La Sqala
Traditional Moroccan in an old Portuguese fortress with an Andalusian garden. Dreamy slow lunch or breakfast.
Every place links out:
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Web
✈️ The basics
Flights & stays
Mon 24 Aug · outboundTransavia · HV5749
AMSSchiphol10:15
✈
CMNCasablanca12:55
Wed 2 Sep · homeeasyJet · EJU6001
RAKMarrakech14:10
✈
AMSAmsterdam18:55
🛏️ Stay · Casablanca
L'Hostel à Casablanca
🛏️ Stay · Marrakech
Riad Malida
🕌 Leg one
Casablanca
Moodier and less touristed than the postcard cities — Atlantic air keeps it mild while Marrakech bakes. The Art Deco, flea-market, seafood-at-sunset half.
Mon24
✈️ Land & ease inArrival · take it slow
- 12:55Land in CasablancaTransavia HV5749 from Schiphol (dep 10:15). Grab a train or taxi into town.
- AftCheck in — L'Hostel à CasablancaDrop bags, breathe, first mint tea.
- EveCorniche / Ain Diab sunsetSeafront cafés, ocean air.
- EveSeafood dinnerFresh catch — or Rick's Café for pure film kitsch on night one.
Tue25
🎞️ Mosque & DecoThe city's grand + faded sides
- MornHassan II MosqueOne of few mosques non-Muslims can enter; guided visits only — book the day's slot.
- MidArt Deco downtown walkBlvd Mohammed V, Cinéma Rialto, faded 1930s grandeur.
- AftMarché Central — Abdellatif's cornerA cave of old Casablanca film posters, B&W photos and curios.
- AftCathédrale du Sacré-CœurAtmospheric Deco shell of a former cathedral.
- EveDinner at La SqalaTagines in an old Portuguese fortress garden.
Wed26
📚 Vintage, books & artDig day
- MornDerb GhallefLabyrinth flea market: vintage clothes, antiques, oddities. Haggle gently.
- MidQuartier Habous (New Medina)Colonial arcades hiding old books, prints & manuscripts. Pastry stop at Salon de Thé Bennis.
- AftBloom BooksWarm trilingual indie shop — small-press & indie titles land early.
- AftVilla des ArtsContemporary art in a lovely Deco villa.
Thu27
🚂 Rabat day tripCapital · calm, blue & historic
- MornTrain to Rabat~1h north; frequent trains to Rabat-Ville, right by the medina. Walk-up, no booking.
- MornKasbah des OudayasBlue-and-white lanes, Andalusian garden, and Café Maure over the river mouth.
- MidMedina + Rue des ConsulsCalmer, low-hassle wander; rugs and crafts. Lunch here.
- AftHassan Tower + MausoleumUnfinished 12th-c. minaret, a forest of columns, an ornate royal tomb.
- AftChellah ruinsRoman + Merinid ruins, gardens, nesting storks — atmospheric and quiet.
- EveTrain back to CasaOr dinner in Rabat first, then the late train.
Slowing down? Swap Chellah for the MMVI modern-art museum. Want surf too? Bouznika beach sits between Casa and Rabat — a morning lesson there, then Rabat after (you'll get the Kasbah + Hassan Tower, but not Chellah).
Fri28
🚆 Train to Marrakech~3h · onward
- MornONCF train, first classReserve your seat — Friday trains fill. Watch the land turn red.
🫖 Leg two
Marrakech
Base at Riad Malida the whole time — no overnights away. Medina and outdoors early and late; midday for museums, the riad pool or a hammam. One desert evening, one coast day, both dodging the furnace hours.
Fri28
🌙 Arrive & the squareSettle in
- AftInto Riad MalidaA cool courtyard is your escape hatch from the heat.
- EveJemaa el-Fnaa at duskStorytellers, musicians, food stalls firing up as it cools.
Sat29
🧵 Sidi Ghanem & medinaVintage before the Sunday closures
- MornSidi Ghanem design districtTopolina, Vintage Deco, Le Magasin Général, Lalla. Go with a driver — it's spread out.
- AftBahia Palace + souk wanderTilework, then dive into the maze.
- LateTraditional hammamThe move on a hot day — local-cheap to spa-fancy.
Why today: Sidi Ghanem mostly closes Sundays — so it lands here, not on the 30th.
Sun30
🌵 Gardens, art & desert starsMuseums by day, Agafay by night
- MornJardin Majorelle + YSL MuseumCobalt garden and fashion history. Timed tickets — book ahead.
- MidMaison de la PhotographieJewel-box photo museum with a rooftop café to hide from the sun.
- AftPool + slow hours
- Eve→Agafay desert — evening tripSunset camel, Berber dinner, stars; back ~11pm. No overnight, no midday heat. Alkamar for value, Inara for quiet.
Mon31
🌊 Essaouira day tripCoast, breeze, blue boats
- ~8amDrive to Essaouira~3h by road (no rail); cooler Atlantic air on arrival.
- MidRamparts, port & medina galleriesSkala walls, thuya-wood workshops, arts & crafts — the artists-and-writers town.
- AftSeafood off the boat + surf lessonPick your catch at the port grills, then a beginner-friendly lesson in the sheltered bay.
- EveBack to MarrakechReturn ~7–8pm. The one long driving day — worth it.
Tue1
🫖 Slow last dayBuffer · café-and-wander
- MornCafé-and-wanderLa Famille, Café Clock, Bacha Coffee, or a museum you missed.
- AftLast shoppingAnything that slipped — plus final vintage hunting.
- EveRooftop sunset dinnerNomad or Terrasse des Épices to close it out.
Wed2
✈️ Fly homeTravel morning only
- MornLeisurely breakfast + packNothing scheduled.
- ~11:30Leave the riadMenara airport is ~15 min away; be there by ~12:10.
- 14:10Fly home — easyJet EJU6001Marrakech (RAK) 14:10 → Amsterdam (AMS) 18:55.
🥘 Table
Where to eat
Curated to your taste — garden courtyards, medina rooftops, women-run kitchens and honest local spots over fussy luxury.
Casablanca
Rick's Café
Casablanca-the-film kitsch — piano, the whole bit. Go for the atmosphere and a drink more than the cooking.
Le Cabestan / La Ola
Corniche seafood with the Atlantic crashing below at sunset. What this city does best.
Maarif (neighborhood)
Not one place — the area to wander for cheap, real, everyday eating: grilled sardines, street counters, gems.
Nkoa / NOAH
One stylish, design-forward modern-Moroccan dinner; NOAH does a knockout sunset in a renovated venue.
Salon de Thé Bennis (Habous)
Traditional pastries since 1930 — gazelle horns, chebakia. Fuel-stop on your Habous dig day.
Marrakech
Nomad Book
Iconic modern-Moroccan rooftop over the spice square; inventive plates, sunset views. Always packed.
Le Jardin
Green, tiled courtyard oasis hidden in the medina. Calm lunch away from heat and noise.
Amal (Gueliz)
Non-profit training kitchen run by women using family recipes. Honest, home-style. Lunch is the move.
La Famille
Plant-filled vegetarian garden café, very aesthetic, lunch-only and seasonal. Extremely your taste.
Café Clock
Cultural café with storytelling & live-music nights and a quirky menu (yes, camel burger). Check event evenings.
Kabana / Flowers Book
Design-conscious rooftops, proper cocktails, Koutoubia-meets-Atlas views. The scene-y sunset table.
Bacha Coffee (Dar el Bacha)
A daytime coffee ritual in a jaw-dropping restored palace. Go for the setting.
Essaouira · day trip
The port grills
Pick your catch off the boats and they cook it. The experience, not just the meal.
La Table by Madada
For a proper sit-down — or a small medina spot your driver/riad recommends that day.
🛍️ The hunt
Vintage & books
Casa is your bookshop city; Marrakech is stronger for vintage, design and souk finds.
Casablanca
Derb Ghallef
Sprawling flea-market maze — vintage clothes, antiques, electronics, oddities. Go slow, haggle gently.
Quartier Habous / New Medina
Colonial arcades hiding second-hand and rare books, old prints and manuscripts in Arabic and French.
Marché Central — Abdellatif's corner
Old Casablanca film posters, black-and-white photos, curios. Peak weird-niche.
Bloom Books
Warm trilingual indie shop (FR/EN/AR); indie and small-press titles land here early. Web link goes to their Instagram.
boucharwet
Curated 80s/90s/2000s vintage store, Instagram-run — DM via the Web link for the current address/hours.
Marrakech
Sidi Ghanem
The design-district crawl: Topolina (vintage fabrics reworked into one-offs), Vintage Deco (antiques & brocante), Le Magasin Général (a colonial cabinet of curiosities), Lalla (bags from vintage carpets & denim). Not on a Sunday.
33 Rue Majorelle
Concept store of independent Moroccan designers, right by the Majorelle garden — pairs with your museum day.
The souks
Around Rahba Kedima and the old Berber auction area (Criée Berbère) — vintage rugs, brass, glassware. Where haggling actually matters.
💬 A few words
Pocket phrasebook
French gets you almost everywhere; a little Darija (Moroccan Arabic) delights people and softens every haggle. Transliteration is approximate — say it with a smile and it lands.
Hello
saySalam
frBonjour
Goodbye
sayBslama
frAu revoir
Please
say3afak (a-fak)
frS'il vous plaît
Thank you
sayShukran
frMerci
Thanks so much
sayBarak-llahu fik
frMerci beaucoup
Yes / No
sayIyeh / La
frOui / Non
No, thank you
sayLa, shukran
frNon, merci
Excuse me / sorry
saySmeh liya
frPardon
How much?
sayBsh-hal?
frC'est combien?
Too expensive
sayGhali bezzaf
frTrop cher
Just looking
sayGhir kan-tferrej
frJe regarde juste
The bill, please
sayL-hsab, 3afak
frL'addition, s'il vous plaît
Delicious
sayBnin
frDélicieux
Water
sayL-ma
frDe l'eau
Where is…?
sayFin kayn…?
frOù est…?
No problem / OK
sayMashi mushkil / wakha
frPas de problème / d'accord
Beautiful
sayZwin
frBeau / belle
🧿 Ground rules
Useful to know
Money
Cash-first (dirham, MAD). ATMs everywhere; carry small notes. The dirham is a closed currency — spend or change it back before you fly out.
Haggling
In the souks and Derb Ghallef, counter around 40–50% and be ready to walk — walking away often surfaces the real price. Prices are fixed in Sidi Ghanem, concept stores and most restaurants.
Tipping
Round up / ~10% at restaurants and cafés. A few dirham for helpers, hammam attendants, and guides.
Dress & etiquette
Smart-casual is fine anywhere. For the Hassan II Mosque, cover shoulders and knees — pack a scarf. Modest dress draws less attention generally.
Staying connected
Grab an eSIM before you fly, or a local SIM (Maroc Telecom / Orange / inwi) at the airport. Cheap data makes maps and these links work on the move — and download offline map areas for both cities.
Taxis
Petits taxis: insist on the meter ("compteur") or agree the fare first. Ride apps like inDrive and Heetch work in both cities and remove the haggle.
Faux guides
Friendly "helpers" in the medina may steer you to commission shops or ask for money. A calm, firm "La, shukran" and keep walking. Agree any price before, not after.
Photos
Ask before photographing people or stall-holders; some (especially Jemaa el-Fnaa performers) will expect a few dirham.
Water & heat
Bottled water. In Marrakech carry a bottle, sunscreen and a hat, and keep midday for shade, pool or a museum.
Fridays
Some shops and workshops slow or close around midday prayers — worth knowing for the souk and Sidi Ghanem.
🐫 Odd & wonderful
Niche Morocco trivia
Small facts to drop over mint tea — none of them the "Morocco is in Africa" kind.
World's oldest university
The University of al-Qarawiyyin in Fez was founded in 859 AD — by a woman, Fatima al-Fihri — and Guinness recognizes it as the oldest existing, continually operating degree-granting institution on Earth.
Casablanca wasn't shot in Casablanca
The 1942 film Casablanca was made almost entirely on a Warner Bros. backlot in Burbank, California. Rick's Café here is a modern homage, not a movie relic.
First to recognize the US
Morocco was the first country in the world to formally recognize the newly independent United States, in 1777 — the two nations' friendship treaty is the longest unbroken one in U.S. history.
Pigeon poop leather
Fez's centuries-old tanneries still soften hides using a mix that includes pigeon droppings, prized for their natural enzymes. That's why guides hand visitors mint leaves for the smell.
Singing sand
Some Saharan dunes, including parts of Erg Chebbi, produce a low booming or "singing" sound when large volumes of sand slide — a rare acoustic effect only a few dozen dune fields worldwide are known to make.
Tree-climbing goats
Argan trees grow almost nowhere else on Earth, and Moroccan goats really do climb into their branches to eat the fruit — a genuinely local, not staged-for-tourists, sight in the southwest.
Astapor was Essaouira
Essaouira's sea-battered ramparts played the slave city of Astapor in Game of Thrones — the walls you'll walk on your coast day.
The Red City, by law
Marrakech's ochre-pink glow isn't accidental — city regulations require buildings in the medina and beyond to be finished in that same terracotta hue.
📌 Lock it in
Book these now
You're only days out — reserve these ahead. Everything else you can walk into.
- Casablanca → Marrakech train (28 Aug)First-class seat on the ONCF app; Friday trains fill.
- Hassan II MosqueGuided visits only — buy the timed slot ahead.
- Jardin Majorelle + YSL MuseumTimed-entry tickets genuinely sell out.
- Agafay evening tripConfirm it's the evening / return format (not overnight), with hotel transfer.
- Essaouira day tripPrivate driver/tour, or a Supratours bus seat — summer buses sell out.
- Surf lesson (Essaouira)Book a lesson in the bay for your Essaouira day — or swap in a Bouznika morning on the Rabat day.
- DinnersNomad is the non-negotiable. Also Kabana/Flowers for a sunset table, plus Rick's Café and La Sqala in Casa.
No booking needed: Le Jardin · Café des Épices · La Famille · Bacha Coffee · Maarif spots · the markets · the Rabat train.
☀️ Logistics
The practical bits
Heat rhythm
Marrakech runs high-30s to 40s°C. Medina and outdoors early & late; midday for museums, pool or hammam.
Casa → Marrakech
ONCF train, ~3h. No train to Agafay or Essaouira — both are by road.
Agafay
~45 min each way. Evening trip on purpose — you go for the cool, starry part.
Getting around
Medina is walkable; use a taxi or inDrive for Sidi Ghanem, the Corniche and Derb Ghallef.
Flight home
easyJet EJU6001, 14:10 Wed 2 Sep. Sept 1 is your real last day; keep the 2nd for breakfast + airport.