What to see in Casablanca in 1 day

The Hassan II Mosque is visited first: built partly on a platform that juts into the ocean, it is one of Morocco's few mosques open to non-Muslim visitors, with a minaret exceeding two hundred metres, among the world's tallest.

From there you easily reach the Old Medina, the historic nucleus of the city facing the port, more compact and less touristy than those of other Moroccan cities.

Proceeding toward the centre you cross Mohammed V Square, the heart of colonial Art Deco architecture, surrounded by administrative buildings built during the French protectorate.

For lunch, venues around the square or the central market offer fresh fish and the dishes of Casablanca cuisine, influenced by its proximity to the ocean.

For the Habous Quarter, the new medina built by the French in the 1920s in traditional Moroccan style, with craft shops and the local royal palace.

The Ain Diab Corniche, the city's seafront, instead alternates pools, cafés and venues overlooking the Atlantic.

With evening, tea with mint at Rick's Café, the venue inspired by the famed film Casablanca, remains the most direct way to close the day among vintage atmosphere and live music.

The Hassan II Mosque, the Old Medina, and Mohammed V Square are enough to convey Casablanca's dual religious and colonial nature, while the afternoon choice between Habous and the Corniche completes the picture with its artisanal or waterfront side.

The Sindibad neighborhood and a trip to Rabat, the capital nearby, remain chapters for a second visit. Seeing the Hassan II Mosque's minaret stand out against the ocean at sunset is the image you take home from Casablanca.