Casablanca The Medina and Beyond Tour

Dive into the daily life and habits of locals on this unique introductory tour of Casablanca! Experience the hustle and bustle of the medina as you browse everything it has to offer. Enjoy spectacular views of the Atlantic Ocean and sample some of our favourite pastries from a secret spot in an off-the-beaten track neighbourhood. You’ll be asking your tour guide to “play it again,” Humphrey Bogart-style, by the end of this fun, all-encompassing tour!

Highlights

• Listen to the sounds of the medina as you go on an adventure and try not to lose your guide through the crowds!
• Enjoy panoramic views of the Atlantic Ocean near the atmospheric old Sqalafort
• See the exterior of the iconic Ricks Café, a faithful reproduction of the bar in everyone’s favourite classic Hollywood movie, Casablanca
• Get inspired by the wonderful mix of French and Moroccan architecture in the charming Habous district
• Taste delicious olives and warm mint tea

Your Tour starts in front of the famous Rick’s Café, which you may have heard of from a little movie called Casablanca. We won’t go inside, but you’ll want to note where it is for a return visit later on in your own time, we’re sure!

Nearby, you’ll spot the Sqala tower, with canons dating back to the Portuguese era and a view of the Atlantic Ocean. Walk through alleyways to reach the medina, where you can browse alongside locals going about their day-to-day business, shopping for groceries, clothing and anything and everything else.

From here, well make our way by taxi and on foot to see a few architectural marvels of the city: first we'll stop by the Sacred Heart Cathedral, a grand, former Roman Catholic cathedral, from 1930, designed by Paul Tournon in the neo-Gothic style. Then we'll take a few pictures in the beautiful and very modern Arab League Parc and finally we'll take a short walk to the French Colonial-style Mohammed V Plaza, also known as Pigeon Square.

We’ll then make our way over to the Habous quarter, also known as the new medina, where you can shop for Moroccan goods such as traditional clothing, leather, jewellery and food. The medina was built in the 1916s by the French, so it is no surprise that it features a wonderful mix of French and Moroccan-inspired architecture, complete with numerous things to see and do and taste… like maybe some impossibly delicious marinated spicy olives.

We’ll visit one of the oldest & most famous local bakeries in town called Bennis Pastry House, since 1938 locals have been taking their breads and pastries to be baked (#localsknow tip: all the treats at Bennis are delicious, but we recommend the chicken pastilla, which is heavenly good!) Treat yourself to a selection of traditional Moroccan pastries. Such as gazelle horns, which are pastries filled with a paste of almond and orange water or Fekkas which is a famous twice-baked Moroccan cookie & more. 

We’ll then head to a nearby local coffee shop to order coffee or Moroccan tea and scoff your bounty. With our sugar fix done we’ll take a transfer to the grand finale for this tour: Al Aank Observation Deck. A gorgeous promenada by the ocean that offers incredible views of Hassan II Mosque and of the city. Here you can spend some time relaxing or taking amazing photographs. Before you go, don’t forget to ask your guide for more tips on what else there is to see, do and eat in Casablanca.

We reserve the right to change both the route and places visited within the tour. Food inclusions are subject to change, dependent on availability on the day.