Destination

Casablanca tours start with a fact most visitors take a day to absorb: this is Morocco’s largest city and its economic capital, a place of Art Deco avenues, Atlantic promenades and the biggest mosque in the country rather than a medina and a souk. It is 340 kilometres south of Tangier, about three hours forty-five on the motorway, and it is the airport most travellers fly home from after a week in the north.

All our Casablanca tours start at your door in Tangier — a hotel, a riad, the cruise terminal or Ibn Battouta Airport — in an air-conditioned vehicle with a licensed driver. We drive to the city centre, the port, Casa Voyageurs station or Mohammed V Airport, with a timing buffer built in for any flight.

Casablanca tours we run from Tangier

There are three ways to travel to the city with us, and each one includes fuel, motorway tolls, parking and insurance in the quoted price.

• Tangier to Casablanca Transfer — 340 kilometres in about three hours forty-five to the city, four and a half hours to Mohammed V Airport, with two comfort stops.
• Tangier to Rabat Transfer — break the journey in the capital, with ninety minutes at the Kasbah of the Udayas and the Hassan Tower.
• Tangier to Marrakech Transfer — continue south the same week, with a one-day or two-day transfer that can stop in Casablanca on the way.

Every one of our Casablanca tours is private and priced per vehicle: no coach, no luggage surcharge and no night rate. Airport runs are timed from your flight, not from your hotel, so the buffer is always built in before you ask.

Things to do in Casablanca: 6 places worth seeing

The list of things to do in Casablanca is shorter than the city’s size suggests, but six places explain it better than any museum.

• Hassan II Mosque — completed in 1993 on a platform over the Atlantic, with a 210-metre minaret, and open to non-Muslims on guided visits.
• The Habous quarter — the “new medina” built in the 1920s and 1930s in Moorish style, with arcaded shops, pastry stalls and bookshops.
• Place Mohammed V and downtown — the civic square and the Art Deco avenues around it, among the finest collections of the style in Africa.
• The Ain Diab corniche — the Atlantic promenade with beach clubs, cafés and long sunsets, popular with locals from Friday afternoon.
• Rick’s Café — a restaurant opened in 2004 and modelled on the bar in the 1942 film, a theatrical but pleasant evening stop.
• Museum of Moroccan Judaism — the only museum of its kind in the Arab world, a quiet reminder that Casablanca once had one of the largest Jewish communities in Morocco.

Most things to do in Casablanca are spread across the city, so a vehicle with a driver saves more time here than anywhere else we work. Take the mosque in the morning, the Habous at lunch and the corniche at sunset, and you have understood the city.

Casablanca from Tangier: how to get there

Reaching Casablanca from Tangier means 340 kilometres of motorway, about three hours forty-five to the city centre and four and a half to Mohammed V Airport, which sits south of the city on the A5. Two comfort stops break the drive.

There are four ways to do it. The Al Boraq high-speed train reaches Casa Voyageurs in a little over two hours and is excellent for city-centre travel with light luggage. The CTM bus is slower. A shared grand taxi leaves when it is full. A private transfer wins for an airport connection, a group or an early start before the trains run.

For an international flight we recommend arriving at the airport three hours ahead, which means leaving Tangier about seven and a half hours before departure. That sounds excessive until the Casablanca ring road stops moving. If your flight leaves before nine in the morning, an overnight in Casablanca is the more sensible plan, and we will say so rather than sell you a 2 a.m. pickup.

Prices for Casablanca tours

Minivan and Sprinter prices for larger groups are listed on the tour page. All Casablanca tours include pickup and drop-off at your door and meet and greet on airport arrivals; meals and gratuities are paid locally.

When to go to Casablanca and what to know

The best time for Casablanca tours is spring and autumn. The Atlantic keeps the city milder than Marrakech in summer, but humidity can be high in July and August, and winter is cool and often wet. Traffic is the real variable: allow generous time on Friday afternoons and around the evening rush.

The Hassan II Mosque is open to non-Muslims on guided visits outside prayer times, so check the timetable before you plan the morning. Dress modestly for it, carry some dirhams for the corniche cafés, and leave the beach clubs for the afternoon.

Frequently asked questions

What are the best Casablanca tours from Tangier?

For an airport connection, the Tangier to Mohammed V transfer with a built-in timing buffer. For a longer day, the version with a ninety-minute stop in Rabat.

What are the top things to do in Casablanca?

The Hassan II Mosque, the Habous quarter, the Art Deco centre around Place Mohammed V, the Ain Diab corniche and the Museum of Moroccan Judaism.

How long does it take to reach Casablanca from Tangier?

Casablanca from Tangier is about three hours forty-five by car to the city and four and a half hours to Mohammed V Airport. The Al Boraq train takes a little over two hours to Casa Voyageurs.

Is Casablanca worth visiting?

Yes, for a day or an evening. It is a modern working city, not a medina, and its best moments are the mosque, the Habous and the sea front.

Should I take the train or a private car?

The train is faster and cheaper for city-centre travel with light luggage. A private car is simpler for airport runs, groups and early starts.

Can I fly out of Casablanca after a trip to the north?

Yes, and it is our most-booked long-distance airport connection. Give us your flight number and we plan the pickup backwards from it.

Whichever you choose, our Casablanca tours are the simplest way to end a Morocco trip without worrying about the flight. Book the Tangier to Casablanca transfer, stop in the capital with the Tangier to Rabat transfer, or read our guide to Rabat before you go. The city is described on Wikipedia, and travel information is published by the Moroccan National Tourist Office.

Photos: Kristijan Nikodinovski / Unsplash · Abdou Faiz / Unsplash