A walking tour of the Marché Central—Casablanca’s lively food market—is a great way to experience local life; visiting with a guide means you learn more about regional ingredients. For the full experience, combine your tour with a seafood lunch at a market restaurant, or join a cooking class to create your own dishes under the guidance of a chef.

Explore Casablanca’s central neighborhoods on a half-day sightseeing tour. See the Royal Palace of Casablanca and admire the French colonial architecture of the Habous quarter. Tours tend also to tick off the walled Old Medina, the Sacre Coeur Cathedral and the main plazas of United Nations Place and Mohammed V Square.

Casablanca is at its most atmospheric after sunset; the best city views are from the Sky 28 bar in the Twin Center tower. After a cocktail, head to Rick’s Café for dinner. A replica of the café in cult movie Casablanca, it’s an Instagram favorite, and offs tasty tagines and live entertainment that includes belly dancing.

The seafront Hassan II Mosque is among the largest in the world and is a magnificent example of Islamic architecture. Exploring the interiors is only possible with a guide, so it’s best to visit as part of a tour. Due to its icon status, the mosque is a staple of almost all Casablanca sightseeing tours.

Soak up the scenery along the Ain Diab Corniche, a coastal road that runs south from the mosque along Casablanca’s beaches. Jump out to visit the seafront shrine of Sidi Abderrahman and then stroll along the sandy Ain Diab beach and cool off with a swim in the Atlantic.

Spend the evening at the Morocco Mall, the largest of its kind in Africa, is located right next to the beach. Open until late, it has dozens of shops, restaurants, and cafés, as well as a multiplex cinema, a luxury souk, a musical fountain, an aquarium, and even an ice rink.