Casablanca Highlights

L'Ostrea is a fish restaurant located on the fishing wharf amongst the fish nets, fishing boats and fish trucks. In addition to fresh fish from these fishing boats, L'Ostrea is also well known for its oysters, which are grown by the owners of the restaurant at an oyster farm at Oulidia. The cost of oysters at the restaurant depends on their size and the number served.

Ideally get a table upstairs as the windows look out over the fishing harbour where you can watch nets being folded, bargaining for fish and the catch being unloaded. A variety of wines and beers are available.

Ostrea is located about 200 metres from Casa Port station and you have to go through the gates to the fishing wharf to get there. Ask someone for directions if you can't find it or catch a petiti taxi from the centre of town. L'Ostrea is open 7 days a week from 11am until 11pm. It is an excellent choice for a weekend lunch.

Cafe Maure is located half way between Casa Port Station and Hassan II Mosque in the walls of La Sqala, Casablanca's 18th century fortifications. It has both indoor and outdoor seating with the latter amongst the trees and flower covered trellises, although there is some shade protection overhead. It has a mixture of international and Moroccan dishes with the focus on salads and seafood. It also has divine fruit juice cocktails and desserts.
It is open seven days a week from 10am to midnight, but closes earlier in winter.

Hassan II mosque is an architectural masterpiece and well worth a visit. Located on reclaimed land, the world's third largest mosque is surrounded on three side by ocean. It is huge and can hold up to 25,000 worshipers, has a retractable roof and is built from predominantly local products - marble, granite, and various woods. Inside are splendid examples of wood carving, zellij (tiled mosaics) and stucco moulding.
Although large, it is not commonly frequented by locals as they often resent the forced contributions that led to its construction.

The exterior can be visited at any time and guided tours of the interior are also available. They cost 120 Dh for adults and occur at 9am, 10am, 11am and 2pm Saturday to Thursday. Tours are run in a range of languages including English and French. Visitors should be respectfully dressed but women do not have to cover their heads. Shoes will need to be removed before entry. Visitors are free to photographs both the interior and exterior of the mosque.
The mosque is a 20-minute walk from Casa Port railway station, or alternatively take a petit taxi.

Casablanca's small Medina is predominantly used by the local residents and consists of housing with stalls/shops that sell clothes, footwear, spices, dried fruit, leather goods, and electronic equipment. There are also carts that sell fruit in season. All of these are available to tourists and there are a number of souvenir orientated shops in the area near the clock tower and along Blvd. Houphouet Bogmy and Ave. des Far, on the edge of the Medina.
Visiting the Medina is a good opportunity to see how the locals live and shop. If planning on shopping yourself, be prepared to bargain hard. Take care of money, wallets, and bags as opportunistic pickpockets may help themselves give the opportunity.