Day 01
El Jadida and Casablanca Heritage Sightseeing
- You will be picked up from Casablanca port in an air-conditioned minibus and drive to El Jadida. Listed as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO, the former Mazagan became El Jadida (The New City) in 1815.
- The Portuguese built the fortified city, which initially had five bastions. Today, only four remain. You can reach them by taking a perfectly preserved path around the battlements. The Bastion of the Angel provides a good view of the town, the port, and the sea. The Saint-Sébastien Bastion has a crude chapel from the Inquisition. A ramp allows you to go down to the Porte de la Mer. This slope leading down to the water was used by the Portuguese to escape in 1769. Back on the main street, you can access the Portuguese cistern. Forgotten in the past, it was rediscovered by chance in 1916. A shaft of light illuminates the centre of this underground chamber, supported by five rows of columns - a beautiful setting where films such as Othello by Orson Welles and Harem by Arthur Joffé were shot.
- Continuing the walk, you will come across the Church of the Assumption opposite a mosque with a unique minaret, probably the only pentagonal one in the world. After this guided tour, we will head back to Casablanca for a lunch break.
- Resume the tour and see the most important sights of Casablanca, or Dar El Beida in Arabic, which means "White House". The name was coined by a group of Spanish and Portuguese sailors who stopped there before the city was built and marvelled at the white houses facing the ocean in the Anfa district. Today, Casablanca is a bustling city with boulevards and modern infrastructure.
- Walk around the Habous district, with its small squares and narrow arcade streets, a fine example of contemporary city planning mixed with the traditional Medina style.
- Continue towards United Nations Place and the majestic Mohammed V Square, followed by a visit to the lively Central Market and the surrounding Royal Palace.
- Next, enjoy the colourful Habous Quarter and the Mehkma (Tribunal). Visit the marvellous Cathedral Notre Dame de Lourdes and the famous Hassan II Mosque, two religious epicentres, and top off your tour with a pleasant stroll through the residential area of Anfa.
- Your tour ends with a drop-off at Casablanca port.
