Of all the cities in all the world, Hollywood chose this one to immortalise as the classic exotic colonial outpost. Those looking for a latter-day Humphrey Bogart round every corner will be disappointed. This is no sleepy dive. Morocco's largest city and industrial centre, it's a huge brash metropolis where traditional Moroccan burnouses (cloaks) seem out of place among the natty suits and designer sunglasses. This port city was deep in decline until the French decided to remodel it with wide boulevards, public parks and imposing Mauresque (Moorish) civic buildings. Casablanca shares the Mohammed V airport with Rabat, and regular flights are available to and from Europe and the Middle East.

What to see in Casablanca

Hassan II Mosque
A new icon of Islam, this is a truly monumental mosque, with minaret of 200m-at the size of four football fields, it is the largest mosque outside Mecca.

Colonial City
Back in 1907, when this was a centre of French colonial influence, there were just 20,000 people in Casablanca. In subsequent years the city grew rapidly, owing much to impulses given by the French colonial administrations, as is reflected in the design of the boulevards, which all converge on a square called the Place des Nation Unies. The most authentic place to revive the feeling of French colonial Morocco is Le Petit Poucet, a real 1920s café.

Nouvelle Médina
This new souk is Morocco's most exclusive and elegant, with stone arcades, clean pedestrian areas and an unusual lack of being hassled.

Old Quarter
The city's old quarter, by contrast, is an everyday outdoor theatre of life, where daily rituals are played out alongside the more unusual aspects of street life. Colours, scents and impressions take over the senses here.

Dining Out
As the most cosmopolitan city of Morocco, it is perhaps not surprising to find that Casablanca has a great offer of restaurants, from the small, informal eateries of the normal people to the grander affairs with an international reputation. One of the city's greatest culinary advantages, however, is its Atlantic seaboard, which yields a rich harvest of diverse fish and seafood.

The port
Today, Casablanca is above all a trading port and fishing harbour, but it once sheltered the Barbary Corsairs who tormented much of Europe. After sending large armadas to deal with the matter on several occasions, the Portuguese finally put an end to the Moroccan Corsairs by conquering Casablanca (and other ports), and it is from the name of their Casa Blanca (White House) stronghold, that the name Casablanca is derived.