Your first day in Casablanca, with BiBi.

These are the things I tell friends before they arrive.

This page prints cleanly if you would rather carry it on paper.

Arriving and getting around

The airport train runs to Casa Voyageurs, about 35 minutes. For Casa Port, change at Casa Voyageurs onto the local line.
Agree the fare before you get into a taxi, or ask the driver to use the meter. Small red taxis are for short city hops; larger white taxis cover longer distances.
Keep small notes and coins. Drivers and small shops rarely have change for large notes.
The tram is easy, cheap and safe. Buy your ticket at the machine on the platform before boarding.
Casablanca is a working city rather than a museum. Walk the Art Deco centre, the old medina and Habous, and take a taxi for anything further.

Prices are fixed in supermarkets, pharmacies, cafes, restaurants and on public transport. Do not bargain there.
In the medina and at craft stalls, bargaining is normal and friendly. Ask the price, smile and name something lower.
If you would not buy it at your own price, do not name that price.
Walking away calmly is part of the conversation, not an insult.
At food markets locals pay posted or seasonal prices. Ask rather than haggle over a kilo of tomatoes.

Breakfast is bread, olive oil, jam, msemen or harcha, with mint tea or coffee.
Lunch is the main meal. Tagine and couscous are slow dishes, so order them without being in a hurry. Friday is couscous day in many homes and restaurants.
Grilled sardines and fried fish are what this coast does best. Ask what came in that morning.
Tap water is chlorinated. Most visitors drink bottled water, and I bring some with me on the experiences.
Tipping is not obligatory. Rounding up, or a few dirhams in a cafe, is normal and appreciated.

Ask before photographing people, especially vendors and older people. A hand gesture and a smile is enough.
Some stallholders will say no. Accept it and move on.
Dress as you like, and lean towards covered shoulders and knees in the medina, in Habous and around mosques.
The Hassan II Mosque can be visited by non-Muslims on a guided tour at set times. Book or arrive early, and dress modestly.
During Ramadan many places close in the daytime. Eating and drinking discreetly in the street is the kind thing to do.

Morning: coffee and msemen near your hotel, then the Hassan II Mosque from the outside, and the esplanade along the water.
Late morning: walk into the old medina, then along to the Marche Central to see what the fish counters are doing.
Lunch: grilled fish at the market, or a tagine in the Art Deco centre.
Afternoon: the Art Deco streets around Boulevard Mohammed V, then Habous for bread, olives and pastries.
Evening: the Corniche for sunset, dinner late, as people here eat late.

Timings are deliberately loose. Check opening hours and fares before you set out.

My three Casablanca experiences, if you would like one of your days with me.