2
Morning: Downtown Art Deco heritage along Boulevard Mohammed V and Mohammed V Square (free, “Pigeons’ Square”), one of the world’s denser Art Deco concentrations, comparable to Miami Beach’s district.
Midday: Habous Quarter for souvenir shopping, babouches, argan oil, ceramics, with calmer bargaining than the Old Medina.
Afternoon: Villa des Arts (free) or the Musée Abderrahman Slaoui (around 60 MAD, check for summer closures).
Evening: Rick’s Café, the real 2004 homage restaurant; the 1942 film was shot on a Warner Bros. Burbank backlot, never in Morocco.
Day 3: Rabat day trip
Take the Al Boraq high-speed train, about 57 minutes each way, to Rabat. See the Hassan Tower, Kasbah des Oudayas, Chellah, and the Mausoleum of Mohammed V, all within walking distance or a short taxi ride of each other. Return to Casablanca by early evening for dinner near your hotel.
Getting around
The ONCF airport train links Mohammed V International Airport (CMN) to Casa-Voyageurs or Casa-Port in about 35 minutes for 50-60 MAD. Red petit taxis are metered; insist on the “compteur.” The tramway’s four lines run a flat 6 MAD. Uber relaunched in Casablanca in November 2025 alongside inDrive, Careem, Yango, and Heetch.
Money and tips
The dirham is a closed currency: get cash on arrival, keep receipts, and note the 2,000 MAD cash export cap. Figure roughly 9.3 MAD per US dollar as of August 2026, and verify before you travel. One concrete tip: buy your Al Boraq ticket to Rabat a day ahead during busy periods to guarantee a seat on the morning departure.
Read more: our first-timer’s guide to Casablanca has more first-day essentials, and the 2-day itinerary works if you’re skipping Rabat.