Casablanca
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Some Insight
Casablanca, or Casa like Casaouis call it, is officially named Dar-El-Beida, literally "the white house". It is the largest Moroccan city, and the economic and industrial heart of the country, and is home to 3.2 million inhabitants in 386 sq.km.
Casablanca is integrated with is the capital of the Greater Casablanca Region, the smallest but the most populated of the 16 administrative regions of Morocco.
The city of Casablanca is administratively structured into 8 prefectures, which are split into 16 districts ("arrondissements") and 1 municipality. Couchsurfers should keep in mind that distances in Casa are quite important, since the city is shaped in what looks like half a circle with a diameter varying between 30 and 40 kilometers.
The 8 prefectures are Anfa (which is the historical antique name of Casa), Derb Sultan Al Fida, Aïn Sebaâ Hay Mohammadi, Hay Hassani, Aïn Chock, (Sidi) Bernoussi, Ben M'sick, and Moulay Rachid.
Since the city's Downtown ("Centre") is related to the center of Casablanca's half-circle area, one can assume that downtown is comprised of the prefectures of Anfa, Derb Sultan Al Fida, Aïn Sebaâ Hay Mohammadi, and Hay Hassani.
The Downtown prefectures are split into the following districts and municipality:
- Anfa: 4 districts Anfa, Mers Sultan, Maarif, and Sidi Belyout. Sidi Belyout is the district of Old Downtown ("Medina", 17th century) and Historical Downtown ("Centre-Ville", beginning of 20th century)
- Derb Sultan Al Fida: it has one district Al Fida and one municipality Mechouar (Royal Palace).
- Aïn Sebaâ Hay Mohammadi: 3 districts Aïn Sebaâ, Assoukhour Assawda commonly dubbed "Roches Noires", and Hay Mohammadi
- Hay Hassani: it has one district Hay Hassani.
And last but not least: the Medina (old downtown) and the Casa Port train station (see below in Transports) are the center of the Casa half-circle, and Hassan 2nd avenue and Abdelmoumen avenue run from them towards the South. So, Anfa, Hay Hassani, and Aïn Chock are at the West, and Derb Sultan Al Fida, Aïn Sebaâ Hay Mohammadi, Benoussi, Ben M'sick, and Moulay Rachid are at the East. Traditionally, Casa's West is more residential and commercial, while the East is more industrial.
CS Meetings
There are no regular meetings, but they happen quite often somewhere in Downtown (generally the Twin Center area in Maarif district, or in one of Ain Diab beaches in Anfa district) but the CS Group of Casablanca holds the last information, check it!
Transports
How to get in Casa
By Plane
Arriving in Casa is quite straightforward. The international airport you'll be arriving is Mohamed 5th airport ("Mohamed V", IATA code "CMN"). It is located in the town of Nouaceur, in the eponymous Province that is part of the Region of the Greater Casablanca.
There are three terminals in CMN airport. You can walk between terminals 1 and 2, and there are FREE shuttles with terminal 3.
A train station is located in Terminal 1 that has direct trains to Oasis and Voyageurs train stations. Trains leave the airport each hour between 6.00 am and 10.00 pm, with another train leaving at midnight. Tickets to Casa train stations cost 35 dirhams at the teller, and a little more inside the train. The duration of the trip is between 24 and 43 minutes depending on where you stop in Casa.
Tips:
- Check your change before leaving the teller.
- If you don't stop in Casa, you can buy your connecting trip within the same ticket.
- If you are up to 6 people, you may consider grabbing one Grand Taxi (an old Mercedes-Benz) at 250 dirhams for wherever you want in Casa (the official price is 230 dirhams, but nobody remembers that price being applied. Some Grand Taxi drivers will even want you to pay 300 dirhams if they have a "newer" car, newer meaning less than 15 years... Anyway, the Grand Taxi terminal is right at the exit of the Terminal 1. If you exit from Terminal 2, walk some meters on your left and there you are.
By Train
There are 8 train stations in Casa, but major trains stop in only four of them:
- Aïn Sebaâ: it is a good connecting train stations between regional trains and major lines or shuttle trains. Located in Aïn Sebaâ district.
- Port: it is the train station for shuttle trains to Mohammedia, Rabat, Sale and Kenitra. Located in Sidi Belyout district, near the old Medina. Warning 1: Casa Port is undergoing huge construction works, so entrance is located some meters from the actual building, which is closed to customers. Warning 2: Mohammedia train station is closed for complete reconstruction. Tip: you can get to any train station from Port by connecting in Aïn Sebaâ.
- Voyageurs: it is the main train station for major lines. Located in Ba Hmad Avenue, in Roches Noires district.
- Oasis: it is a good stop for at the south of downtown. Located in Route de l'Oasis ("Oasis Way"), which is some minutes south of the end of Abdelmoumen Avenue.
- For the other train stations, see "How to get around Casa" below.
Depending on where you come from, here's where you will probably stop:
- Al Bidaoui trains are regional trains: see below "How to get around Casa".
- Major trains (Fes, Oujda, Marrakech, Tangier, Khouribga, Safi, El Jadida...) stop in Aïn Sebaâ, Voyageurs, and Oasis (order depends on the train origin).
- Shuttle trains departing from Kenitra and going through Rabat, as well as trains from El Jadida, stop in Aïn Sebaâ and Port (in this order).
- Trains coming from the Mohamed 5th Airport stop ONLY in Oasis, Voyageurs, and Aïn Sebaâ (in this order).
By Bus
There is one major coach bus station called "Gare Routière" or "Ma'hatta (turuq'ia)" located in Ouled Ziane Avenue ("Triq Ouled Ziane") just outside downtown (Mers Sultan District). You can grab a taxi from there.
There are also two private companies that have their own coach bus station:
- CTM: located in Sidi Belyout district, at the corner of Hassan Sghir avenue and Leon l'Africain, a side street near the Sheraton Hotel. Phone +212 22 54 24 64
- SAT: located in Roches Noires district, in Lahcen Ou Idder street. Phone: +212 22 31 13 82
By Grand Taxi
There are Grand Taxis available from all the largest towns and cities around Casa:
- For Mohammedia and Rabat: the terminal station is located near Port train station, on Zaïd Ou Hmad Avenue (Sidi Belyout district).
- For El Jadida : the terminal station is located at the intersection of Roudani, Yacoub El Mansour, and Bir Anzarane avenues (Maarif district).
- For Bouskoura : the terminal station is located at the intersection of Abdelmoumen avenue and Soumia (or Soumaya) street, (Maarif District).
How to get around Casa
By Subway
There is no Subway in Casa. If you read this page after year 2013, maybe this information is outdated :-))
By Bus
There is one large private company M'dina Bus that runs the bus transports on behalf of the Greater Casablanca Region. Several other bus companies run their own buses, but this is due to end in 2009 where M'dina Bus is taking over all the bus activities in the Region. There are about 80 bus lines in the city, some of them running for more than 30 kilometers...
Buses from M'dina Bus are ok to comfortable depending on the bus line... and your luck. They are light green and white. The main advantage of buses in Casa are their cheap price (from 3.50 dirhams) and the fact their lines intensively cover Casa area and the Greater region.
However, till September 2008, bus schedules and exact line stops are impossible to be sure of, and there's no website or whatever information to customers available.
Bus line are displayed ONLY at the front of the bus, and on the bus stop. Destination is rarely displayed on the bus, and stops either. Bus are generally climbed from the middle or the back, but since, bus drivers are generally helpful, you can ask them about your destination even if you don't climb the bus.
Bus stops show the applicable lines, their destinations, their stops, and their schedule. Most bus stops are a simple metal plate bearing the bus company name and colors. They don't have any shelter or seats.
The only way to pay a bus ticket is on board and cash. You are advised to keep change handy. There are no discounts, unless you are a student registered in one of Casa universities. In that case, you can get an unlimited yearly pass at a discounted price.
By Petit Taxi
Like in other Moroccan cities, "Petit Taxis" are these small ("Petit" means Small in French) urban cars (most of them are old Peugeot 205 or Fiat Uno, or recent Fiat Palio or Dacia Logan). They can get you anywhere in the limits of the city.
Casa's Petit Taxis are always painted in red and have a black rooftop with their number displayed in yellow. They are rather cheap, but obviously more expensive than buses. They can take only 3 passengers (plus the driver) and the minimal price is 7 dirham in daytime, between 6.00 am and 8.00 pm outside DST, and between 5.00 and 9.00 pm during DST.
Prices increment by 0.20 dirham each 200 meters, and you add 50% during nighttime. If the taximeter has a digital display, it already includes the supplement. A reminder of the pricing rules is always stuck or displayed on the passenger' seat in front of the cab.
While Casa petit taxis drivers don't necessarily know by heart the city map with its smallest side streets, they know the main avenues, streets, districts, etc. so be prepared to explain the address. In any case, have the address detailed as much as possible (district, neighborhood, closest point of interests, closest large avenue, and even how to get there...). Don't rely on the driver, he probably doesn't even have a city map, and there's no GPS in Morocco.
Most taxi drivers are men. Smoking is prohibited in common transports in Morocco, so if the driver smokes, ask him kindly to stop. At the opposite, taxi drivers and their passengers have been seen smoking along!
Tips:
- When alone, Casaoui (and Moroccan) men generally climb in the passenger seat near the driver. Women tend to sit in the rear seat. But there's no rule, do what you please. Sitting in the rear seat even alone generally means you don't intend to chat with the driver.
- If you are going to see someone local, and the driver cannot find the place, have your friend talk to the driver over the phone and explain him the directions.
- All Petit Taxis have a taximeter and are obliged to use it. But if you look like a tourist who just arrived from the airport, the driver will probably try to set (in advance) a rather high fixed price. To avoid having to get out of the car and waiting for another one, try to know from your host the expected price to pay and just don't move from it more than 10%. Don't even ask how much the trip will cost, if nobody says the price, the driver assumes the customer knows the normal taximetered price.
By Grand Taxi
You can move between suburban districts and downtown in urban Grand Taxis for a price between 3 and 6 dirhams. Casa's urban Grand Taxis are all white. It's the only difference with the inter-city ones. They share the other characteristics: collective, overcrowded (6 passengers + driver), often dangerously-drive, they stop where you ask them to.
There are many Grand Taxis stations in Downtown:
- Historical Downtown: at the beginning of Mohamed 5th avenue, not far from Place des Nations Unies, Grand Taxis to Moulay Rachid, Ben M'sick, and Bernoussi districts.
- Downtown: in the Place des Nations Unies, some meters from the Hyatt Regency hotel, many destinations.
- Maarif (also called "L'wina"): at the intersection of Roudani, Yacoub El Mansour, and Bir Anzarane avenues, Grand Taxis for Lissasfa and other parts of Aïn Chock district as well as El Jadida town, Oulfa neighborhood and other parts of Hay Hassani district.
- Abdelmoumen: at the intersection of Abdelmoumen avenue and Soumia (or Soumaya) street (Maarif District), Grand Taxis for some southern districts as well as Bouskoura town.
By Train
Warning: Starting from July 2008, Airport trains no longer stop in suburban train stations Ennassim, Facultes, and downtown Mers Sultan. They also skip the train station of Bouskoura town.
The train timetable can be found at the ONCF website. The train company has also a call center named Ketary ("My train"): 090 20 30 40
There are 8 train stations in Casa:
- For Aïn Sebaâ, Port, Voyageurs, and Oasis, see "How to get in Casa" above.
- Mers Sultan is a small downtown station used only for Al Bidaoui regional trains.
- Facultes is a small station used only for Al Bidaoui regional trains, in the Hassan 2nd Ain Chock University in Lisassfa's neighborhood (Aïn Chock district). Located in Route des Facultes ("Schools") avenue near Route El Jadida avenue.
- Ennassim is a small suburban station used only for Al Bidaoui regional trains, located in Ennassim neighborhood, Aïn Chock district.
- Sidi Maârouf is a small suburban station located in Sidi Maârouf neighborhood, Aïn Chock district, closed as of September 2008.
Al Bidaoui regional Trains depart each hour from Aïn Sebaâ train station and each other one travel as far as Settat. The common trip is Aïn Sebaâ - Voyageurs - Mers Sultan - Oasis - Facultes - Ennassim - Bouskoura.
Food
As everywhere else in Morocco, there is plenty of choice in Casa as to where, and what, to eat! There are several categories of food places.
Pisri or Hanout
"Pisri" comes from the French word "Epicerie". That is a grocery, and the Moroccan word is for a (really) small grocerer's that has a service counter where you ask for your enquiries, and that can make sandwiches on the fly. In a pisri, you don't have shelves and alleys, but they generally sell everything basic you can imagine, food or commodities (from stationery to gas cylinders!). This also applies to some "libre-service" which are self-service bigger, and also better organized, pisris. There's generally no seating. You pay just the prices of what you buy (bread, eggs, cheese, tuna, smoked turkey...).
Mahlaba
This is a dairy place, where you have more elaborate sandwiches that in a pisri, and home-made (try the rayb or Moroccan yoghurt) and industrial dairy products, plus tons of made-upon-order juices and shakes with all the possible fresh and dry fruits (Moroccan and imported). There's generally some seating, and most mahlabas make also hot sandwiches (omelettes, beef or turkey hot dogs, paninis)... Prices are a bit more expensive than in a pisri, but remain cheap.
Snack
This is a snack kingdom, where you have sandwiches and meals, mainly with grilled meat (kefta, marinated turkey or chicken) and fries, and different kinds of salads. This is probably the place in Morocco where the hygiene is variable from place to place. Some snacks specialize in fish, and some have good pizzas. There are good ones in old downtown, in Mers Sultan and 2 mars avenues, in Bourgogne avenue, in Maarif... You also have some Snack chains, like Chico's.
Restaurants
Fast food restaurants
Like Grillardière, Aladdin, Monsieur Brochettes..., where you eat more or less the same things than in snacks, but more elaborate, tastier, and impeccable hygiene. They also have full meal service with desserts and coffee... You can eat for 60 dirham (less than 6 euro) to 100 dirham (less than 10 euro). Some fast food restaurants are "cafés restaurants" like you find mostly in Maarif (Le Repère...).
Pizzerias
There are hundreds of them in Casa, most of them very good, some of them propose also cured pork meat, and some of them are licensed and serve alcohol. From 60 dirham to 150 dirham. Luigi is an institution in Casa (two restaurants in Anfa, two in Sidi Maarouf). Michel Ange on Anfa boulevard is also one of the best price-ratios in town. Some fast food restaurants are also pizzerias.
Asian
There are good ones (Viet and/or Chinese mainly) more or less like every other country. Prices start from 60 dirham. Main ones: Pousse-Pousse, Milasia.
Japanese
Good quality and incredibly fresh fish. Prices start from 100 dirham. Main ones: Matsuri, Yosushi, Kaiten, Keito, Kyotori.
Moroccan
You have to remember that restaurants in Casablanca do not generally serve typical Moroccan food. So obviously, you have to go to a Moroccan food restaurant. Best ones: Al-Mounia in old downtown near the French consulate for its relaxed atmosphere and its ok prices, Café Maure in the sqala in the Mdina seashore, for its elaborate menu and great place and ok prices, Basmane for its authentic seating and sophisticated food (expensive) .
Riads
These are Moroccan Homes. Casablanca has very few of them open to public: Riad Zitoune, and Riad Sheherazade are the main ones. Both serve fantastic food in typical Moroccan-Andalusian palaces. Pretty expensive.
Fish restaurants
Casablanca is a coastal city, and fish is very good here. You can try (cheapest to most expensive, in this order) Restaurant Amine (they also have a fish snack and a fish fast food in Derb Ghallef), Restaurant du Port, Taverne du Dauphin, La Mer, El Cenador, Le Cabestan. Prices start at 60 dirham without drinks, to more than 300 dirham.
Other
You find other kind of restaurants (French, Spanish, Thai, Italian) in some areas in Casa, and prices vary from 150 dirham to more than 600 dirham, without drinks.
