Discover the Medina Inside - Small Group Tour

Dive into the daily life and habits of locals on this unique introductory tour of Casablanca!

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 1930s 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 a local bakery where locals take their bread and pastries to be baked, and that’s also used by Bennis, one of the most famous pastry houses in town. (locals-know tip: all the treats at Bennis are delicious, but we recommend the chicken pastilla, which is heavenly good!) No doubt tempted by all the delicious offerings around us, we’ll make our way to one of the oldest pastry houses in Casablanca, tucked in a laneway of the Souq Habous. Sample some traditional Maghribi pastries such as cornes de gazelle (gazelle horns, which are pastries filled with a paste of almond and orange water) or akda aux amandes (almond macaroons).

We’ll then head to a nearby local cafe to order a coffee or tea and scoff at 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.