Habbous 

The Gala Dinner will be held at the headquarter of the Grand Casablanca region. We will leave altogether from the University by bus, just after the last session on the 6th of June at 5:30pm.                 

This headquarter is a former palace located in the Habbous arabo-andalous neighborhood. The arrival at 6pm permit to enjoy one hour and a half to walk around in the streets of this medina and discover moroccan handcrafted products. If you like moroccan pastries, do not miss Bennis to enjoy "cornes de gazelle" even when you will be back home.  

You can also have a look to the Royal Palace and continue your walk in the neighborhood of Derb Sultan where you can visit a covered market. 

The dinner menu will be : 1) Pastilla 2) Roasted lamb with Tiliwine safran and diverse fruits

The Hassan II Mosque

 It is impossible to come to Casablanca and miss the Hassan II Mosque, third biggest mosque in the world after La Mecque and Medine. A guided tour of the Mosque will be offered on the 7th of June. We will leave from the University, by bus, at 5pm, drive along the sea and arrive at the Mosque. You will then discover the work of great craftsperson : marble, wood, copper work that built this architectural jewel. 

La Corniche 

La Corniche from the Mosque has just been refurbished. You can enjoy your free time to walk along the sea. If you start being hungry during your walk, the Boca Chica will welcome you, next to the lighthouse all day long. You will enjoy a wonderful view on the Mosque and the Ocean. It is also possible to visit the lighthouse after giving a small fee to the guard but be brave, there are 256 steps to reach the top. 

Finally, further on the Corniche, you can find beaches (reachable by streetcar), surf schools and Morocco Mall, biggest mall in Africa. If you are not afraid by witches and black magic, you can visit the Sidi Abderrahamne island. A lot of bars (La Paillotte with a great terrace on the sea) and nightclubs (afro-pop music at the Bao Night-Club, jazz and rock livebands at l'Armstrong) are also on the Corniche. 

Médina and City Center

If you can have a free morning during your stay at Casablanca, go to La Sqala to take a brunch, under the Orange trees. The decoration is typically moroccan and the food is very good.  

To digest your ftour (breakfast), you can then have a walk in the old medina. The products sold here are not necessarily traditionnal but the atmosphere is great. You can also admire the spanish church Santa Buena Ventura and the synagogue. A guided tour could be organized on Saturday the 8th in the morning with Casa Memoire : some architects will explain to you the specificity of the architectural heritage. By exiting the Medina from Bab Marrakech, you will arrive on the Nations Unies square. From here, you can walk through the City Center. Do not forget to look at the Art Deco buildings. Following the Mohamed V boulevard, you can find the Central Market. If you are hungry, you can buy some fish on the market and give it to cook to the snacks. If you are rather thirsty or if it is late, you can easily reach the Atomic, Casa José, Le Vertigo (which often organizes live concerts) or la Bodega where you can eat tapas and which offers theme evenings. Be aware that the basement of La Bodega becomes a night-club after 8pm. If you want thrills, the Sofitel is not far from the Nations Unies square and offers a concept of In the Dark restauration. 

If you still want to walk, you can find the Hassan II boulevard which serve the Mohamed V square, the Wilaya, the Law Court, the new theatre and the Ligue Arabe park, just refurbished. After enjoying the sun at the park, you can visit the Sacré Coeur church which welcome exhibitions or the Abderrahmane Slaoui Funndation Museum.  

Maarif

From the Sacré Coeur church, by taking Moussa Bnou Noussair street, you will go through Gauthier neighborhoor where you can find some bars and restaurants (Picasso, Irish Pub...). L'Artiste, offers sometimes belly dance shows and you can enjoy a wonderful view to the Sacré Coeur church form the James Rooftop.

At the end of Moussa Bnou Noussair, you arrive at the Twin Center. You can find international brands and typical streets. You can also visit the Maarif market. The cultural offer in the corner is quite rich. You can find some information on the program of l'Institut Français, la Villa des Arts or la FOL.  

Other activities

Concerning meals, coffee breaks and lunches will be offered at the University on the 6th and 7th. For the other meals, you can easily find salads, kebabs and tagine from 27dhs or fancier restaurants offering meals for around 80dhs. 

If you want to bring back some souvenirs from Morocco but are not confortable when prices are not written, you could probably find what you want (notably for cosmetics) at the Marché Solidaire, close to Oasis railway station. 

Finally, if you want to enjoy a hammam, you have several choices, from the most popular to the most touristic. We can advice:

- Solidarité Féminine which employs single mothers. Entrance + washing around 30dhs*, Palmier neighborhood. 

- Bains de Gauthier. Entrance + washing around 70dhs*, Gauthier neighborhood

- Gaïa Spa, with individual booth. The cheapest price is around 200dhs*

*Prices are given on an indicative basis

Possible trips

It can be nice to enjoy the weekend to visit another city in Morocco like : 

- Azemmour et El Jadida : walk in Azemmou, located at the Oum Erbia estuary then go to El Jadida with the portuguese cistern where Orson Welles shoot some scenes of the film Othello. You can also continue to Oualidia, the coastal resort with oysters and roasted seafruits on the beach at the end of the day. 

- Rabat : Administrative city with long white avenues. The Oudaïas Kasbah is notably a haven of peace. 

- Marrakech : The touristic city of Morocco. Enjoy smells, music and crowd of Jamaa El Fna square to the souks of the Medina. There are also many calm gardens like the Baia Palace or the Majorelle Garden.