.svg){kind=icon}
Throughout history, the city has passed through Berber, Portuguese and later French colonial rule. Morocco's largest city and economic capital, home to Africa's tallest minaret at the Hassan II Mosque, it continues to serve as the country's primary port and financial centre.
An underwhelming city by global standards with very little on offer to warrant a stay longer than a week. But with incredibly affordable accommodation, it could be an ideal base from which to explore the rest of the country.
After what could be best described as a subdued couple of weeks in neighbouring Tunis, Casablanca was the first stop on a month-long trip through Morocco.
This was my second trip to the country. I'd visited the southern cities on a road trip a decade earlier and wasn't eager to return as a base for remote work.
I had great memories. But it was chaotic, noisy and lacked the qualities I typically seek in a workspace.
I targeted the northern cities as potentially better suited, work-focused destinations, with the country's biggest commercial hub an ideal starting point.
The price of accommodation on Airbnb is one reason why you should consider a month-long stint in Casablanca. For under £800 a month you can find a modern, well-furnished apartment in a good, central area of the city without too much effort.
You can even spot viable options for under £500, which puts it at price levels that even major cities in SE Asia cannot compete with in 2025.
Compared to any of the cities I visited in the country, Casablanca felt like it comfortably had the best building stock when it comes to the availability of modern, high-quality apartment blocks.
As would be expected as the country's main commercial hub, Casablanca comfortably has the best options for coworking spaces both in terms of quality and quantity across the country.
I opted for the Zerktouni branch of the Commons chain, which I've written about in greater detail below.
From my research, Mow Coworking and 133 also looked like other solid, high-quality options worthy of further investigation.
When you're looking on the map, most of these sites are pretty spread out across the city. This dispersion reflects a lack of one core central hub or a proper downtown you may want to gravitate towards. I wasn't overly enamoured with any particular area of the city, so I'd seek to align your Airbnb within a good distance of the workspace and avoid an unnecessary commute.
Like most places throughout the country, day-to-day living costs are unparalleled across Europe. Expect to pick up a hearty local meal like a tagine for well under £5, always served with plentiful bread as an accompaniment.
An espresso from a traditional café costs around £1, whilst a simple breakfast with eggs, bread, olives and an orange juice can be found in most places for around £3. Prices for more international items can begin to creep up, but if you are interested in primarily exploring traditional Moroccan cuisine, you can live very well on a modest budget.
Taxi rides via InDrive are inexpensive, with most journeys within the city costing no more than a couple of pounds at a time.
Local beers from bars start at around £1.70 for a small bottle, with prices scaling up considerably when looking for imported items from more sophisticated outlets.
With good availability of affordable apartments and low day-to-day costs, if you are looking to operate within European working hours and remain within an hour's flight of the continent, there are few better options for those seeking to minimise their monthly expenditure as dramatically as possible.
Considering both its size and its stature as the major cosmopolitan hub of the country, Casablanca is underwhelming.
What lies at the heart of this is the layout of the city. Over time, commercial development has built away from and out of the old urban core, which can be found towards the docks, with something of a concentration of development occurring either side of the arterial road of Bd Mohammed Zerktouni.
No one area feels like it's particularly riveting to walk through. The more modern commercial developments, spread out in areas like Anfa, are somewhat separated from the true urban core and don't carry the pace and ambience of a downtown.
From a cultural perspective, if you are looking to experience a historic medina, given the city's one was rebuilt in 1755, you're better off in one of the other cities, and for conventional tourism it's always going to fall short compared to the allures of Marrakesh, Fes or Essaouira.
Like other cities in the country, the nightlife is close to non-existent, and what is there exists in a capacity which personally holds no interest.
As a result of all the above, you are left with a city that carries all the baggage of being a large metropolitan area, but with none of the fun or spark which they generally possess. Passable for a week, but very little to inspire you to book a longer stay.
Morocco operates on GMT+1 throughout most of the year, making it one hour ahead of the UK during winter months when the UK is on GMT, and perfectly aligned with UK working hours during summer when the UK observes daylight saving time (BST).
The exception is during Ramadan, when Morocco temporarily switches to GMT for approximately six weeks, though the dates vary each year as Ramadan follows the lunar calendar.
.png)
%20(1).jpg)
%20(1).jpg)
%20(1).jpg)
Casablanca is a huge city with an enormous variety of building stock, from the romantic but crumbling old city to the more modern and European-feeling Maârif.
With a strong amount of choice via Airbnb, you should be able to find a good selection in the area of your choosing.
On first look at Google Maps, there appears to be a wealth of coworking options in the city. On closer inspection, there aren't many that would excite you if you've been accustomed to the luxuries provided by higher-end options elsewhere in the world.
The space offered by the Commons chain looked like the best option, so I opted for a week pass there. There are two large open spaces for coworking on the second and third floors. Most of the seating consists of small rectangular desks and booths, but there are some dedicated desk spaces which are free to use if unoccupied. A week pass costs around £55 and gets you 24/7 access to the space.
On each floor there are several sofas and booths for making calls, and there's a traditionally ornate shaded patio area outside which is ideal for taking lunch. There's a good ambience on each floor and it doesn't feel a million miles away from what you'd expect in a WeWork. Each floor has a small kitchen with an espresso machine and water, and it's well maintained throughout the day.
The one drawback would be the scarcity of attractive options for lunch or coffee in the surrounding area. There are very few options for Moroccan cuisine, with more choice for a chow mein from one of the many Chinese restaurants than a tagine. I walked around exhaustively on foot and considering how central it is in the city, it's a rather uninspiring area to spend your entire week in.
However, on the whole, it's a solid option if passing through for a short period and I'd feel fairly confident that it's one of your best options in the city (if not the country). They don't accept payment by card, so be prepared to make a foreign bank transfer.
The weather was close to ideal during October. Not quite hot enough to carelessly enjoy the beach but perfect for exploring outdoors in shorts and a T-shirt late into the evening. The peak seasons for the country generally tend to be during spring, with autumn slightly quieter, both periods avoiding the intensity that comes with midsummer heat.
How long do you need in Casablanca? If you are just passing through on holiday, two nights over a weekend would be sufficient. It's a big city, but it's not necessarily the most riveting place to explore on foot.
A month-long stay could work well if you are planning on using it as a base to explore the rest of the country from. It has the most energy and metropolitan feel of any of the cities I visited on this trip and, given its geographical position in the country, makes many destinations candidates for weekend excursions.
However, in a similar vein to neighbouring Rabat, it doesn't have enough going for it to warrant a month there in isolation.
Casablanca isn't near the top of most people's wish lists when visiting Morocco, and this was reflected on the ground, with a conspicuous absence of foreign visitors. I'm confident I was the solitary non-Moroccan national in the coworking space I visited.
With a number of consulates and multinational businesses based within the city, you are more likely to encounter expats residing there than a typical remote work community.
.jpg)
%20(1).jpg)
%20(1).jpg)
.png)
.png)
.jpeg)
.png)
.svg)
.jpg)