Shopping · Casablanca · Morocco
Shopping in Casablanca
Shopping streets, markets and souvenirs worth the suitcase space.
Updated By the AMZBooking editorial team
Photo: Sambasoccer27, CC BY-SA 4.0
Quick answer
Casablanca is better for modern shopping, fashion and food than for crafts, though the Habous souqs sell good traditional items at fair prices. Best souvenirs: Kaftans and djellabas, Argan oil and Preserved lemons and olives.
Key facts
- Shopping areas
- 4
- Markets
- 3
- Top souvenir
- Kaftans and djellabas
Where to shop
Quartier Habous
Arcaded souqs for kaftans, babouches, brass, books and olives.
Maarif
Fashion boutiques and Moroccan brands around Boulevard Zerktouni.
Morocco Mall
International brands and a large food court on the Corniche.
Gauthier
Concept stores, Moroccan designer boutiques and interiors shops on leafy streets.
Markets
Marché Central
Fish, oysters, olives, spices and flowers downtown.
Habous olive market
Mounds of olives, preserved lemons and pickles.
Old Medina
Everyday market lanes for clothing, household goods and street food.
What to buy
Kaftans and djellabas
Tailored traditional clothing from Habous workshops.
Argan oil
Cosmetic and culinary argan oil from cooperatives sold in shops and pharmacies.
Preserved lemons and olives
Jarred and vacuum-packed from the Habous market.
Moroccan pastries
Boxed cornes de gazelle from Habous pastry shops.
Brass lanterns
Pierced brass and copper lamps from the souqs.
Streets and markets worth a wander
Neighbourhood · Centre-Ville
Old Medina
Casablanca's small walled old town, between the port and Place des Nations Unies, is a working neighbourhood of lanes selling clothes, electronics and household goods rather than a showpiece medina.
- Time needed
- 1–2 hours
- Cost
- Free
- Free
- History
- Shopping
Neighbourhood · Habous
Quartier Habous
The French-planned 'new medina' of the 1930s combines Moroccan forms with ordered streets: arcaded souqs for olives, books, brass, babouches and kaftans, a small mosque and some of the city's best-known traditional pastry shops.
- Time needed
- 2 hours
- Cost
- Free
- Free
- Shopping
- Architecture
- Food
Market · Centre-Ville
Marché Central
The early 20th-century central market on Boulevard Mohammed V sells fish, oysters, olives, flowers and produce around a courtyard, and the small restaurants along its edge will cook seafood bought from the stalls.
- Time needed
- 1 hour
- Cost
- Free
- Food
- Free
- Shopping
Experience · Ain Diab and the Corniche
Morocco Mall
One of Africa's largest shopping centres, on the Corniche, with international and Moroccan brands, an aquarium and an indoor fun zone for children, plus a large musical fountain outside.
- Time needed
- 2–3 hours
- Cost
- Low cost
- Kids
- Rainy day
- Shopping
Food and drink to take home
Edible souvenirs travel best when they are dry or sealed: consider Moroccan pastries and Mint tea. Long-established pastry shops in the Quartier Habous. Check your home country's rules on bringing food and drink back.
Shopping by neighbourhood
| Area | Price level | Character |
|---|---|---|
| Centre-Ville | $$ | Art Deco boulevards, the Marché Central and budget-to-mid-range hotels |
| Casablanca Marina | $$$ | New seafront towers, a promenade and business hotels near the Hassan II Mosque |
| Gauthier and Racine | $$$ | Leafy residential streets with cafés, boutiques and restaurants |
| Maarif | $$ | Shopping streets, the Twin Center and mid-range hotels |
| Habous | $$ | The 1930s 'new medina' of arcaded souqs and pastry shops |
Paying and bargaining
Prices are in MAD. Around 10% in restaurants, a few dirhams for café service, and small tips for porters, parking attendants and guides.
- Greet shopkeepers with 'bonjour' or 'salam' before asking about prices.
- Bargaining is normal in the medina and Habous souqs but not in fixed-price shops and malls.
- Withdraw cash from bank ATMs; small cafés and taxis do not take cards.
When to shop
Shops and markets are quietest in November–February; the busiest months are August.
- June: Jazzablanca music festival (usually June or July)
- September: L'Boulevard urban music festival (usually September)
Staying near the shops
$$$ · Best for couples, food lovers, quiet stays and shopping
Gauthier and Racine
Leafy residential streets with cafés, boutiques and restaurants
Questions travellers ask
+What should I buy in Casablanca?
Kaftans and djellabas, Argan oil, Preserved lemons and olives and Moroccan pastries.
+Where is the best shopping in Casablanca?
Quartier Habous: Arcaded souqs for kaftans, babouches, brass, books and olives.
+What are the best markets in Casablanca?
Marché Central, Habous olive market and Old Medina.