This section is dedicated to take away all your "I wish someone had told me that before I went!" experiences. This way, you can spend less time settling in, and more time making new friends in your chosen hostel. We share our insider knowledge of tips, tricks and important things to look out for in Casablanca.
The name Casablanca fills most people's imagination with images of an exciting, exotic place full of intrigue and romance, mainly because of the movie of the same name. Casablanca might not be quite as exciting as people's imaginations lead them to believe, but it can still be a cool place to look around for a night or two. A sprawling metropolis located on the Atlantic coast about an hour south of the capital Rabat, Casablanca can be a gritty, dirty place, but if you're willing to dig a bit deeper, you might find it has some charm left in it.
The must-see in Casablanca is the absolutely gigantic Hassan II mosque next to the waterfront, with its beautiful cream stone minaret with deep green carvings and huge surrounding complex ... it even has a laser beam on the the minaret that points to Mecca!
Hostels in Casablanca are mostly centrally located and can be walked to from bus and train terminals, but it could be a wise decision to take a fairly cheap taxi if arriving at night, because some parts of the city do have a reputation for crime. Casablanca hostels offer dorms and private rooms with many having balconies perfect for people watching and usually include Wi-Fi. Hotel rooms can be found for any budget; there's everything from extremely basic (and not always pleasant) cheap rooms in the downtown area to fancy, upscale places close to the waterfront.
Casablanca has many charming french colonial buildings and wide, palm-tree-lined boulevards that take your imagination back to the way the city must have been during colonial times. It's not always pretty, but Casablanca is still a place that might get under your skin and you can easily spend a day or two looking around the markets and wandering along the waterfront.
Written by local enthusiast for Casablanca hostels
michael cowgill
