Three days along Morocco's Atlantic coast, linking three very different seaboard cities: modern Casablanca, the calm capital of Rabat and the UNESCO Portuguese fortress town of El Jadida — all within an easy hour or so of each other.
Day by day
Your 3-day plan
- 1
Day 1
Casablanca: mosque, Corniche & Art Deco downtown
Start in Casablanca with a guided visit to the Hassan II Mosque on the Atlantic — one of the few in Morocco open to non-Muslims. Walk the 1920s–30s Mauresque and Art Deco downtown around Mohammed V Square and into the old medina, then finish along the Ain Diab Corniche for a seafood lunch or an ocean sunset.
- Hassan II Mosque (guided)
- Ain Diab Corniche
- Art Deco downtown
- Old medina
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Day 2
Rabat, the capital — under an hour north
Travel north to Rabat, roughly an hour by car or on the Al Boraq high-speed train. See the blue-and-white Kasbah of the Udayas above the river mouth, the Hassan Tower and Mausoleum of Mohammed V, and the Roman-and-Merinid ruins of Chellah, with time to wander Rabat's relaxed medina before returning to the coast.
- Kasbah of the Udayas
- Hassan Tower
- Mausoleum of Mohammed V
- Chellah necropolis
- 3
Day 3
El Jadida: the Portuguese Cité Portugaise & cistern
Head about 1.5 hours south down the Atlantic to El Jadida. Explore the 16th-century fortified Cité Portugaise, a UNESCO World Heritage site, and its atmospheric underground Portuguese Cistern with its mirror-like reflecting floor. Walk the sea ramparts, then — if time allows — add the quiet whitewashed medina of Azemmour on the Oum Er-Rbia river nearby before heading back.
- Cité Portugaise (UNESCO)
- Portuguese Cistern
- Sea ramparts
- Azemmour (optional)
Good to know
Practical notes
- All three cities sit on the Atlantic: Casablanca to Rabat is about an hour north (frequent trains, including the Al Boraq high-speed line), and Casablanca to El Jadida is roughly 1.5 hours (about 100 km) south.
- Base yourself in Casablanca for all three days and travel out and back, or split a night in Rabat — both work well for this route.
- Spring and autumn are the most comfortable seasons on the coast; Atlantic summers stay milder than the interior, while winter is mild but can be grey and breezy.
- A private driver makes the south-coast leg to El Jadida and Azemmour easiest; the Casablanca–Rabat hop is also very doable by train.
Frequently asked
Can you visit Casablanca, Rabat and El Jadida in 3 days?
Yes — all three are Atlantic-coast cities within about an hour or so of Casablanca. A day each comfortably covers Casablanca's Hassan II Mosque and Art Deco centre, Rabat's Udayas kasbah, Hassan Tower and Chellah, and El Jadida's UNESCO Cité Portugaise and Portuguese Cistern.
How do you get between Casablanca, Rabat and El Jadida?
Casablanca and Rabat are linked by frequent trains, including the Al Boraq high-speed line, in around an hour. El Jadida is about 1.5 hours (roughly 100 km) south of Casablanca by road, so a private driver is the most flexible way to add it.
What makes this an 'Atlantic capitals' itinerary?
It strings together three seaboard cities with very different characters — Casablanca the modern economic capital, Rabat the calm political capital, and El Jadida the old Portuguese Atlantic fortress — all along the same coast, rather than heading inland to Marrakech or the desert.
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