Port of Casablanca cruise port guide

Port of Casablanca — Casablanca, Morocco.

Casablanca is Morocco's economic capital and largest city — a bustling, modern Atlantic port city of 4 million people that is very different from the Morocco of travel fantasy. The medinas, souks and riads of Marrakech and Fez are not here. What Casablanca offers instead is the Hassan II Mosque — one of the largest and most spectacular mosques in the world, built on a platform extending into the Atlantic Ocean — and the experience of Morocco's most cosmopolitan, contemporary city. Many cruise passengers use Casablanca as the jumping-off point for a full-day Marrakech excursion (about 2 hours 40 minutes by train each way), which is feasible with careful timing.

Getting ashore

Where do cruise ships dock in Casablanca?

Ships dock at the Port de Casablanca, a large commercial and passenger port. The cruise terminal is approximately 3km from the city centre and 2km from the Hassan II Mosque.

How do I get from the cruise port to town?

Taxis (petits taxis, the city's inexpensive metered cabs) are plentiful at the port gate and cost €2–5 to most city destinations. The port does not have a dedicated cruise shuttle system — taxis are the standard transport. Confirm the port exit procedure with your ship; some terminals have taxi queues organised by staff.

Getting around

Petits taxis (small red or beige cabs) are the most practical way to move around Casablanca — metered, inexpensive and ubiquitous. Insist the meter is running (the driver says 'compteur s'il vous plaît'). The tramway (tram line 1) runs from Place des Nations Unies in the city centre to Sidi Moumen and is efficient but covers limited tourist-relevant areas. For Marrakech (about 2 hours 40 minutes by ONCF train from Casa Voyageurs; the Al Boraq high-speed line does not reach Marrakech yet), independent travel is possible but requires careful timing given the port distances — organised cruise excursions are significantly more practical.

Don't miss

• Hassan II Mosque — The unmissable Casablanca sight and one of the most magnificent religious buildings in the world: one of the largest mosques in the world, built partly over the Atlantic Ocean by over 10,000 Moroccan craftsmen using techniques of zellij tilework, carved plaster, cedar wood and marble that represent the apex of Moroccan artisanship. The 210m minaret is one of the tallest in the world. Guided tours of the interior are offered at set times for non-Muslim visitors (approximately 9am, 10am, 11am, 2pm — confirm schedule at the mosque entrance). Bring modest dress (shoulders and knees covered). The exterior at sunset is extraordinary.
• Marrakech day excursion (full day) — About 2 hours 40 minutes by ONCF train from Casa Voyageurs station (~MAD 95–190 each way, book at oncf-voyages.ma), Marrakech offers the Morocco of the imagination: the chaotic, magnificent Djemaa el-Fna square with its snake charmers, storytellers and food stalls; the labyrinths of the medina souks; the Bahia Palace; the Saadian Tombs; and the Majorelle Garden (Yves Saint Laurent's blue garden). A full-day excursion is feasible from Casablanca but requires an early departure — typically only practical for ships with early-morning docking. Cruise line excursions manage the logistics; independent travel requires checking train times carefully against all-aboard.
• Old Medina (Ancienne Médina) — Casablanca's modest medina is small and comparatively untouristy by Moroccan standards, but it offers a genuine taste of traditional Moroccan market life without the intense tourist pressure of Marrakech. The souk au tissus (fabric market), the Place Kchich and the restored Habous quarter (a 1930s French-built 'neo-Moroccan' neighbourhood with excellent pastry shops and argan oil stalls) are the most worthwhile areas.
• Corniche and Art Deco architecture — Casablanca has an exceptional legacy of French colonial Art Deco and Mauresque architecture from the 1920s–1940s: the Cathédrale du Sacré-Coeur (now a cultural centre), the Villa des Arts, the Central Market building and the boulevards of the central ville nouvelle. The oceanfront Corniche (Boulevard de la Corniche) stretches along the Atlantic beach south of the city and is the preferred evening promenade for Casablancans.
• Quartier Habous (New Medina) — Built by the French in the 1930s as a planned Moroccan-style neighbourhood south of the city centre, the Habous is cleaner and more navigable than the old medina, with excellent shops for Moroccan leather goods, ceramics, brass lamps and the finest argan oil pastry shops in the city.

Planning your day

For a city-focused day: the Hassan II Mosque guided tour is the non-negotiable anchor (confirm tour times at the mosque before anything else; guided entry for non-Muslims runs at set times). Allow 90 minutes for the tour, then a short taxi ride to lunch at La Sqala by the old medina, followed by the Habous quarter for shopping and almond pastries. For a Marrakech day: this requires careful coordination of train times and ship all-aboard — book the cruise line excursion for stress-free management, or verify ONCF train schedules at oncf-voyages.ma and confirm the last train back before committing. The Marrakech experience (Djemaa el-Fna, the medina souks) is completely different from anything Casablanca offers and worth the logistics for first-time Morocco visitors.

Food & drink

Casablanca's food scene reflects its cosmopolitan character: the finest Moroccan restaurant cooking in the country sits alongside French brasseries, Lebanese restaurants, excellent seafood from the Atlantic, and a sophisticated café culture. Traditional Moroccan cuisine — tagines, couscous, bastilla and the mint tea ritual — is well-represented in the restaurants around the medina and Hassan II Mosque, while the Corniche offers contemporary Atlantic seafood.

Where to eat

• La Sqala — Set in an old fortified bastion on the edge of the old medina, La Sqala is one of the most atmospheric restaurants in Casablanca — a garden courtyard surrounded by bougainvillea and old cannon embrasures. Excellent tagines, couscous, bastilla and Moroccan salads at accessible prices. One of the best value traditional Moroccan meals in the city and close to the port.
• Rick's Café — An atmospheric re-creation of the fictional café from the 1942 film Casablanca — opened in 2004 in a restored 1930s mansion facing the old medina ramparts, close to the port. Upmarket prices, reliably good food (Moroccan and French), the best cocktails in town and live jazz piano nightly. Lunch is 12–3pm and dinner from 6:30pm, so book lunch on a port day. Deliberately theatrical and better than a movie tie-in has any right to be.
• Pâtisserie Bennis Habous — A long-standing family patisserie in the Habous quarter, known for almond pastries such as cornes de gazelle. Takeaway only — you pay by weight — so carry your box to one of the nearby cafés for a mint tea.
• Le Cabestan — A long-running clifftop restaurant on the Corniche by the El Hank lighthouse, with a terrace looking over the Atlantic. Fresh fish, oysters and seafood platters at higher prices. Open for lunch and dinner; book ahead for a terrace table.

Must try

• Couscous with seven vegetables — Morocco's great ceremonial dish: hand-rolled semolina steamed over a fragrant broth with slow-cooked lamb, chicken or merguez sausage, and seven seasonal vegetables (turnip, squash, carrot, potato, courgette, cabbage and more). The definitive Moroccan Friday lunch — served at traditional restaurants on Fridays and at family-style establishments throughout the week.
• Bastilla (pastilla) — A uniquely Moroccan sweet-savoury pastry: layers of paper-thin warka pastry enclosing slow-cooked pigeon (or chicken) with almonds, eggs and a fragrant blend of saffron, cinnamon, coriander and ginger — dusted with icing sugar and cinnamon. A feast dish from the imperial culinary tradition of Fez. Available at upscale Moroccan restaurants in Casablanca.
• Tagine — Morocco's definitive slow-cooked braise: lamb, chicken or fish cooked with preserved lemons, olives, onions, saffron and coriander in the conical clay tagine vessel that takes its name from the dish. The preserved lemon and olive chicken tagine is the most iconic. Found at every price point in Casablanca, from hole-in-the-wall medina restaurants to the city's finest hotel dining rooms.
• Harira soup — Morocco's beloved daily soup: a rich, thick, mildly spiced broth of lentils, chickpeas, tomatoes, coriander, celery and a touch of lemon — traditionally the first food eaten to break the Ramadan fast but served year-round at lunch. Accompanied by chebakia (honey-sesame pastry) and dates. Found at all traditional cafés and as a street-food bowl throughout the medina.
• Mint tea ceremony (atay) — Moroccan mint tea — gunpowder green tea brewed with fresh spearmint leaves and copious sugar, poured from height to create a foam — is not simply a drink but a ritual of hospitality. Accept every invitation; the ceremony itself (three glasses: the first gentle as life, the second strong as love, the third sweet as death) is one of the most meaningful cultural experiences in Morocco.

Know before you go

• 🗣️Language — Arabic (Darija — Moroccan dialect) is the national language; French is widely spoken in business and tourist contexts and is the practical second language of Casablanca. Basic French (merci, s'il vous plaît, combien ça coûte) is genuinely useful. English is spoken in upscale hotels and restaurants but less common on the street.
• 📋Documents — Morocco requires a valid passport for all visitors. US, Canadian, EU and UK citizens do not need a visa for stays under 90 days. Keep a photocopy of your passport and ship document accessible — Moroccan police occasionally ask for ID. The port exit and re-entry is managed by ship security staff.
• 🛍️Shopping & hours — Medina shops and souks open approximately 9am–1pm and 3–8pm; closed Friday mornings. The Habous quarter shops follow similar hours. Best buys: Moroccan leather slippers (babouches) from the Habous; genuine argan oil and argan-based cosmetics (insist on food-grade or cosmetic-grade certification); handwoven Moroccan rugs; zellige (mosaic tilework) objects; silver jewellery and teapots; and high-quality preserved lemons and ras el hanout spice blends. Bargaining is expected at souk stalls but not in fixed-price shops.
• 🌤️Weather — Casablanca has an Atlantic Mediterranean climate — mild year-round. Cruise season (October–April for Atlantic/Canary Islands itineraries; some summer calls) averages 18–25°C (64–77°F). Summer (June–September) is warm at 22–28°C (72–82°F) with reliable sunshine. Modest dress is appropriate throughout the city — shoulders and knees covered are respected and expected near the Hassan II Mosque.
• 📶Connectivity — Maroc Telecom and Orange Morocco provide good coverage throughout Casablanca. Purchasing a local Moroccan SIM is inexpensive (€3–5) and solves roaming costs entirely for the day. Wi-Fi at most cafés, the cruise terminal and hotels. Note that WhatsApp calls may be restricted in Morocco — use data-roaming-aware apps.
• ♿Accessibility — The Hassan II Mosque offers accessible entry for the guided non-Muslim visitor tour — the mosque's vast marble esplanade is flat and wheelchair-friendly. The old medina and Habous quarter have narrow, uneven alleyways that are not accessible for wheelchairs. For a Marrakech trip, confirm step-free options with the cruise line's excursion team.
• ⏱️Getting back — Petits taxis from the Hassan II Mosque and medina back to the port take 10–20 minutes in normal traffic; longer during midday congestion. Allow 30–40 minutes from the city centre to be safely back aboard. For Marrakech day trips, the train schedule back to Casablanca must be confirmed against the ship's all-aboard time — the cruise line excursion team manages this; independent travellers should verify the last viable train time before departing.

Sources: visitmorocco.com/en/destination/casablanca; mosquee-hassan2.com; whatsinport.com/Casablanca.htm; lonelyplanet.com/morocco/casablanca