A journey through Moroccan architecture, Casablanca & Rabat

A trip to Morocco: Casablanca, Rabat, and much more!

From October 30th to November 3rd 2024

This trip to Casablanca and Rabat displays a new side of Morocco, the side of a modern and dynamic country that is committed to contemporary architecture.

In Casablanca, the main economic centre of Morocco, numerous new neighbourhoods are being built, with projects by international architects such as Morphosis, Didier Lefort, and Bofill, as well as architectural firms based in Morocco that manage to combine avant-garde architecture with great sensitivity and intelligence, incorporating certain features of the region’s architecture, such as latticework and wood marquetry. 

We propose an architectural journey to Morocco to discover the contrasts of a land that combines, like no other, bustling cities and deserts where time seems to stand still. A place where your senses will discover new sensations that will leave an indelible mark. Morocco is an ideal place to admire Andalusian architecture in all its splendour.

In Rabat and its neighbouring city of Salé, the spectacularity of some unique buildings stands out, such as the Grand Theatre of Rabat, designed by the late architect Zaha Hadid, or the Mohammed VI Tower, the second tallest in Africa.

In addition to the legacy of Islamic architecture in cities like Casablanca, one can also appreciate the French colonial influences and Art Deco styles that have left their mark on the city, both in its layout and architecture.

The Ville Nouvelle of Casablanca, designed by the French architect Henri Prost, is a gem of this colonial heritage, and its Mohammed V Boulevard is an example of the redevelopment of its old town. Morocco is an ideal local destination to discover different architectural perspectives.

ARCHITECTURAL TRIP ITINERARY TO MOROCCO

Download Program of the CASABLANCA-RABAT-KENITREA-CASABLANCA TRIP

Day 1- Wednesday, 30/10/2024

Arrival in Casablanca by your own means.
Lunch on your own.

Meeting at around 3:00 PM in the Hotel lobby with the group and the architect guide to get acquainted and begin the day’s visits. Our architect guide will welcome you and provide a brief explanation of the afternoon’s itinerary in Casablanca.

CASABLANCA ART DECO TOUR: CITY CENTER AND OLD MEDINA

We will start the city tours in the Old Medina by visiting the Central Market (Marché Central), located in the heart of Casablanca’s old town. The Central Market is framed by Boulevard Mohamed V and Allal Ben Abdallah Street. Architect Pierre Bousquet (who also designed the Fine Arts building) drew up the plans. The building, with its arcades and covered walkways, was built between 1918 and 1919.

Taking a short walk, we will arrive at the Rialto Cinema (Pierre Jabin, 1929), which boasts 1,300 seats, with 400 of them located in the characteristic mezzanine. Despite numerous renovations over the years, the building’s architectural style is still considered pure Art Deco.

Along the early 20th-century city expansion area, we will also see some very interesting examples of Art Deco architecture, characteristic of the city, such as the Rialto Cinema, the Central Market, or the Lincoln Hotel, currently under renovation signed by architects Oualalou + Choi.

Very close by is the Place des Nations Unies, one of the largest squares in the city. The place features a tram station, a souk, a cinema, several restaurants, luxury hotels, cafes, shops, bars, banks, and many offices. It was built in the 1970s. A tall clock tower and a metal sculpture shaped like a globe (Jean-François Zevaco, 1975) are landmarks of the square.

We will walk along Félix Houphouët-Boigny Boulevard until we reach Casa-Port train station (AREP + Groupe3 Architects, 2015). The project creates a high-speed railway link between Tangier and Casablanca. It is located in the city centre, next to the port, the marina, and the Hassan II Mosque, and it offers commercial and leisure services to its users.

Interior of Casablanca Casa Port Station

After visiting the city centre and the exterior of the mosque, we will head to Café Mood’s, where we will have the group welcome dinner (included, beverages not included) while watching the sunset over the sea.

Return to the Casablanca Hotel by your own means.

Day 2- Thursday, 31/10/2024

CASABLANCA TOUR ART DECO: FROM HABOUS TO LA LIBERTÉ

Casablanca, the largest city in Morocco, stands out for the incredible variety of architectural designs it houses. Inherited from its French colonial past, its wide boulevards host Moorish architecture, a combination of Moorish style and European Art Deco. The diversity of its skyline offers something for everyone’s taste when visiting the city for leisure or business travel.

We will start with the Mahkama du Pacha, a parliamentary building that not only houses the court of justice but also serves as a reception venue for state occasions. Its construction began in 1948 and was completed in 1952, and the architectural style of the building shows strong Moorish influences. Nearby, we find the Royal Palace, located in the beautiful neighbourhood of Habous. The residence of the King of Morocco and his family cannot be visited from the inside, but you can appreciate the colourful and opulent style of the exterior door, the walls, and the entrance to the palace.

Royal Palace, Casablanca

We will move to the Villa des Arts, located in a majestic mansion from the 1930s renovated by the architect and president of Casamémoire, Rachid Andaloussi. The building now hosts permanent and temporary exhibitions of contemporary art. Very close to the Villa are the two towers of the Twin Centre (Ricardo Bofill, 1998).

Both towers are 115 meters high, with 28 floors each, they are completely identical and house a commercial and office complex. We will continue to see the second church of Casablanca, the Cathedral of Sacré Coeur. Built in the 1930s, it was used as a place of Christian worship until the 1950s. Currently abandoned and disused, the facade still presents an impressive appearance. Two towers, crowned by vaulted bell towers, rise on either side of the arch of the main entrance.

To conclude, we will head to Mohammed V Square.

This square is surrounded by striking public buildings, such as the Wilaya and its clock tower, and the Courts of Justice, resplendent with Moorish details, on one side, and the ultra-modern Great Theater of Casablanca (Christian de Portzamparc) on the other side.

The fountain is such a popular meeting point that when it had to be demolished to build the theatre, it was reconstructed on the other side of the square.

Great Theater of Casablanca

We will head to the Central Market, this market is framed by Boulevard Mohamed V and Allal Ben Abdallah Street.

Architect Pierre Bousquet (who also designed the Fine Arts building) designed the market. The building, with its arcades and covered walkways, was constructed between 1918 and 1919.
Lunch on your own at the Central Market.

In the afternoon, we will visit the Liberty Building area in Casablanca.

During this guided tour with an architect, you’ll get to see some of the highlights that make Casablanca an incredible must-visit destination. We’ll go from Habbous to Liberty, passing by some of the city’s most significant landmarks.

With a short walk, we’ll reach the Liberty Building (Léonard Morandi, 1951). It represents the first building of this height in North Africa (78 m) and is located on the heights of Mar Sultan. Next, we’ll see the church of Notre Dame de Lourdes, a Catholic parish built in 1954 by Achille Dangleterre and engineer Gaston Zimmer. It’s a beautiful example of European modernist architecture, with colourful stained glass windows contrasting with the pale walls. We’ll conclude the visits with an interior tour and a reception at the Liberty Building (included).

Return to the Casablanca Hotel and dinner by your own means.

Day 3- Friday, 1/11/2024

Journeys to RABAT and KENITRA.

Morning: We will take a private bus from Casablanca to Rabat. 

Rabat, the capital of Morocco, is situated on the banks of the Bouregreg River and the Atlantic Ocean. It’s known for its monuments that speak of its Islamic and French colonial heritage, including the Kasbah of the Udayas. This royal fortress from the Berber era is surrounded by formal French-designed gardens and overlooks the ocean. The city’s iconic Hassan Tower, a 12th-century minaret, stands atop the ruins of a mosque.

Once in Rabat, we will have an exterior tour of the Great Theater of Rabat, a spectacular project by Zaha Hadid in Salé. Next, an exterior visit to the Mohammed VI Tower by Rafael de la Hoz and Hakim Benjelloun, completed in 2023, currently the second tallest skyscraper in Africa, after the Iconic Tower of Cairo, which is nearly 400 meters high.

 Great Theater of Rabat and Mohammed VI Tower

Visit to the new urban developments near the old zoo.

Among them, the Maisons du Zoo 1 and Maisons du Zoo 2 (Oualalou + Choi) and the Maroc Telecom Tower, from architects Jean Paul Viguier and Omar Kobbité. Visit to André Chenier school, to the WIFAQ tennis school and the Football Academy Mohammed VI in Salé, designed by G3A.

Lunch at Rabat’s seashore, in a restaurant near the Kasbah des Oudayas or in NKOA (included).

In the afternoon, we will travel by private bus from Rabat to visit the new Kenitra TGV station, designed by architects Omar Kobbité (OKA) and Silvio d’Ascia, a project awarded the UNESCO World Architecture and Design Prize in the transportation buildings category. We will conduct an exterior and interior tour of approximately 2 hours of the Kenitra-Medina Station.

Kenitra-Medina Station

The Kenitra-Medina train station is an essential transportation hub in Morocco, serving as the departure point for trains to Rabat, Casablanca, and Marrakech. Despite being located on the outskirts of the city, it is very well connected. The facilities of the Kenitra-Medina train station are spacious and bright, designed by architects Omar Kobbité Architectes and Silvio d’Ascia Architecture.

Kentira station was conceived as a jewel that frames the renewed identity of traditional Moroccan architecture in an urban context, thanks to its façade, a reinterpretation of a Moucharabieh. Combining the socio-economic and technological progress brought about by the arrival of the TGV Al Boraq, the station is a symbol of the integration of this city and Morocco with the modern world.

Return to the hotel in Casablanca on our private bus.
Dinner on your own.

Day 4 – Saturday, 2/11/2024

CASABLANCA

In the morning, we will walk through the “Marina Port” neighbourhood, a business centre with contemporary buildings by the sea, just a ten-minute bus ride from the city centre and the Hassan II Mosque.

We will continue our tour by seeing the Hassan II Bridge and the Hassan II Mosque (Michel Pinseau, 1993), one of the largest mosques in the world, with a minaret measuring 210 meters.  It took over seven years and up to 10,000 artisans to complete this intricate masterpiece.

Hassan II Mosque

The mosque was built using materials from across the country: marble from Agadir, cedar from the Middle Atlas, and granite from Tafraoute. The historical architecture of the mosque draws inspiration from Moorish designs. After the marina, we will head to the city centre to enter the Hassan II Mosque.

Next, we will visit the new neighbourhood of Casanearshore, which combines offices, facilities, and residential construction, to learn about the new developments taking place in the area, such as the residential blocks designed by G3A, the headquarters of PwC, the Ibis hotel (G3A), and the Casanearshore park.

Our next stop will be Café La Sqala where we will have lunch (group meal included), a famous restaurant that still retains the cannons of the old defensive post and houses the beautiful Andalusian garden of the fortress inside, full of life thanks to the exotic plants and mint-flavoured flowerbeds.

In the afternoon, we will visit the modern neighbourhoods of Anfa and the Finance City. We will explore the Anfa district, located to the south of Casablanca, to see recent projects such as the Tours Végétales residential complex and the GSR school complex (external visit), designed by G3A Architects.

Tours Végétals - Anfa

Later, we will have an exterior visit to the new district of Casablanca’s Financial City.

Casablanca's Financial City

End of the tour and return to the Hotel in Casablanca.

Farewell dinner (included) at Rick’s Café (or similar), famous restaurant inspired by the renowned 1942 Michael Curtis movie.

Day 5- Sunday, 3/11/2024

CASABLANCA

Free time to explore Casablanca, the largest city in Morocco, on your own.

End of the trip and return to your home country.

Contact us at info@artchitectours.com to receive more information:

* The itinerary will be finalized when the trip is definitely confirmed.
**Variations may occur in the travel program or selected visits for reasons beyond the company’s will.

HOTEL: JM Suites Hotel Eco-Friendly Casablanca 4*

Price of the trip according to the number of people:

Price for a group of 16 pax $1.225/1.150€
Price for a group of 12 pax $1.475/1.380€

Booking conditions

Registration: payment of 600€ deposit per person
Deadline to register for the trip: September 15th 2024
2nd and final payment: October 1st 2024

Cancellation Conditions

Cancellation more than 60 days before departure……………30% of the price
Between 59 and 45 days before departure………………………60% of the price
Between 44 and 30 days before departure………………………90% of the price
Less than 30 days before departure……………………………….100% of the Price