CASABLANCA, MOROCCO

We will depart the ship for the economic capital of Morocco, visiting first the Hassan II Mosque. The mosque was inaugurated in 1992 and is a masterpiece of Moroccan architecture and craftsmanship, as well as being the third largest mosque in the Islamic world.

We will depart the ship for the economic capital of Morocco, visiting first the Hassan II Mosque. The mosque was inaugurated in 1992 and is a masterpiece of Moroccan architecture and craftsmanship, as well as being the third largest mosque in the Islamic world. We will visit inside, where we are able to see the prayer hall that can accommodate more than 25,000 people, with the esplanade accommodating another 80,000. The roof of the prayer hall is retractable and in three minutes it can be transformed into a magnificent patio. Continuing our tour with a drive through the corniche, along the Atlantic coast, we then arrive at the seaside resort of Ain Diab, where a stop is made for refreshments. Proceeding through the finest residential district of Anfa, we next visit the Catholic cathedral of Notre Dame de Lourdes. From here we will go to the Habbous Quarter to enjoy a walking tour of the outside of the King’s Palace and an internal visit of the Traditional Court Palace. The last part of our tour takes us to colourful central market and Mohammed V Square, with its official administrative buildings, before finally arriving at the busy United Nations Square for some time for shopping before returning to our ship.

There is approximately 1½ hours of walking during this tour, some of which may be over uneven ground. There are several deep marble steps to negotiate in the mosque (there is not a handrail for these steps). We may not be able to visit the inside of the mosque during religious services. If we do visit the inside of the mosque, we will be required to remove our footwear and shoulders and knees should be covered. If we are visiting on a Saturday or Sunday, only an external visit of the Traditional Court palace will take place. Unfortunately it is not possible for passengers to stay on the coaches during our visits.