Admiring Art Deco Architecture

In the early 20th century during the colonial period, Casablanca became a true laboratory of experimentation for French architects. This experience has made it a city known worldwide for its rich Art Deco architectural heritage. Several neighborhoods and streets bear witness to this prolific architectural era, which was quickly influenced by modernism. The Mohammed V Boulevard and its surrounding alleys house numerous Art Deco and Art Nouveau buildings, as does Roudani Boulevard with the Villa des Arts museum housed in a 1930s mansion. Further on, Rachidi Boulevard features the Abderrahman Slaoui Museum in a beautiful 1940s house, and the Anfa district with its villas.

Shopping in the Second Largest Mall in Africa

Casablanca has become a shopping destination, attracting renowned international ready-to-wear brands and prestigious luxury labels. The city is also home to several shopping centers, including the largest in the Maghreb and the second-largest in Africa: the Morocco Mall. Located facing the Atlantic Ocean, it houses several hundred shops, a luxury zone on the upper floor, and even a souk area featuring artisanal products.

Strolling Along the Corniche

The first part of the corniche, starting from the city, is lively and dotted with cafes and restaurants with ocean views. Some private pools have also been set up along the way. If you continue on the Atlantic Boulevard, the beach stretches out to your right, and you can extend your walk on the sand. This area is popular among sports enthusiasts, attracting walkers, runners, and those seeking quieter moments facing the Atlantic, all the way to Ain Diab Beach.

Celebrating the Nightlife

As the economic capital of Morocco, Casablanca is also a city of nightlife. It is filled with cafes, restaurants, and nightclubs of all kinds. While the famous corniche hosts many of them, the city center and numerous hotels also offer an array of options. There's something for every taste, and you can easily change the atmosphere from one night to the next: lounges, live music, nightclubs – the choice is yours. **Exploring Art Galleries** The White City is also known for its numerous art galleries that celebrate contemporary Moroccan artists. Among the most well-known are L’Atelier 21, Loft Gallery, Galerie 38, Galerie H, Venise Cadre, Galerie Shart, and So Art Gallery.

Strolling in the Arab League Park

This is one of the city's parks, created at the beginning of the 19th century in 1916. Recently fully renovated, it offers a beautiful place to walk or take a break in a green setting while exploring Casablanca's Art Deco. It is located not far from Mohammed V Boulevard and leads to Rachidi Boulevard, where you can admire some interesting villas. It is also a space for walkers and joggers.

The Habous, a "new" medina

Casablanca has the particularity of having two medinas: the old one near the port and a so-called "new" one in the Habous district. The latter was designed just over a century ago, starting in 1917 during the protectorate, to accommodate Muslim Moroccans arriving from all regions of the country, in the Moroccan architectural tradition. In addition to housing, a hundred and fifty shops and arcades on the main street were added, as well as a large mosque and a hammam. "The Habous," as this medina is simply called today, with its recognizable architecture, including its brown stones, houses craft shops, traditional clothing stores, and the famous olive market.

Hassan II Mosque

This majestic religious building is one of the three largest mosques in the world. A masterpiece of Arab-Muslim architecture, the Hassan II Mosque is a tribute to the finesse and delicacy of Moroccan craftsmanship. It involved no less than 3,300 Moroccan artisans of national and international renown who showcased their expertise and dexterity to enhance this major place of worship in the Muslim world. Partly built on the Atlantic Ocean, a true technical feat, and inaugurated on August 30, 1993, it is a mosque of superlatives. Its minaret rises to 200 meters. A laser beam, with a range of 30 kilometers and directed towards Mecca, emerges from its 15.5-meter-high minaret topped with three golden balls. Its ablution room has 41 fountains. It can accommodate 105,000 worshippers, with 25,000 inside and 80,000 on its large esplanade. Covering an area of 9 hectares, it was built by 12,500 artisans and workers in 6 years, thanks to the contributions of all Moroccans as it was financed through a national subscription.

Villa des Arts

In this Art Deco villa built in 1934, the ONA Foundation offers a rich program of exhibitions by national and international artists throughout the year. It is an opportunity to admire both pictorial works and the Art Deco architecture of the villa nestled in the middle of a garden. In addition to exhibitions, the place hosts colloquia on various art-related themes presented by specialists in the field.

Abderrahmane Slaoui Museum

This museum, housed in a villa from the 1940s, was scenographed to be visited as a collector's house, covering 600 m² and 3 floors. And that's exactly what it is since it houses the collections of Abderrahmane Slaoui, a great collector, traveler, aesthete, and humanist. The permanent collections are divided into different themes: kohl flasks and snuffboxes, Fes ceramics, orientalist posters, Moroccan jewelry, curio cabinets, etc. The Abderrahmane Slaoui Museum also features temporary exhibitions of works by local and international artists.

Moroccan Jewish Museum

The building that now houses the Moroccan Jewish Museum hosted an orphanage from the late 1940s until the 1970s. Célia Bengio, a Moroccan Jew, decided to create an association to help abandoned Jewish children. In 1948, she built what would become the Murdock Bengio Children's Home, in honor of her late husband. In the late 1970s, the place again received children, but this time as a Yeshiva, the Jewish religious school, until the mid-1980s. The building closed once again, only to reopen in 1997 as the Moroccan Jewish Museum. In its permanent exhibition, it displays objects of worship and their Moroccan specificity through major pieces: Torah scrolls and their ornaments, traditional synagogue lamps, Bar Mitzvah ceremony elements, Hanukkah lamps, Esther scrolls, circumcision chairs, synagogue pulpits.

Former Sacré-Cœur Church

Located on Boulevard Rachidi, which still features some well-preserved examples of Art Deco villas, is the former Sacré-Cœur Church. Often mistakenly called a cathedral by the people of Casablanca, it probably owes its religious upgrade to the importance it has taken on in the city. It was built between 1932 and 1959 and designed by the French architect Paul Tournon. White, imposing, flanked by two square towers, which some say resemble minarets, it has long lost its religious mission (its colored stained glass windows have even been hidden), but remains a part of the city. Its vocation has become cultural. While awaiting the official and definitive establishment of this status, which will happen very soon, it has already hosted successful exhibitions and fashion shows.

Mohammed V Square and its Neo-Moroccan Architecture

Known for its Art Deco architecture, Casablanca also houses beautiful buildings of Neo-Moroccan architecture, with four major ones surrounding Mohammed V Square.

• The Grand Post Office: This building, built between 1918 and 1920 by Adrien Laforgue, was the first to inaugurate the square. While at first glance, the Grand Post Office offers an almost austere sobriety, as you approach, you can admire on top of the main facade, under the central awning covered with green tiles, a colorful panel of green and blue zellige tiles. The interior is also interesting, with its carved and glazed cedar dome. The building still serves as a public post office, so you can easily visit it, unlike other buildings in the square.

• The Palace of Justice: Opposite, the Palace of Justice, designed by

As the economic capital, Casablanca is not lacking in hotels. Since the city is vast, the most important thing is to choose the right location. If you're coming for business, it's better to opt for an establishment easily accessible from these areas, like the Atlas Sky Casablanca. The Atlas Sky Casablanca is located in the heart of the business district of Nouaceur, near Sidi Maarouf, where many major national and international companies are located, as well as the Bouskoura industrial park, and just a few minutes from Mohammed V Airport. It will be easy for you to reach your professional commitments without wasting hours in traffic jams. And perhaps even take some time to enjoy the city, in the evenings or on weekends. Moreover, the Atlas Sky offers modular meeting rooms to organize your events, stylish and comfortable rooms and suites for a quality stay, and a restaurant and bar for relaxation or informal meetings.

Casablanca is a city that captivates visitors, making them want to return again and again, especially if you are staying for business purposes. To truly discover the essence of the white city, consider adding an extra day to your schedule, or even two if your itinerary allows, to explore another facet of Casablanca. The Hassan II Mosque, the Habous, the Art Deco architecture, the neo-Moroccan buildings, the corniche, the museums, the vibrant nightlife, the festivals (depending on the time of year), the art galleries - there is so much to experience. If you're visiting for leisure, allocate at least four to five days to fully immerse yourself in the charm of Casablanca. This city leaves no one indifferent, but to truly appreciate it, you must allow it to reveal its character and embrace its somewhat frenetic pace.

You can rent a car, with or without a driver, but traffic is not always easy, and congestion can quickly become stressful. Taxis are abundant in the city. The simplest option is to call the "Taxi Vert" operator, which adds 10 dirhams to the meter during the day and 15 dirhams at night. Alternatively, you can use taxi or ride-hailing apps such as Heetch and Roby, which are available in Casablanca. In recent years, Casablanca has also introduced a tramway system that traverses the city and connects to certain business districts.