Casablanca cruise port: your day ashore with a private driver

Where cruise ships dock in Casablanca

Cruise ships berth at the Jetée Moulay Youssef, inside the working port of Casablanca. The cruise terminal there covers about 4,000 m² and houses the police and customs who process passengers. It has one cruise berth, for ships up to 350 m long. The port operator gives the distance to the city centre as about 1 km, and to Mohammed V airport as about 30 km. Casablanca is a port of call, not a turnaround port, so passengers do not start or end their cruise here.

Since 2024 the cruise port has been run by Global Ports Holding, which also runs ports such as Barcelona, Lisbon and Valletta. Passengers and bags go through a security check, as in most cruise ports.

The first view can surprise you. The berth sits among cranes, containers and fishing boats, because this is a busy commercial port, not a leisure marina. The city starts on the other side of the port gates: the old medina first, then the art deco centre behind it, and the Hassan II Mosque on the shore to the west, its 210 m minaret visible from the ship.

Can you walk into Casablanca from the cruise port?

Yes, but most people do not enjoy it. The way out of the port runs through a working harbour, and the old medina is the only sight close to the gates. The Hassan II Mosque, the Corniche and the Habous quarter are a drive away, and the Habous is in the south of the city. Cruise guides describe the walk out as long and unrewarding, and suggest a taxi or a driver arranged in advance.

There are three easy ways into the city:

• The ship's shuttle bus. Many cruise lines run one to the edge of the old medina, near the Hyatt Regency. Ask on board whether it runs and whether it is free.
• A taxi at the terminal. Taxis wait outside on ship days. Agree on the fare before you get in, and say where you want to go back to, because the driver will not wait unless you pay for it.
• A driver booked in advance. Your driver is at the meeting point when you come out, stays with you all day and drives you back to the ship.

Ship's excursion, on your own, or a private driver?

All three work. It depends on your group, your pace and how much you want to plan.

The ship's excursion is the simplest choice. Cruise lines generally wait for their own tours if they run late, which is reassuring on a short call. You share a coach and follow its schedule.

On your own is the cheapest for one or two people who like to improvise: a taxi to the mosque, a walk in the medina, a taxi back. You negotiate each fare and keep an eye on the time.

A private driver costs one price for the whole car. For a family or a group of friends, that is often less than the ship's tour per head. You choose the stops, change the plan on the day and never wait for anyone. Your driver knows how long the traffic back to the port takes at each hour.

What to do in Casablanca on a port day

The right plan depends on how long your ship stays. Count from the moment you are through the terminal, and keep at least an hour before all-aboard.

About 5 hours ashore. The Hassan II Mosque with the guided visit, then the Corniche for a coffee facing the ocean, and back through the old medina. That makes a calm morning or afternoon, with time for photos.

About 8 hours ashore. Add the Habous quarter, built from 1916 under the French protectorate, for its bookshops and Moroccan pastries. Then add lunch and the art deco centre around Place Mohammed V, with the Marché Central, where you choose fish at the stalls and a small restaurant cooks it.

10 hours or more. Casablanca in the morning and Rabat in the afternoon, or Rabat for most of the day (see below). The capital is 90 km away, about 1 h 15 each way.

Our Casablanca day tours page has more on each sight and where to eat.

A sample port day, hour by hour

Here is a day for a ship that docks at 8:00 with all-aboard at 17:30, on any day but Friday. Your driver adjusts it on the day if you want more time somewhere.

With a later all-aboard, add a longer walk on the Corniche or the Aïn Diab beaches at the end of the day. With an earlier one, skip the art deco centre and keep the mosque, the Corniche and the medina.

On a Friday call, move the mosque to the 9:00 tour or the 15:00 tour, and fill the middle of the day with the Corniche, the Habous and lunch.

Visiting the Hassan II Mosque on a port day

The mosque is the reason many cruise passengers come ashore. It was completed in 1993 and stands partly over the Atlantic on a platform. Its minaret is 210 m high, and the prayer hall holds 25,000 worshippers, with 80,000 more on the esplanade. Non-Muslims can see the inside on a guided tour, which is rare in Morocco.

Guided tour times (2026):

• Saturday to Thursday: 9:00, 10:00, 11:00, 12:00 and 15:00, plus 16:00 from 15 March to 15 September.
• Friday: 9:00, 10:00 and 15:00, plus 16:00 in summer. The midday visits stop because of Friday prayers, so on a Friday call plan the mosque for the morning or the afternoon.
• During Ramadan: Saturday to Thursday at 9:00, 10:00 and 11:00 only.

Tickets: 140 dirhams for foreign adults, 70 for students, 30 for children aged 6 and over, and free under 6.

Dress: shoulders, torso and knees covered. Shorts and sleeveless tops are not allowed inside. On a hot day, bring a light scarf or long trousers in a bag.

Your driver times the drive so you arrive for a tour time rather than waiting in the sun. From the port, the mosque is about 10 minutes by car without traffic.

Rabat from the cruise port

On a long call, Rabat is the best day trip from Casablanca. It has been a UNESCO World Heritage site since 2012, it is calmer than Casablanca, and the drive is about 1 h 15 each way on the motorway.

A typical day:

1. Leave the port at about 8:30.
2. The Hassan Tower and the Mausoleum of Mohammed V.
3. The Kasbah of the Udayas, with its blue and white lanes above the river mouth.
4. Lunch by the ocean.
5. Leave Rabat by mid-afternoon, so you are back at the port with plenty of time.

The day costs the same as a day in Casablanca: €120 for the Superb, tolls and fuel included.

The train is the cheaper way to Rabat, but the station, the timetable and the taxis at each end take time you do not have on a port day. With a driver you leave from the ship and come back to the ship.

Marrakech or Fès from the port?

Ships often sell Marrakech as an excursion from Casablanca, so many passengers ask. Marrakech is 240 km away, about 2 h 45 each way without traffic. That is five and a half hours in the car for a few hours in the city. Fès is further, about 3 h 30 each way.

We can do the day trip to Marrakech on a long call; ask us for the price. On a short call we advise against it: the day is rushed, and a traffic jam on the way back is a real risk with a ship to catch. If Marrakech matters to you, Rabat or a full day in Casablanca will feel like a better day, and Marrakech is worth a trip of its own.

Tips for your day ashore

• Check the time. Some ships keep ship's time rather than local time. Ask at the desk which time all-aboard refers to, and tell us the same one.
• Bring some dirhams. The Moroccan dirham is the local currency. Larger shops and restaurants take cards, but small cafés, market stalls and tips are easier in cash.
• Dress for the mosque if you plan the guided visit: shoulders and knees covered.
• Keep your driver's number in your phone, along with the ship's port agent number from your daily programme.
• Say no politely to unofficial guides at the gate if you have your own plan. A smile and "no, thank you" is enough.
• Leave margin. Plan to be back at the port at least an hour before all-aboard. We plan the day backwards from that time.

What it costs with Damask

A port day is a day with a driver. The price is for the whole car, whatever the number of passengers in it.

The price covers the car, the driver, the fuel and the motorway tolls, from the port and back to the port. Entry tickets, such as the guided visit of the mosque, and meals are not included. For 8 to 17 passengers we arrange a Mercedes Sprinter minibus, and a coach for larger groups, with the price on request.

For example: a family of five in the Tourneo pays €150 for the day, for all five of them. A couple in the Superb pays €120, and Rabat costs the same as Casablanca.

You can pay in cash or by bank transfer.

How to book your port day

1. Send us the details on WhatsApp or through the booking page:

- the ship's name and the date; - the docking and all-aboard times; - the number of passengers, and the age of any children if you need child seats; - what you would like to see.

1. We reply with a plan for your hours and a fixed price for the car, usually within the hour. Nothing is booked until we confirm.
2. On the day, your driver waits at the agreed meeting point: the port, or in front of the Hyatt Regency if you take the ship's shuttle. You set the pace, and the driver gets you back to the ship.

If your ship's schedule changes, tell us as soon as you know, and we adjust the plan.