24 Hours in Casablanca Solo: A Realistic Itinerary for First-Time Visitors
Only have 24 hours in Casablanca and wondering if it’s even worth it?
Casablanca was the first stop on my Morocco group trip with G Adventures, but instead of skipping the city or hiding in my hotel, I spent a full day exploring Casablanca on my own.
This post lays out a simple, no-nonsense Casablanca itinerary for solo travelers, including where to eat, how to get around, and what actually made the biggest difference in feeling comfortable navigating the city alone.
If you’re planning solo travel in Casablanca or squeezing the city into a tight Morocco itinerary, this guide will help you decide what’s worth your time and what you can skip.
This Post Pairs Well With:
- How to Get Around Casablanca: My top Tips and Tricks for navigating the City
- Where to Stay in Casablanca for First-Timers (Best 3 Neighborhoods + Hotels)
- How to Visit the Hassan II Mosque: Tips, History & Practical Info for Travelers
Casablanca At A Glance
Best way to see Casablanca fast:
Guided highlights tour (Medina, Habous, Rick’s Café)
Tour I booked:
Casablanca Highlights Tour via Viator
Getting connected:
Holafly eSIM for mobile data, WhatsApp, and ride coordination
Getting from the airport:
Pre-booked airport transfer with Welcome Pickups
One thing not to skip:
Breakfast at La Sqala before the city gets loud
Power & plugs:
Morocco uses Type C and Type E plugs with 220V / 50Hz electricity
U.S. and UK travelers will need a power adapter
One thing to plan:
Where you are staying in Casablanca. Comfort and location matter here.
How Casablanca Is Laid Out (Neighborhoods + Airport Basics)
Casablanca is Morocco’s largest city, and it doesn’t function like a compact, medina-only destination. Neighborhoods are spread out, each with a very different feel, which is important to know when you’re planning a short stay or navigating the city solo.
Where the Airport Is
Mohammed V International Airport is located about 30 kilometers (19 miles) south of the city center. Depending on traffic, getting into Casablanca can take 40 minutes to over an hour.
If you’re arriving late, traveling solo, or only spending one night in the city, pre-booking an airport transfer makes things much easier. I use Welcome Pickups for this and recommend arranging transportation in advance rather than figuring it out on arrival.
I go into more detail on transportation options in my upcoming post How to Get Around Casablanca: Tips and Tricks for Solo Female Travelers.
Casablanca Neighborhoods at a Glance
You don’t need to understand every neighborhood to enjoy 24 hours in Casablanca, but knowing the basics helps you choose where to stay and how much time to budget for getting around.
I have a blog dedicated to neighborhoods and where to stay in Casablanca. I break down the THREE neighborhoods I recommend and also mention some of the top luxury hotels in Casablanca.
Is Casablanca safe for solo female travelers?
Bold takeaway: Casablanca felt rough around the edges, but manageable and confidence-building for me as a solo traveler.
Before arriving in Morocco, I kept reading the same warnings over and over again. Casablanca is unsafe and overwhelming. and isn’t worth the stop.
That’s a big reason I chose a group tour in the first place.
But once I started walking the streets on my own, I realized something important. Casablanca is intense, busy, and imperfect, but I personally felt capable of handling it.
Safety is personal. What feels safe depends on your background, where you’re from, and your past experiences. I paid attention to my surroundings, trusted my instincts, and moved with intention. For me, that made all the difference.
If you’re a first-time solo traveler, Morocco can feel overwhelming at first. That doesn’t mean you shouldn’t go, but it does mean preparation matters.
If you’re newer to solo travel, I recommend reading my 10 tips for first-time solo travelers to help set expectations. Another helpful read is How to Start Solo Traveling in Your 30s, especially if confidence is the biggest hurdle.
Quick Safety Notes
Watch your belongings, make sure you tell the front desk where you are going, and don’t tell others you are traveling alone ( I usually lie), and lastly, don’t post in real time on social media.
Where to stay in Casablanca: What I wish I had done
If you’re spending just one night (or many nights) in Casablanca, your accommodation choice can make or break the experience.
What I wish I had done was follow my instincts and book my own accommodation instead of sticking with what was booked through G Adventures. Honestly, I think I was just too lazy at the time and didn’t question it enough.
I stayed at Kyriad Residence and in talking to various members of my group tour, many of them found the hotel to be lacking. I also had an incident where they gave me a room that was already occupied, and I walked in on someone (if you are that lady reading this, I am so damn sorry)
One important thing solo travelers should know when booking hotels in Casablanca, and Morocco in general, is that star ratings don’t translate the same way they do in Europe or North America. A three- or four-star hotel can feel very different from what you might expect.
I wrote a separate blog post breaking down where I think you should stay in Casablanca, plus where I personally wish I had stayed. If you want a deeper dive into neighborhoods and hotel types, that post will help you choose more confidently.
24 Hours in Casablanca: A Simple, Realistic Itinerary
Bold takeaway: With a loose plan, you can see a lot of Casablanca in one day without rushing.
This is a straightforward Casablanca itinerary designed to be skimmed. Take what works for you, skip what doesn’t, and don’t feel pressure to do everything.
Breakfast at La Sqala
La Sqala is located near the medina and is everywhere on TikTok and Instagram for a reason. It’s a calm, traditional spot that makes for an easy first stop of the day.
I made reservations ahead of time and scheduled breakfast before my guided tour. La Sqala opens at 8:00 am, which gave me plenty of time without feeling rushed.
They offer a set-style breakfast menu. I ordered the set menu for one which came in at about 95dhr, where I fell in love with the baghrir or Moroccan pancakes, and was pleasantly surprised by how good the olive tapenade was.
What I loved most was the atmosphere. Sitting there, watching people behind the counter quietly preparing breakfast, felt grounding. It was a gentle way to ease into a city that can feel loud and fast right out of the gate.
Tour of Casablanca: Casablanca Highlights: Medina, Habous & Rick’s Café Photo Stop
With only 24 hours in Casablanca, I knew I needed help getting oriented. I booked the half-day Casablanca Highlights: Medina, Habous & Rick’s Café Photo Stop tour to see the city through a local context.
The tour began at Rick’s Café, one of Casablanca’s most recognizable landmarks thanks to the film Casablanca. While I waited for my guide, tour buses cycled through nonstop, likely tied to cruise ship schedules. It’s definitely a major stop. You can make reservations to eat here, but you’ll want to make reservations ahead of time!
During the tour, we walked through parts of the medina and learned how it’s laid out, how the hammam ritual works, and how daily life functions within the old city. One stop included a small museum inside the medina that gave helpful historical context about Casablanca, which I appreciated more than I expected.
We stopped just outside the medina for mint tea before heading through the market. It was busy, loud, and full of life. If you’re sensitive to sensory overload, this is the part of the day where it’s most noticeable. Also worth noting: you will see chickens being slaughtered.
After the Medina, a driver picked us up to reach sites farther out. One of the most memorable stops was the Sacred Heart Cathedral, a former Roman Catholic cathedral built in 1930. It no longer hosts services and is now used for art installations, but the architecture alone makes it worth visiting.
The final stop was in the Habous district at Pâtisserie Bennis Habous. Normally, visitors aren’t allowed inside the bakery, but our guide had special access. Watching almond cookies being made was fascinating, and of course, we all stood in line afterward to buy the famous amande cookies.
Those cookies ended up being a lifesaver later during long bus rides across Morocco.
Evening Drinks at Dar Dada
After finishing the group dinner, I headed to Dar Dada for evening drinks (alone)
Reservations are necessary, and for good reason. It’s a beautiful riad tucked inside the medina and feels like a quiet exhale after a very full day. For me, it was the perfect way to end my solo time in Casablanca before transitioning into group travel.
How to get around Casablanca
For this short stay, I relied on a combination of walking, a guided tour, and arranged transportation through the tour itself. Walking felt manageable in busy areas during the day, especially when I had a destination in mind.
Take a look at How to Get Around Casablanca Tips and Tricks for Solo Female Travelers
If you’re uncomfortable navigating taxis or negotiating fares, a guided tour can simplify things significantly when you only have one day.
It allows you to cover more ground while learning how the city is structured, which helps if you plan to return later on your own.
Is 24 Hours in Casablanca Worth It?
Bold takeaway: One well-planned day is enough to understand Casablanca and decide if you want more.
Casablanca isn’t a city that tries to impress you immediately. It asks for patience, awareness, and a little structure.
With 24 hours in Casablanca, one good meal, a guided tour to get oriented, and a calm place to end the day made solo travel here feel not just doable, but worthwhile. It gave me enough insight to understand the city without feeling rushed or overwhelmed.
If you’re debating whether to include Casablanca in your Morocco itinerary, this is exactly how I’d recommend doing it.
Casablanca Solo Travel FAQ
Casablanca felt intense but manageable for me as a solo female traveler. It’s busy, loud, and requires awareness, especially in crowded areas like the medina. I felt most comfortable when I planned my day, trusted my instincts, and avoided wandering aimlessly. A guided tour helped a lot during a short stay.
Yes, 24 hours in Casablanca is enough to see key highlights and understand the city’s overall feel. With a focused itinerary that includes a guided tour, one full day allows you to explore without rushing or feeling overwhelmed.
Casablanca isn’t Morocco’s most charming city, but it offers insight into modern Moroccan life. If you’re curious about the country beyond historic medinas and tourist hubs, Casablanca is worth a short stop.
A strong one-day Casablanca itinerary includes breakfast near the medina, a guided highlights tour covering the medina and Habous, one major landmark like the Hassan II Mosque area, and a relaxed evening at a riad or restaurant. Planning transportation in advance makes the day much smoother.
You don’t need a guided tour, but it’s highly recommended if you only have 24 hours in Casablanca. A tour provides historical context, simplifies transportation, and helps you understand the city’s layout quickly, especially as a solo traveler.
Location and comfort matter more than hotel star ratings in Casablanca. Central areas like Centre-Ville, Maârif, and Ain Diab are popular with travelers. I recommend prioritizing convenience and comfort over budget, especially for a short stay.
Mohammed V International Airport is about 30 kilometers (19 miles) from Casablanca’s city center. Travel time usually ranges from 40 minutes to over an hour depending on traffic. Pre-booking airport transportation is the easiest option for solo travelers.
Casablanca is spread out, so walking works best in specific areas during the day. For longer distances, guided tours, trams, taxis, or pre-booked transfers are more practical. Planning transportation reduces stress significantly.
Yes. Having data makes navigating Casablanca much easier. I used HolaFly eSim so I could access maps, messaging, and ride coordination immediately after landing without dealing with a local SIM card.
