What to buy

• Next to the beach in the Ain Diab area, there you have the “Morocco Mall”, which is the second largest shopping mall of Africa. All major chains, stores and (exclusive) brands are represented in the mall, as well as an IMAX theatre and many more different activities besides shopping.
• Next to Megarama Cinema and front of kind Abdulaziz mosque, there you have “Anfa Place Mall “. it’s roughly the same as the former.
• Around the old Medina it’s easy to find places selling traditional Moroccan goods, such as tagines, pottery, leather goods, hookahs, and a whole spectrum of geegaws. In Fes or Marrakesh the selection and competition are much greater, and you can probably bargain for a lower price.
• The Maarif neighborhood (near the twin center) has many name-brand European and American fashion chains, such as Zara. Designer glasses, leather shoes, and “genuine” belts, bags, and shirts can be had at bargain prices.
• The Derb Ghalef neighborhood has a huge souq that is not for the faint of heart. A cluster of small shanties, each one is loaded with “genuine” mobile phones, “genuine” watches, and “genuine” “brand name” clothing. The shops are separated by alleys no more than three feet wide, some of which double as drainage ditches. There are numerous fruit smoothie stands in the center, which make a good spot for regrouping and planning your excursion. The stall owners are, of course, kings of negotiating, and without a good handle on Arabic and a strong backbone, you’re likely to pay well over the going rate for anything.

What to eat

Restaurants in Morocco don’t open until around 7pm at the earliest, and most people don’t eat until much later. Be sure to call first and make sure your restaurant of choice is actually open.

What to drink

Nightlife in Casablanca has mixed reviews. Women might feel a bit uncomfortable with the mostly male crowds in many bars and nightclubs. But if you dig a bit, you’ll find some excellent spots to drink, dance and people watch. Certain clubs are flooded with prostitutes at night. It is not advised to bring a girl back to a hotel.

If you want a drink in your hotel room, supermarkets like Acima and Marjane carry a wide variety of liquor and wine, though the beer selection is fairly stunted. The best places to drink are either European-style restaurants, which usually have a decent selection, or hotel bars, which are inevitably safer and more relaxed. Many western-style nightclubs exist in the Maarif and Gironde neighborhoods.

Contact

Casablanca is served by all of the mobile companies that can be found elsewhere in Morocco. Inwi, Orange, and Maroc Telecom (IAM) are the most common. Mobile phones can be bought in any of these store’s stands, and most do not run on calling plans. Rather, recharge cards can be bought in corner stores that contain a number to call. When that number is called, the company adds the price of the card to your account’s balance. Alternatively, more than one SIM card can be bought and changed in and out of the phone, if users need more than one phone number.

Casablanca is unlikely to provide North American or European travellers with any headaches. Despite being a major population center and seat of commerce, the majority of the town is less than 50 years old and could easily be mistaken for Los Angeles or Madrid. Food is as European as it gets in Morocco, with pizzas and hamburgers as frequent as tajines and couscous. In some areas, such as the Maarif and Gironde neighborhoods, seeing a man in a djellaba or a donkey pulling a cart of vegetables are rarities. If even the trappings of Moroccan culture such as these are too much for you, any hotel bar or restaurant is going to be just like home for a few hours.

Get out

When you want to explore casablanca and what surrounds it, for other Moroccan cities is likely to be by rail: the main train station is Casa Voyageur.