Things to do · Casablanca
Anfa is the historic heart and one of the most prestigious districts of modern Casablanca, spread across the rise of land west of the city centre toward the Atlantic. Its name is the old name of the city itself: long before the Portuguese and then the French reshaped the port, the settlement here was known as Anfa. Today the district mixes leafy residential avenues and grand villas with the gleaming towers of the new Casablanca Finance City business hub, and it sits within easy reach of the Corniche seafront. Here is how to get a feel for the area and what to look out for.
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Anfa is the ancient name of Casablanca. A settlement stood on this rise above the Atlantic for centuries before the modern port city grew up around it, and the name survives today for the upscale district on the high ground west of downtown. Knowing that helps frame Anfa as the city's old core rather than just a smart suburb.
Anfa is widely regarded as one of Casablanca's most desirable and affluent neighbourhoods. Set on higher ground catching sea breezes, it is known for spacious villas, garden walls, tree-lined avenues and a quieter, greener feel than the dense city centre, which makes it a pleasant area simply to walk or drive through.
Part of the wider Anfa area has been redeveloped as Casablanca Finance City, a modern business and financial district built on the site of the city's former Anfa airport. Its contemporary towers and offices have become a symbol of Casablanca's role as an economic hub, contrasting sharply with the old villas nearby.
Anfa is tied to a famous moment of the Second World War: the 1943 Casablanca Conference, where Allied leaders met in the Anfa district to plan strategy. The episode gives the name 'Anfa' a place in modern history well beyond Morocco, and it is often mentioned when the area's past is discussed.
Beyond its famous Art Deco downtown, Casablanca's 20th-century building boom also produced striking modern villas and residences, many in districts like Anfa. Wandering the residential streets, you can spot the clean lines and period detailing of the protectorate and post-independence eras tucked behind garden walls.
Anfa sits just inland from the Atlantic seafront, so the Ain Diab Corniche, the city beaches and their cafes and beach clubs are only a short ride away. The district makes a natural pairing with an afternoon or evening on the coast, walking the promenade and watching the sun set over the ocean.
Compared with the busy medina and downtown, Anfa's leafy avenues and calmer streets make for relaxed strolling. The greener, more open character of the district is part of its appeal, and it offers a gentler way to experience everyday upscale Casablanca away from the main tourist sights.
As an affluent, modern district, the wider Anfa area is well supplied with cafes, restaurants and shops catering to residents and professionals working in the business quarter. It is an easy place to pause for a coffee or a meal between sightseeing, with a contemporary, cosmopolitan feel.
Where the medina and Habous quarter show the older city, Anfa shows Casablanca as a 21st-century economic capital. Seeing the new finance-district towers alongside the old villas and the nearby coast gives a rounded picture of how the city has grown from the ancient settlement of Anfa into Morocco's largest metropolis.
Anfa is less a single must-see monument than an area to experience, so it pairs well with other west-side sights. Many visitors combine a look at the district and its modern business quarter with the Hassan II Mosque, the Corniche and the Morocco Mall to round out a half-day exploring western Casablanca.
Anfa is a historic and upscale district on the high ground west of central Casablanca, toward the Atlantic. Its name is the old name of Casablanca itself, and today it is known for its grand villas, leafy avenues and the modern Casablanca Finance City business quarter, with the Corniche seafront close by.
Anfa is the ancient name of the settlement that became Casablanca, so it represents the city's old core. It is also remembered for the 1943 Casablanca Conference, a key Second World War meeting of Allied leaders held in the Anfa district.
Anfa is more an area to experience than a single monument. It is worth a look for its upscale, leafy character, its modern finance-district towers and its closeness to the Corniche and beaches. It pairs naturally with the Hassan II Mosque, the seafront and the Morocco Mall on a tour of western Casablanca.
Casablanca Finance City is a modern business and financial district developed in the Anfa area, on the site of the city's former Anfa airport. Its contemporary towers have become a symbol of Casablanca's role as an economic hub and contrast with the older villas and avenues of the surrounding district.
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