12 Romantic Things to Do in Casablanca

Rick's Café — inspired by the 1942 film Casablanca — is one of the most famous restaurants in Morocco. The interior recreates the film's atmosphere with Art Deco arches, a piano bar, rattan chairs, brass fixtures, and period photographs. A pianist plays nightly (yes, they play "As Time Goes By"). The courtyard garden has a fountain and bougainvillea. The food is upscale Moroccan-Mediterranean: seafood pastilla, tagines, grilled fish, and an excellent wine list featuring Morocco's best producers. The atmosphere is cinematic and charged — everyone feels like they're in a movie. Book a table in the main room near the piano for the full experience. The service is formal but warm. This is Casablanca's signature romantic experience — even if you've never seen the film (see it before you go), the atmosphere is magical.

Casablanca has the finest collection of Art Deco architecture in Africa — a legacy of the French Protectorate era (1912–1956) when the city was rebuilt as a showcase of modern design. Walking the downtown streets together, you'll discover: the Cathédrale du Sacré-Coeur (a stunning white Art Deco church, now a cultural centre), the central market building, the Hotel Lincoln, the Cinema Rialto, and dozens of apartment buildings with geometric facades, wrought-iron balconies, and Moorish-Deco details that blend European modernism with Islamic motifs. The area around Boulevard Mohammed V and the United Nations Square is the richest concentration. The buildings are best seen in morning light when the white facades glow. The walking tour is a shared discovery — pointing out details to each other, photographing doorways and balconies, discussing the extraordinary fusion of Moroccan and French culture.

The Habous Quarter (Nouvelle Médina) — built in the 1930s as a French-designed "ideal medina" — is Casablanca's most charming neighbourhood for a morning walk. The quarter combines French urban planning (wide arcaded streets, regular blocks) with traditional Moroccan architecture (carved plaster, zellige tile, carved wood). The shops sell traditional goods: spices, olives, dried fruits, traditional clothes, leather, and Casablanca's best pastries. The Royal Palace (exterior only) anchors the southern end. The pace is gentler than the old medina and the atmosphere is authentically local. For couples, the morning walk through the arcaded streets — buying fresh pastries, admiring the architecture, drinking café at a corner café — is a relaxed, charming experience. The quarter is compact (walkable in 1–2 hours) and well-maintained.

The Twin Center — Casablanca's twin skyscrapers in the Maarif district — offers panoramic views from its upper floors. On a clear day, you can see the entire city: the white sprawl of the metropolis, the Hassan II Mosque's minaret rising above the waterfront, the Atlantic Ocean stretching to the horizon, and on the clearest days the outline of the Atlas Mountains to the south. At sunset, the city transforms — the mosque catches the last light, the ocean turns gold, and the city lights begin to sparkle. The observation experience is less developed than in European or Asian cities (no dedicated viewing platform with signage), but the view is genuine and impressive. The scale of Casablanca — Morocco's largest city by far, home to 4 million people — becomes apparent from above. Share the panorama and imagine the stories in every direction.