13 Best Shopping in Rabat and Casablanca, Morocco

This regional handicrafts center is well worth a visit. There's a large courtyard where exhibitions are often held, a shop selling crafts at fixed prices, and an auditorium. Around the courtyard and upstairs are the workshops of local craftspeople as well as classrooms to teach young people these skills. Look out for the beautiful Azemmouri embroidery.

This mall overlooks the sea opposite the Abdul-Aziz Saud Mosque, right before the Megarama cinema. There's a pretty good selection of shops—most containing clothing and accessories—as well as a supermarket and stores selling books and cosmetics. Right outside, you'll find a number of restaurants and cafés overlooking an accessible stretch of beach.

This shop carries beautiful carved-wood furnishings, leather-covered chests, iron-framed mirrors, painted screens, and countless other decorative items. There are new pieces as well as some older treasures to be found. Prices may be a bit higher than in the souks, but you'll get less hassle from the shopkeepers.

This chic spot stocks all sorts of desirable home decor objects, furnishings, and accessories. The keyword here is design, and nothing is conceived without elegance.

Near the River Bou Regreg there is a series of small workshops where you can watch artisans create Morocco's various handicrafts. You'll find everything from traditional mosaic tile work, embroidery, leatherwork, and painted wood to brass, pottery, and carpets. Items can be purchased hassle-free at fixed prices, which are a little higher than the well-negotiated ones in nearby Rue des Consuls.

If bargaining isn't your thing but you want to bring home some wonderful handicrafts, this multilevel government-run emporium is the perfect alternative. It's stocked with authentic crafts from all over Morocco.

Casablanca's main shopping area is the Maarif, just south of Boulevard Zerktouni. The maarif market is famous among Casablancans, stocking fruits, vegetables, fish, spices, and olives, as well as flowers and argan products. On the other side of Boulevard Massira al Khadra, you'll find a good number of European stores such as Zara, Pimkie, Mango, and Massimo Dutti. Maarif also hosts specialty shops devoted to everything from chocolate to porcelain. Built on a grid, you'll find that the lower part, nearer Boulevard Bir Anzarane, is more traditional, with lots of hole-in-the-wall places selling local products.

If you're looking for a more familiar type of retail therapy, Rabat's Mega Mall will do the trick. Following the design of a typical American mall, it contains dozens of mid- to high-end stores, plus a food court, bowling alley, and ice-skating rink.

Besides being one of Azemmour’s friendliest faces, the multilingual Mohamed Janati is a skilled weaver. Working at his traditional loom, he’s happy to invite you in for tea, a chat, and an introduction to the art of weaving. His rugs, covers, and scarves are absolutely beautiful and sold at reasonable prices.

At the end of the Corniche, just after the Sidi Abderrahman islet, sits one of Africa’s largest malls. It features all kinds of stores and a sizeable food court. There’s also an IMAX theater, a large supermarket, and an adventure playground for kids that includes an ice rink.

The medina's Rue des Consuls is the place to shop for handicrafts and souvenirs in Rabat: it's pedestrian-only, has a pleasant atmosphere, and imposes no real pressure to buy, aside from the typical encouragements. Among the treasures here are Imazighen jewelry, leather goods, wooden items, brass work, traditional clothing, and slippers. You can also peruse red and orange Zemmour carpets from Khémisset, near Meknès; deep-pile Rabati carpets, in predominantly blue-and-white designs; and orange, black, and white Glaoui rugs. Some of the larger shops take credit cards.

Try to visit on a Monday or Thursday morning when the entire street turns into a carpet market.

A couple of times a week, usually Tuesday and Thursday, an auction is held in the wool market square. At this quirky event, a crowd sits in a circle around the auctioneer, who sells off an unpredictable array of items that might include an old caftan, a plastic chandelier, or a beautiful pottery piece—you never know. A jumble sale with heaps of low-priced clothing takes place nearby. As the square's name would suggest, this is also a wool area; you can buy dyed wool on one side of the square and wool products (carpets and the like) on the other.