Casablanca & Rabat or just Casablanca?

[lovelyladi]

we have 1 day in Morroco in August (Pacific Princess) and are trying to decide between a 1/2 day tour of Casablanca and free time to shop or a full day tour (including lunch) of Casablanca & Rabat. It will be quite warm I believe.

 

Any thoughts? Is it safe on our own to shop in the souks? or should we stick solely with the ship's all day tour?

[Hlitner]

I can only relate our experience. On our first visit to Casablanca, we went off on our own which turned out to be a smart thing. The reason is that we walked all the way to the Hassan II Mosque (one of the most amazing buildings in the world) which took about an hour. We were able to buy tickets for an English speaking tour (most cruise tours do not include a tour of the inside) and seeing the inside of this Mosque was a real highlight. We than continued walking back into the center of town (probably walked 3 or 4 miles total) where we stopped at the Hyatt for some drinks and than spent time in the outdoor bazaar which is right across the street. It was a fun day.

 

This past April, we were again in Casablanca and decided to take the train to Rabat on our own. The train station is located right at the entrance of the port (just walk out the gate and turn towards your left) and there were frequent trains to Rabat. We did walk from the ship to the train entrance, which was nearly a mile (but flat and safe). The train to Rabat was pretty decent, and much more comfortable (and faster) than being crammed into a bus. We spent a few hours walking around Rabat (its much more modern than Casablanca, but lacks charm). We did get back to Casablanca early enough to again head to the Hyatt and than the bazaar. But, we would tend to recommend spending the full day in Casablanca just so you can tour the Mosque (do this on your own). There are a limited number of English tours of the Mosque (you are not permitted inside without being part of their tour) so you need to get there early in the day (I would suggest by 10) to buy your tour tickets. The ticket has a meeting time, so once you have the ticket you can leave and explore the surrounding area.

 

Hank

[lambs2]

Thanks Hank! We were wondering what to do in Casablanca and walking to do the mosque tour sounds great to us as we walk four miles a day for exercise each day. Would you recommend going in a group of between four and eight? We have a great roll call and perhaps this would be safer than just the two of us.

[Hlitner]

Thanks Hank! We were wondering what to do in Casablanca and walking to do the mosque tour sounds great to us as we walk four miles a day for exercise each day. Would you recommend going in a group of between four and eight? We have a great roll call and perhaps this would be safer than just the two of us.

 

That's sure a good question and I can only relate our walking experience. You will actually turn to your right when you leave the port (you can see the Mosque from the ship right along the water) and walk towards your right heading directly to the Mosque. The neighborhood is typical port area which means its not great, but we also never felt any danger during the daytime. In fact, there is some kind of military installation along the route (its all behind fences) which I guess improves the safety. On our recent visit (when we went to Rabat) we were on the Grand Princess,,, and none of the ships' tours included the interior tour. Somebody told us they only had 2 English speaking tours that day, and they did not fit the itinerarys of the tours. I can remember way back (its about 4 years) to when we did that tour, and recall that we did have to wait more than an hour for our scheduled tour after we bought the ticket. This Mosque is differerent from most Mosques because its quite new (1993) and very modern. It also can hold somewhere near 25,000 Muslims at once and I believe its the 2nd largest Mosque in the world.

 

Here is a link to a description of the Mosque and the tour, which sounds very much like our experience

 

http://www.sacred-destinations.com/morocco/casablanca-hassan-ii-mosque.htm

 

This is one of the reasons we have never liked cruise ship tours. In this instance, all the Casablanca tours got to only see this place from the outside. What a shame.

 

Hank

[Thrifty]

Just a word in favor of Rabat. We spent nearly a week there and had a wonderful time. We don't know how it would be for a quick tour and we can't compare it to Casablanca which we avoided.

[lambs2]

Hank or anyone else who knows,

I see the mosque charges 100 dirhans pp. Is there an ATM near he port or on the way to the mosque where we can get dome of their currency easily? Thanks.

[skybird123]

Hi, I'm so glad I found this site! We too will have a stop in both cities. 14 hrs in Casablanca and only 6 in Agadir. Some folks say don't stay in Casablanca but head out another city( Fez, Rabat or Marrakesh). Walking that distance isn't an option for us, my husband uses a cane. I'd like to find a guide, rather than use the ships tours. Have had the best experiences with our guides! Has anyone used one in either of these two ports?

Thanks for any help! Elenore

[Put Me On A Boat]

I'm hoping someone will answer the previous post. We can't walk alot either. We'll have 11 - 12 hours in Casablanca on Dec. 4 but would love to take the train to Marrakech. Anyone know if that is feasible? Century doesn't have a tour.

[lambs2]

I'm hoping someone will answer the previous post. We can't walk alot either. We'll have 11 - 12 hours in Casablanca on Dec. 4 but would love to take the train to Marrakech. Anyone know if that is feasible? Century doesn't have a tour.

 

We would love to know the answer to the above as well. The only tour our NCL cruise is offering to Marrakech is a VERY pricey overnight which we do not plan to do since we are already committed to an overnight for Cairo. Has anyone out there taken the train and recommend it, even for just a couple hours walk around Marrakesh?