Where to stay in Casablanca: the 4 neighborhoods to know in 2026
In Casablanca, you sleep in a city that has no postcard, and that is what makes it honest. The film was not shot here, the medina fits in a handkerchief, and the center is the one the French drew in 1920: white Art Deco façades on Boulevard Mohammed V, palm trees on Place Mohammed V, a central market with arcades. On the water's edge, the Hassan II Mosque and its two-hundred-and-ten-meter minaret, the only one in the country a non-Muslim can visit, and it is for her that most people come. Then the city stretches west along the Atlantic: the villas of Gauthier, the towers of Maarif, and the corniche of Aïn Diab, its beaches and its clubs, where Casablanca goes on Sundays. One member came from Marrakech, another on a stopover before the rest of the country, and a third for the mosque alone: the reviews are divided, and we quote them as they are.
Count on the grand hotels, in the Twin Center tower or facing the beach, asking no less than $210* and as much as $450*; a three- or four-star in Gauthier or on the corniche lands somewhere from $90* up to $157*; a no-frills room in the medina or downtown costs about $34*, $62* at most; and the rare dorm bed, $14 to $21*. Twelve places, three in each neighborhood, each with its score, how many reviews back it and the complaint that recurs.
Casablanca is a big city that does not have the beauty and charm of other smaller Moroccan destinations. Even so, it is worth a visit.
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At a glance: our picks by traveller type
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The neighborhood map in Casablanca
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The Art Deco center: Place Mohammed V, Nations Unies and the central market Downtown: Boulevard Mohammed V, Place Mohammed V, Place des Nations Unies, Arab League Park, Sacré-Cœur cathedral, central market, Sidi Belyout, Habous quarter
for a first visit, the façades of 1930, the cafés and everything on foot
The center is the city the protectorate laid out between 1915 and 1930, and it is still standing: Boulevard Mohammed V and its white buildings with rounded balconies, the arcades of the central market, where you eat oysters and skewers at noon, Place Mohammed V and its fountain, framed by the wilaya, the post office and the courthouse, the Arab League Park and its palm-lined walks, the Sacré-Cœur cathedral, white and empty, now an exhibition hall. Place des Nations Unies, with its clock, is the hinge with the medina; the tram runs through it. Further south, the Habous quarter, the new medina of the 1930s, with its booksellers and its pastry shops. You sleep here to do everything on foot, from the market to the mosque in twenty minutes, and for the cafés of another age. The downside: streets that empty after ten at night, buildings crumbling between two restored façades, and rooms on the boulevard that the horns wake up.
Where to stay in this neighborhood
Hôtel Le Doge Relais & Châteaux Luxury
On Rue du Docteur-Veyre, in Sidi Belyout, in a 1930 townhouse: sixteen Art Deco rooms, a spa, a Moroccan restaurant, a rooftop terrace where you lunch above the roofs, and an 8.8 on three hundred and thirty reviews, 9.2 for cleanliness and comfort. The only house downtown that has kept the era.
Hyatt Regency Casablanca Mid-range
On Place des Nations Unies, between the medina and the boulevards: a big hotel from the 1970s, a breakfast the reviews praise, staff rated 8.8, and an 8.1 on a thousand reviews, 7.6 for value for money. Dated, the reviews repeat; you come for the location.
Ibis Casablanca City Center Budget
A three-minute walk from Casa-Port station, on the edge of the medina: small, clean rooms, a restaurant, wifi rated 9.1, and a 7.9 on three thousand eight hundred reviews, 9.1 for location. The chain budget at the center of everything.
Pros
- The Art Deco façades, the central market and Place Mohammed V on foot
- The mosque and the medina twenty minutes' walk away, the tram outside
Cons
- Empty streets after ten at night
- Rooms on the boulevard that the horns wake up
The medina, the port, the marina and the Hassan II Mosque North: old medina, Sqala, Boulevard des Almohades, port, marina, Hassan II Mosque, Casa-Port station
for the mosque by the water, the alleys and a riad
Casablanca's medina is that of an eighteenth-century fishing port, rebuilt after the earthquake of 1755: a few hundred meters of alleys, stalls, neighborhood mosques, and the Sqala bastion, cannons turned toward the ocean, now a café. To the north, the port, the marina and its new buildings, and, set on the water at the end of the boulevard, the Hassan II Mosque, completed in 1993, twenty-five thousand worshippers under a roof that opens, the tallest minaret in the Muslim world, and guided tours for everyone, several times a day except Fridays. You sleep here to be within walking distance of the mosque, at dawn or at sunset, and for a riad, the only neighborhood in the city that has any. The downside: a medina that is neither Fez nor Marrakech, dark alleys at night, and hotels that are aging, the best as well as the worst. A member says what she saw of the minaret.
Its minaret seems to be battered by the waves.
What to see & do in the neighborhood
Where to stay in this neighborhood
Radisson Blu Hotel Casablanca City Center Luxury
A ten-minute walk from the medina: a new five-star, an indoor pool, a spa, a gym, rooms that are large in the suites and small in standard, the reviews note, and an 8.3 on five hundred and seventy reviews, 9.1 for staff.
Ryad 91 Mid-range
On Rue de Fès, inside the medina itself, steps from Casa-Port: a renovated riad, a patio, terraces on several levels, a restaurant, a calm the reviews repeat, and an 8.5 on two thousand six hundred reviews, 9.5 for staff. The mosque is a fifteen-minute walk.
Hôtel Central Budget
On the medina square, a few minutes from the mosque and the port: a house with a patio, simple, small rooms, staff rated 8.7, and a 7.6 on twelve hundred reviews, for the bathrooms and the noise from the square. Bank cards are not always accepted, the reviews point out.
Pros
- The Hassan II Mosque on foot, at dawn or at sunset
- The only neighborhood in the city with riads, and Casa-Port station
Cons
- Dark alleys at night, and a medina without the charm of Fez
- Aging hotels, the reviews say so
Gauthier, Racine and Maarif: the Twin Center and the stadium West center and south: Gauthier, Boulevard d'Anfa, Racine, Boulevard Zerktouni, Maarif, Twin Center, Mohammed V stadium, then Sidi Maarouf, Technopark and Hassan II University
for the restaurants, the terraces, the shops and the city that goes out
Gauthier is the neighborhood of 1930s villas and cafés under the trees, Racine that of restaurants and bars, across Boulevard d'Anfa, and Maarif, further south, that of shops, pedestrian streets and the Twin Center, two towers of one hundred and fifteen meters raised in 1998, with a hotel in one and a shopping mall at the foot. This is where Casablanca dines, has a drink and shops, and the only place in the city where a terrace stays full at midnight. The Mohammed V stadium, forty-five thousand seats and the city's two clubs, is ten minutes away; further south, Sidi Maarouf, the Technopark and Hassan II University interest only those who work there. You sleep here to go out on foot and for new, well-rated hotels; the mosque and the medina are fifteen minutes by taxi. The downside: nothing old, six-lane boulevards to cross, and derby nights when the neighborhood does not sleep.
What to see & do in the neighborhood
Where to stay in this neighborhood
Kenzi Tower Hotel Luxury
In one of the two Twin Center towers, from the twentieth floor to the twenty-eighth: rooms that look out on the port and the mosque, a pool, a spa, free parking, and an 8 on seventeen hundred reviews, 9 for location. The elevators keep you waiting, the reviews note.
Radisson Hotel Casablanca Gauthier La Citadelle Mid-range
In Gauthier, in the middle of the restaurants: a new hotel, a rooftop restaurant with a view of the city, an à la carte breakfast the reviews put first, free parking, and an 8.8 on fifteen hundred reviews, 9.2 for cleanliness, comfort and staff. The best rated in this guide.
Boutique Hotel Gauthier Budget
In Gauthier, two streets from Boulevard d'Anfa: a small hotel with colorful rooms, a terrace restaurant, staff rated 8.6, and a 7.7 on six hundred and twenty reviews, 8.8 for location. The price of a simple room in the neighborhood that goes out.
Pros
- The restaurants, bars and shops on foot, until midnight
- New, well-rated hotels, from the Twin Center to the villas of Gauthier
Cons
- Nothing old, the mosque and the medina fifteen minutes by taxi
- Six-lane boulevards, and sleepless derby nights
Anfa, Aïn Diab and the corniche West: Anfa, Anfa Place, Boulevard de la Corniche, Aïn Diab, beaches, El Hank lighthouse, Morocco Mall, Sidi Abderrahmane
for the beach, the corniche clubs, a pool and families
To the west, the city descends to the ocean through Anfa, the hill of villas and embassies, down to the corniche of Aïn Diab: four kilometers of seaside boulevard, beaches packed on Sundays, beach clubs with pools, fish restaurants, and the city's nightclubs. At the end, the Morocco Mall, opened in 2011 with its aquarium, and, on its rock, the marabout of Sidi Abderrahmane, reached at low tide. The hotels have the sea in front and a pool, and it is the neighborhood of families and long stays. The downside: twenty minutes by taxi to the mosque, more to the center, waves that forbid swimming part of the year, and weekend nights that last until dawn along the boulevard. A member saw the city differently here.
In the upscale areas, I think it is pleasant for expats, especially for women who feel more free.
Where to stay in this neighborhood
Four Seasons Hotel Casablanca Luxury
At Anfa Place, feet in the sand: rooms over the ocean, an outdoor pool, a spa, two restaurants, direct access to the beach, and an 8.8 on eleven hundred reviews, 9.3 for comfort and location. The palace of the corniche.
Pestana Casablanca Seaside Suites & Residences Mid-range
Facing the beach, next to the Anfa Place shopping mall: suites with kitchen, balcony and sofa, and an 8.4 on seven hundred and seventy reviews, 9.3 for location. No pool and no gym, and a breakfast the reviews find thin.
Hôtel Club Val d'Anfa Budget
On Boulevard de la Corniche, among the restaurants and clubs: rooms with Moroccan decor, a morning buffet the reviews praise, a pool more decorative than useful, and an 8.2 on two thousand two hundred reviews. Ask for the renovated wing, the old one is noisy, the reviews say.
Pros
- The beach, the clubs and the fish restaurants on foot
- Hotels with pools facing the sea, for families
Cons
- Twenty minutes by taxi to the mosque, more to the center
- Weekend nights until dawn along the boulevard
Our tips for booking the right place
- The tram, the little red taxis and the train from Casa-Port: The tram, opened in 2012, crosses the center from east to west, from Casa-Voyageurs station to Aïn Diab via Place des Nations Unies and Maarif, for a few dirhams; it goes neither to the mosque nor to the corniche at night. The little red taxis take three passengers on the meter, ten to thirty dirhams within the city, double after eight in the evening, and the ride-hailing apps work. Two stations: Casa-Port, on the edge of the medina, for Rabat and the airport; Casa-Voyageurs, to the east, for the high-speed train to Tangier, two hours ten, and for Marrakech, two hours forty.
- The mosque can be visited, at fixed times: The Hassan II Mosque is the only one in the country open to non-Muslims, on a one-hour guided tour, several times a day, never on Friday at noon or at prayer times; the ticket is bought on site, in the basement, shoulders and knees covered, shoes in hand. Come for the first tour of the morning, before the coaches, or stay on the esplanade at sunset, when the waves hit the foot of the minaret and nobody is queuing.
- An ocean climate, mild and humid: Casablanca has neither the heat of Marrakech nor the cold of Fez: twenty-five degrees in summer, seventeen in winter, an Atlantic wind all year and a morning haze on the corniche. The sea stays cool, twenty degrees in August, and the waves close the beaches to swimming part of the year: the clubs have pools for that. From November to March, it rains in showers and the hotels lower their prices; Ramadan empties the restaurants by day and fills them at night.
- The airport is to the south, and the train goes there: Mohammed V is thirty kilometers south: a train every hour links it to Casa-Port and Casa-Voyageurs in forty-five minutes for about fifty dirhams, from six in the morning to ten at night; a big white taxi asks two hundred and fifty to three hundred dirhams, to be agreed before getting in, and takes forty minutes to the center, an hour to the corniche at rush hour. For a flight at dawn, sleep downtown or in Gauthier, not in Aïn Diab.
- An airport hotel or one in Nouaceur for anything other than a stopover: thirty kilometers of plain, and the train makes the trip in forty-five minutes.
- The highway hotels of Sidi Maarouf and the El Jadida road, rated under 8: gas stations for all neighbors, the reviews say, and the center thirty minutes away.
- A room on Boulevard de la Corniche on a Friday or Saturday, without double glazing: the clubs close at dawn, and the reviews of the boulevard hotels repeat it.
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