Having flown in from Paris to Casablanca, I headed to the home-base for my Moroccan adventure, the Hyatt Regency Casablanca.
From there, I arranged a series of Moroccan day-trips from Casablanca through Expedia.
The first of which, was a tour of Casablanca and Rabat.
Review: Full-Day Casablanca And Rabat Private Tour – Part I – Casablanca [Expedia] (Casablanca, Morocco)
Editor’s Note: This post is part of my ongoing Africa Travel Series and my European Travel Series, click here for more posts on all things Europe, and click here for all things Africa.Â
The City Of Casablanca
Located on the Atlantic coast in central Morocco, Casablanca is believed to have been founded by Berbers in the 7th Century B.C.
Today, Casablanca is Morocco’s largest city and an important center for finance, industry, shipping, and the military.
About The Full-Day Casablanca And Rabat Private Tour From Casablanca
The tour I chose was the “Full-Day Casablanca And Rabat Private Tour From Casablanca” due to the last-minute availability and the relatively affordable pricing.
The tour guide picked my up at 7:00 sharp and escorted my to the van (and driver) waiting outside.
The van was a newer model vehicle, with a clean interior and some bottled water.
Stop #1: The Hassan II Mosque
The Hassan II Mosque was the first stop – and it was also the main attraction.
Built in 1993, the mosque is the largest in Africa and has the world’s second-tallest minaret. Up to 105,000 worshippers can gather at one time on the grounds of enormous mosque.
Many call the Hassan II Mosque “the eighth wonder of the world”, and with good reason. The mosque is beautifully designed and built in a location extending out over the sea.
It was quite impressive and easily one of the top highlights of Morocco for me.
The minaret
Museum at the entrance
The tourist entrance to the mosque
Inside The Hassan II Mosque
The prayer hall
Stop #2: Plage Ain Diab
The next stop was the beach boardwalk known as Ain Diab.
It was a cold, windy, and rainy day so the surf looked a bit rough and most of the restaurants were closed.
Needless to say, this stop didn’t last long.
Stop #3: Rick’s Cafe
Next, was Rick’s Cafe.
This was a replica of the bar made famous in the film Casablanca.
It was closed due to a holiday, but my understanding is this is a tourist trap, but popular for fans of the movie nevertheless.
Stop #4: Mohammed V Square
The Mohammed V Square was the next stop.
Although the buildings were also closed due to Holiday, the square was lively with both people and pigeons.
Palais de Justice
Construction at the CasArt’ Théâtre de Casablanca
Stop #5: Notre-Dame De Lourdes Church
The final stop on the tour in Casablanca, was the Notre-Dame De Lourdes Church.
Built in 1954, this Catholic church is famous for its modernist design and its stained-glass works designed by artist Gabriel Loire.
This visit was worth-while for the stained-glass alone.
The Bottom-Line: Full-Day Casablanca And Rabat Private Tour – Part I – Casablanca [Expedia] (Casablanca, Morocco)
Although the first half of this tour was definitely impacted by the weather and holiday, it was still absolutely worthwhile for the visit to the Hassan II Mosque alone. The mosque was simply incredible and an amazing sight to see in person.
I would have liked to have visited the Neo-Gothic Casablanca Cathedral, and I’m a little unclear as to why we didn’t. Still, I’m glad we got to visit some of the city’s other landmarks (even if we just saw them from the outside).
Cheers!
