Casablanca, Morocco

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WHY GO NOW?

Early summer is an excellent time to visit Casablanca. You get a gentle introduction to the combination of chaos and charm that characterises Morocco – and easy access to the ocean.

As Morocco warms up, the relative attraction of its largest city increases thanks to the coastal breezes. And visitors to Casablanca are likely to find fewer hassles than in Marrakech and Tangier.

TOUCH DOWN

Casablanca is the hub of the Moroccan air network, but the only airport in the UK that has direct flights to the city is Heathrow. British Airways (0870 850 9 850; www.ba.com) and Royal Air Maroc (020-7439 4361; www.royalairmaroc.com) compete, with fares of £189 available for travel later in May through www.opodo.co.uk.

Connections from other UK airports are available via Paris Charles de Gaulle; a typical return fare from Birmingham and Manchester is £290.

The airport is 20km out of town; the cheapest way to get there is on the train link direct from the airport to Casablanca Voyageurs station (1), taking 33 minutes for a fare of 20 dirhams (Dh20/£1.30). If you choose a cab instead, the fare will probably depend on your bargaining skills; anything below Dh160 (£10) is a good result for the half-hour journey.

GET YOUR BEARINGS

The kernel of the city is the walled Medina, though don't expect anything as exotic as Marrakech; the small, kidney-shaped area may strike you as either pleasingly clean and manageable, or over-sanitised. It is, though, brimming with life and easy to navigate.

Fanning out to the south is the modern city, where you can find some Art Deco architecture – and also some pedestrianised areas that offer respite from the thundering traffic in Morocco's commercial capital. To the west, the Corniche provides a superb antidote to city life, with a formidable beach and excellent restaurants.

CHECK IN

The beautiful Riad Dar Itrit (2) is a long way from the action, at 9 Rue de Restinga (00 212 22 360 258; www.daritrit.ma). But it is well worth the detour: a small and delicately furnished property with just three rooms; each costs €80 (£56) for two, including breakfast.

For a comfortable and rather more central – if corporate – experience, try the four-star Hotel Rivoli (3) at 44 Boulevard d'Anfa (00 212 22 434 700; www.hotelrivolicasablanca.com), where a double room costs Dh880 (£55) including breakfast.

An excellent budget alternative is the Hotel Guynemer (4) at 2 Rue Mohamed Belloul (00 212 22 275 764), which neatly combines functional bedrooms with public rooms lavishly furnished in riad style. A double room costs Dh400 (£25) including breakfast.

WINDOW SHOPPING

If you are serious about buying local products, and do not wish to test your powers of negotiation, go to the Exposition Nationale d'Artisanat (5) at 3 Avenue Hassan II (00 212 22 267 064), where prices for crafts are fixed. It opens only in the morning, 8am-noon daily. But the Medina is well worth a wander: it is liveliest early in the morning, when the cacophony of commerce provides an intense soundtrack for browsing a modest collection of handicrafts.

TAKE A HIKE

The southern end of the Medina opens on to the Place des Nations Unies (6), one of the key hubs of Casablanca, where the contrast between (relatively) ancient and modern is evident. Walk south along Avenue Hassan II, one of the broad boulevards left behind by the French colonists. About 500m south of the place stands a beautiful Art Deco post office (7), where even the letterboxes ("Etranger – Maroc – Casablanca") are beautifully tiled. The modern city's core is Place Mohammed V (8), a vast open space flanked by the original city hall, Palace of Justice and French Consulate.

Walk across the gardens to the west, turn left down to the Place de l'Unite Africaine and continue south along Boulevard Brahim Roudani to the amazing Villa des Arts (9). This art deco mansion (00 212 22 295 087) feels lived-in – yet is filled with art. The collection changes regularly, and usually features modern Moroccan artists. It opens 11am-7pm from Tuesday to Saturday, Dh10 (£0.60).

LUNCH ON THE RUN

The Central Market (10) is full of produce, some of which ends up at the collection of cafés immediately to the west, where you can pick up chicken, chips and salad for Dh20 (£1.25).

CULTURAL AFTERNOON

The second-biggest mosque in the world (after the al-Haram mosque in Mecca) dominates the skyline in Casablanca. Hassan II Mosque (11) (00 212 22 440 448) is a Nineties structure perched on the Atlantic shore. The mosque, said to have cost £400m to build, is breathtaking in terms of its decoration (opulent) and scale (vast) – the prayer hall can hold 25,000 worshippers and it's said that St Paul's Cathedral could fit inside. It is also the only working mosque in Morocco that can be entered by non- Muslims. Respectfully dressed visitors can take a tour at 2pm daily except Fridays (there are also tours at 9, 10 and 11am); price Dh100 (£6.50). Alternatively, you are free to admire the external craftsmanship at any time.

AN APERITIF

Type "Rick's Café" into Google and you get half a million results. But this is the one that counts. Of all the gin joints, in all the towns, in all the world, walk into this one.

Rick's Café (12), on the northern edge of the Medina at 248 Boulevard Sour Jdid (00 212 22 27 42 07; www.rickscafe.ma) replicates one of the most memorable locations in cinema history. A former US diplomat, Kathy Kriger, set up a company called The Usual Suspects and created this modern homage to the movie, going back to the original studio designs to get the details right. The pianist will play "As Time Goes By" while you sip a Casablanca beer or the house cocktail: Sour Djid (named after the street address), a whiskey sour with red vermouth.

DINING WITH THE LOCALS

You could stay on at Rick's for a good meal in engaging surroundings, but for award-winning nouvelle marocaine cuisine, head for the sea. On a promontory out at the end of the Corniche, A Ma Bretagne (13) (00 212 22 397 979; www.amabretagne.com) has a splendid location, and serves imaginative dishes along with excellent wines.

SUNDAY MORNING: GO TO CHURCH

The Cathedrale du Sacre Coeur (14) on Boulevard Rachidi is a rare example of an art deco cathedral; the 1930 design is a startling structure both in terms of its soaring, if austere, lines, and its very existence amidst a big Islamic city.

OUT TO BRUNCH

For a touch more French style, Patisserie de l'Opéra (15) at 50 Boulevard du 11 Janvier is a classic bakery with good, strong coffee and meltingly fresh bread. It opens 6am-1.30pm at weekends (to 6pm during the week).

TAKE A RIDE

When the heat of the city gets too much, grab a petit taxi for the Dh50 (£3) ride out to la Corniche (15), the grand seaside boulevard 5km west of town. You can wander beside the Atlantic, watch (or join in) impromptu beach football matches, and pick your ideal seafood restaurants.

A WALK IN THE PARK

Pick of the city's open spaces is Parc de la Ligue Arabe (16), an expansive public garden filled with palms – and plenty of cafés.

WRITE A POSTCARD

Place Mohammed V (8) has a huge fountain that is dazzlingly illuminated at night. Settle down amid the dusk hubbub to compose your thoughts. Alternatively, stroll through the Medina to the small garden (17) at the northern end.

ICING ON THE CAKE

Douche with panache at Casablanca's best baths. Hammam Zaiani (18) 00 212 22 319 695; www.hammamziani.ma), at 59 rue Abou Rakrak, provides steamy relaxation from 7am to 10pm daily. Basic admission starts at Dh35 (£2.15).

Additional research by Leanne Meaney and Sam Gammon