Rue du Prince Moulay Abdallah
The main bookshop street, lined with stalls selling Arabic calligraphy, antique maps of Morocco and hand-bound Qurans. You can spend an hour here easily without buying a thing.
Discovering...
New Medina — southern Casablanca
Habous Quarter, Casablanca
The New Medina most visitors never find — arcaded streets, artisan shops, legendary patisseries and the Royal Palace gates, all within a few calm city blocks.
Amelia Hart· Itineraries & Trip Planning Editor
British writer who has built and road-tested Morocco itineraries for everyone from honeymooners to families. She covers multi-day routes, costs, the best time to visit and how to plan a first trip. Casablanca · 9+ years covering Morocco
Published 6 July 2024 Last updated 11 April 2026
Habous is the neighbourhood Casablanca keeps to itself. Most travellers arrive, queue for the Hassan II Mosque tour, photograph the Atlantic-facing facade and leave — never knowing that 10 minutes south by taxi sits one of Morocco's most pleasant traditional quarters, built not over centuries but in a single focused act of urban planning in the 1930s.
The French colonial administration commissioned the New Medina as a purpose-designed Moroccan neighbourhood: uniform arcaded streets, a central mosque, royal palace gates and a covered artisan market, all laid out with the kind of order the organic medinas of Fes and Marrakech never had. The result is a quarter that feels simultaneously traditional and walkable — no dead ends, no aggressive guides, no labyrinthine alleys where you need a local to extract you.
What you get instead: the best fixed-price djellaba shops in the country, a bookshop street that sells hand-lettered calligraphy and antique Moroccan maps, patisseries whose almond pastries draw Casablancans from across the city, and the ornate facade of the Mahkama du Pacha — a 1940s palace whose carved plasterwork and zouak ceilings quietly rival anything in the imperial cities. Come in the morning, eat something sweet under the arches, and leave your afternoon open.
The Quick Facts
Everything you need before you get in a taxi.
| Location | Quartier Habous, southern Casablanca, ~4 km from Hassan II Mosque |
| Getting there | Taxi (~30–50 MAD from city centre); no useful tram stop — walk or ride |
| Best time to visit | Tuesday–Sunday, 09:00–13:00 and 15:00–18:30; many shops close Friday noon |
| Time needed | 1.5–2.5 hours on foot; add 30 min for a pastry stop |
| Entry cost | Free to walk around; Mahkama du Pacha if open: indicative 20–30 MAD |
| Language tip | French works well here — more so than in Marrakech souks |
Prices indicative as of 2026. Taxi fares fluctuate with traffic; confirm before departing.
What to See and Do in Habous
The quarter is compact enough to cover on foot in under two hours. These are the stops worth building your route around.
Artisan Market Arcades
Under the arched colonnades you find fixed-price shops selling embroidered djellabas, zellige-patterned ceramics, babouche slippers and carved cedar boxes — the kind of quality souvenirs that are hard to find without a guide in Marrakech.
Patisseries and Cafés
Habous is famous across Casablanca for its Moroccan patisseries. Gâteaux aux amandes, cornes de gazelle and mhancha pastries are piled in window displays. Grab a coffee, sit under the arches and watch the quarter go about its morning.
Mahkama du Pacha
This 1940s administrative palace on the edge of the quarter has one of the finest examples of Moorish plasterwork in Casablanca — intricate zouak ceilings and carved stucco that rivals anything in Fes. Entry is sometimes possible through the gate.
Mosque du Pacha & Royal Palace Gate
The quarter frames two landmark exteriors worth photographing: the squat Mosque du Pacha with its zellige minaret, and the ornate gates of the Casablanca Royal Palace, which are closed to the public but impressive from the road.
The Mahkama du Pacha features some of the finest carved stucco in Casablanca — and very few visitors find it.
What Things Cost in Habous
Habous has more fixed-price shops than most Moroccan markets, but open stalls still welcome negotiation. These are indicative 2026 price ranges.
Petit taxi from Hassan II Mosque30–50 MAD (~$3–5)
Almond pastries (100 g)15–25 MAD (~$1.50–2.50)
Mint tea at a café10–20 MAD (~$1–2)
Ceramic tagine (small)120–280 MAD (~$12–28)
Men’s wool djellaba350–700 MAD (~$35–70)
Calligraphy print (A3)80–200 MAD (~$8–20)
Leather babouche slippers150–350 MAD (~$15–35)
Mahkama du Pacha entry (if open)20–30 MAD (~$2–3)
Tip: Bring small-denomination dirhams. Most artisan shops in Habous do not have card terminals, and ATMs inside the quarter are limited. The nearest reliable ATM clusters are on the surrounding boulevards.
How to Fit Habous into a Casablanca Day
Casablanca is Morocco's most-overlooked city for tourism, but a well-planned day covers the major stops without feeling rushed. Here is a logical sequence.
- 1
08:30
Hassan II Mosque guided tour
Morning tours (from ~09:00, indicative 120 MAD for non-Muslims) are cooler and less crowded. The guided visit takes around 50 minutes.
- 2
10:30
Taxi to Habous (~10 min)
Flag a petit taxi outside the mosque. Say "Quartier Habous" — drivers know it well. Agree on a metered or fixed price before you move.
- 3
11:00
Walk the bookshop street and arcades
Start on Rue du Prince Moulay Abdallah for calligraphy and books, then loop through the covered market arcades. Allow 60–90 minutes to browse at leisure.
- 4
12:30
Pastry break and coffee
One of several patisseries along the main arcade will be stacked with almond pastries. Sit under the arches — this is not a place to rush through.
- 5
13:15
Mahkama du Pacha exterior and palace gates
A short walk south brings you to both — photograph the palace gate, and if the Mahkama is open, step into the entrance courtyard for the stucco ceilings.
- 6
14:30
Taxi onward — Old Medina or central Casablanca
If energy allows, the Old Medina port area is 15 minutes north by taxi and offers a rawer contrast to Habous.
A private guided Casablanca day tour handles the taxi logistics, explains the architectural history and ensures Mahkama du Pacha access where possible — worth considering if you want depth rather than just a walkthrough.
Habous Casablanca FAQs
What is the Habous quarter in Casablanca?
Habous, also called the New Medina, is a planned traditional quarter built by French urban planners in the 1930s as a purpose-designed Moroccan neighbourhood separate from the colonial city centre. Unlike the organic, centuries-old medinas of Fes or Marrakech, Habous was designed from scratch with uniform arcaded streets, a central mosque, a royal palace gate and a covered market — blending Art Deco structure with Moroccan decorative detail. Today it functions as Casablanca's main artisan shopping district and one of its most pleasant places to walk.
Is Habous worth visiting in Casablanca?
Genuinely yes — and it is one of the most underrated stops in the city. Most visitors spend their entire Casablanca time at Hassan II Mosque and leave; Habous rewards the extra 30-minute taxi ride with pedestrian-friendly arcades, some of the best fixed-price craft shops in Morocco and excellent patisseries. If you enjoy medina walking without the aggressive touting that can accompany Marrakech souks, Habous is a relief: it is calm, photogenic and authentically used by Casablancans, not only tourists.
Where is the Habous market in Casablanca?
The market occupies the covered and arcaded streets within the New Medina quarter, roughly centred on Rue Arset Sidi Yahia and the streets around the Mosque du Pacha. The entire walkable area covers just a few city blocks, so it is impossible to get seriously lost. The main entrance most visitors use is from Boulevard Victor Hugo — look for the arched gateway. From Hassan II Mosque, a petit taxi takes about 10 minutes and costs around 30–40 MAD (indicative).
What can I buy in the Habous quarter?
Habous is particularly good for djellabas and kaftans (both men's and women's, in wool or summer fabrics), embroidered tablecloths and leather goods. The bookshop strip is the best place in Casablanca for Arabic-script calligraphy prints and antique Moroccan postcards. Ceramics from Fes and Safi are well represented, as are argan oil products. Prices in the fixed-price shops are honest; in the open stalls expect to negotiate. A good djellaba runs from about 350–900 MAD depending on fabric and finish.
How do I get to Habous from central Casablanca?
The easiest option is a petit taxi — hail one on any main street, agree a price or ensure the meter runs, and say "Quartier Habous" or "New Medina". From Place Mohammed V or the Hassan II Mosque vicinity, expect 25–50 MAD and 10–15 minutes depending on traffic. There is no direct tram line. Uber and Careem also operate in Casablanca and offer fixed prices, which can be useful if you prefer to avoid negotiating a fare. Driving yourself is possible but parking near the quarter is limited.
Is Habous the same as the Casablanca Medina?
No — they are two distinct areas. The Old Medina (Ancienne Médina) is the historic walled city near the port, dating back centuries, and is smaller and rougher around the edges. Habous — the New Medina — was built in the 1930s on the southern side of the city and is more spacious, cleaner and better organised for shopping. Both are worth visiting if you have a full day in Casablanca, but Habous tends to be more rewarding for craft shopping, while the Old Medina is better for urban atmosphere and the old ramparts.
What else is near Habous that I should combine with a visit?
The Royal Palace gates (Palais Royal) are immediately adjacent and worth a photograph even from outside. A short taxi ride north brings you to the Hassan II Mosque, which is the logical companion stop — do the mosque first (tours run mornings), then taxi to Habous for lunch and shopping in the afternoon. If you have time, the Mahkama du Pacha palace on the edge of Habous occasionally allows visitors through the entrance courtyard and is architecturally spectacular. A Casablanca day tour that combines all three makes efficient use of the geography.
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