Casablanca Daily Life: The Central Market, the Moroccan Cafe Culture, the French-Moroccan Pastry Tradition, the Casablanca Transport Hub, and the Economic Activity of Morocco Capital
The Casablanca daily life route covers the Central Market as the freshest seafood source in Morocco, the Moroccan and French cafe culture on the city boulevards, the extraordinary French-Moroccan pastry tradition, the Casablanca transport hub connecting all Morocco, and the economic activity that makes Casablanca the engine of the Moroccan economy.
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Casablanca Central Market: The City Pantry
The Casablanca Central Market (Marche Central), the covered market in the Art Deco building at the center of the commercial district, is the most comprehensively stocked single fresh food market in Morocco with the fish section displaying the most complete single Atlantic seafood range in the country, the vegetable section with the fresh seasonal Moroccan produce from every agricultural region, and the flower vendor section that is the most aromatic single commercial space in the Casablanca city center. The Central Market fish section restocked from the Casablanca port auction each morning is the single most reliable source of the freshest single seafood in Morocco.
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Moroccan Cafe Culture: The Casablanca Street Corner
The Casablanca cafe culture, the most extensively developed single cafe tradition in Morocco with the boulevard corner cafe terrace in every central district serving the dark Moroccan coffee (kahwa kahla), the white coffee (kahwa hlib), and the mint tea from the most efficient single cafe service in the country, is the primary social institution of the Casablanca male urban culture and the daily meeting place that the city worker population uses for the morning catch-up, the business discussion, and the afternoon news review with the Casablanca daily newspaper. The cafe au lait and the msemen at the Casablanca 7am opening is the most energizing single Moroccan morning food experience.
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French-Moroccan Pastry: The Colonial Sweet Heritage
The Casablanca French-Moroccan pastry tradition, the most distinctive single culinary fusion in the Moroccan food culture with the French croissant, the pain au chocolat, the religieuse, and the mille-feuille served alongside the Moroccan shenba pastries, the briouat honey-walnut pastry, and the cornes de gazelle almond pastry in the same patisserie case, is the most complete single example of the colonial culinary synthesis in North Africa. The Casablanca patisserie (the Bennis Habous, the Carrousel, the Paul franchise) is the most diverse single sweet pastry market in Morocco and the most popular single consumer category in the Casablanca middle class daily food budget.
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Casablanca Transport Hub: The Morocco Connection
Casablanca is the most completely connected single transport hub in Morocco with the Mohammed V International Airport (most international flights), the Casa Port and Casa Voyageurs train stations (the fastest intercity trains to Rabat, Fes, and Marrakech), the Sidi Maarouf tramway (the most modern single urban transit system in Morocco), and the CTM bus terminal (the most intercity bus connections). The Casa Voyageurs to Marrakech direct train in 2 hours 40 minutes by the Al Boraq high-speed rail is the fastest intercity rail connection in Africa and the most technologically advanced single transport infrastructure in the Maghreb.
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Casablanca Finance City: The Morocco Economic Engine
The Casablanca economic activity - the port processing 33 million tons of cargo annually, the industrial zone producing the phosphate chemicals, the textile, and the food processing for export, and the Casablanca Stock Exchange listing the most actively traded securities in North Africa - makes the city the single most economically productive entity in the Maghreb after Egypt. The Casablanca contribution of 50 percent of Morocco's GDP from 15 percent of its population is the most concentrated single urban economic productivity in the Arab world and the development that most completely validates the French Protectorate decision to build the Morocco economic infrastructure in Casablanca rather than the historic capitals.
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Casablanca Practical: The Circuit Base
The Casablanca practical position as the Morocco circuit base - the Mohammed V Airport arrival, the night in Casablanca with the Hassan II Mosque evening visit and the Corniche dinner, the morning train to Marrakech or Fes, and the return to Casablanca for the departure flight - is the most efficient single Morocco itinerary structure for the visitor with less than 7 days. The train from the airport to Casa Voyageurs, the taxi to the hotel, and the return by the same route is the single most tested and most reliable Morocco transport circuit used by every Morocco visitor who uses Casablanca as the international gateway.