CASABLANCA for 1 Day
 

Will be in Casablanca off a cruise for 1 day (9 hours) next July.
Can anyone please recommend best sights to see in Casablanca this day, and is it worthwhile to go say to Rabat (or any other destination) in the same day?

tku

Rabat is, indeed, more interesting than Casablanca, and not far on the train if you decide to go. The question might be what to do with luggage. But I'd skip Casa altogether in favor of Rabat.

Will these hours be your entire experience of Morocco, or are there plans for more, or stops on your cruise?

no other stops unfortunately
thanks

Too bad.

We negotiated with a cab driver when we got off the ship to take us to: Hassan II Mosque, Museum of Moroccan Judaism, driving tour of the city, Old Medina.
We enjoyed the day very much.

I agree with MmePerdu in preferring Rabat to Casa, although abram does list the sights that are available in Casa. However, one day in either is not going to give you much of an introduction to Morocco.

I did not get to Rabat but did spend the equivalent of 1 day (split at the beginning and end of my trip) in Casa. The Hassan II mosque is breathtaking and it turned out to be my one favorite thing that I saw in Morocco. The rest of Casa is pretty ugly, IMO. You don't say if your 9 hours is all usable time or, more likely, that it really only includes, say, 6 hours of touring time when you factor in time to deboard the ship, travel time to wherever it is you are going and then vice versa. In the end, you'll want to factor that in. But like I said, the Hassan II Mosque is jaw dropping, both inside and out.

thanks for all the comments

Is it possible to visit Hassan II Mosque, Museum of Moroccan Judaism, driving tour of the city, Old Medina PLUS Rabat in 9.5 hours, ship to ship?

Not unless you have the ability to be omnipresent. You need to be realistic. 9 hours will fly by in heartbeat and it appears you have nothing close to that in terms of usable time. If you choose Casa, see the mosque, take a stroll along La Corniche (which essentially starts at the mosque) and have lunch at a seaside café. Then head back to your ship. Don't try to cram every minute jam full and then end up having a panic attack because you are now stuck in traffic or stuck on a stopped train trying to get back to your ship that, oh by the way, pulls away without you in 45 minutes.

thanks

So don't leave us in suspense. What did you decide?

Decided to do a day tour only in Casablanca.
Can anybody recommend a reliable tour guide/tour operator?

You really don't need a guide, just a guidebook.

Agreed. Casablanca is like any other big city, albeit with less robust public transportation. Get to the mosque at 8:00 or so that morning to enjoy it to yourself before the crowds start arriving. The ticket office opens at about 8:50 for the first tour at 9:00. Spend a couple of hours at the mosque. Consider walking along the Corniche and have lunch at a café that looks interesting. Skip the medina which is a bit of a jaunt from the mosque and, as near as I could tell, only contained junk.

"Skip the medina..."

The medina isn't as exciting as other cities', but given it's the only one you'll have the opportunity to see on this trip, do see it. On my first trip to Morocco I had a day in Casa before I moved on and I enjoyed the medina, having nothing with which to compare. Walk beyond the "junk" and since it isn't a huge attraction, nor is Casablanca as a whole for that matter, what you'll see is a way of life without the tourist hoards. You should be able to grab a taxi on the street to get there. Since the city is short on things to do, it'd be a shame to miss the one very traditionally Moroccan area.

thanks !