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Place Mohammed V, Casablanca - Things to Do at Place Mohammed V

Things to Do at Place Mohammed V

Complete Guide to Place Mohammed V in Casablanca

About Place Mohammed V

Place Mohammed V sits at the ceremonial heart of Casablanca, and if you want to understand why this city feels different from every other Moroccan metropolis, this square is a good place to start. French colonial planners laid it out in the 1920s and 30s, aiming for grandeur, and they largely pulled it off. Colonnaded facades in a Moorish-Mauresque hybrid style ring the perimeter. The stone stays cool and cream-colored in afternoon light. Carved plasterwork catches shadows that shift by the hour. In the evenings the central fountain fires up in colored illuminations. Water catches reds and greens while office workers cut across the plaza, briefcases in hand, pigeons scattering underfoot. Place Mohammed V functions less as a leisure spot and more as Casablanca's administrative spine. The Prefecture, the Palais de Justice, the Banque Al-Maghrib, and the Post Office all face the square. This gives it a formal, purposeful energy even on weekends. You'll hear the low rumble of city traffic from Boulevard Mohammed V just beyond. Occasionally the distant call to prayer echoes off stone buildings. Intermittent percussion of fountain water joins in. It smells of exhaust and, oddly, of fresh bread drifting from a side street. That detail reminds you this is a working city, not a preserved museum piece. Locals use the square as a navigational anchor rather than a destination. This is a decent indication of its character: essential, impressive, not quite cozy. For visitors it rewards slow walking and upward gazing. The architectural detailing reveals itself gradually. Horseshoe arches, zellige tilework on the fountain surround, bronze lamp standards. The scale of the ensemble only lands once you've walked the full perimeter.

What to See & Do

The Illuminated Fountain

The centerpiece is a broad circular fountain that comes into its own after dark. Colored lights refract through water jets in shifting sequences of amber, emerald, and deep red. By day it's handsome enough. The zellige mosaic surround is worth crouching down to examine closely. Geometric patterns tessellate in blues and whites. The evening transformation is something else. Mist from the jets carries a faint cool dampness across the plaza on warm nights. A welcome contrast to the day's heat.

The Palais de Justice

The courthouse anchoring the south side is one of Casablanca's finest Mauresque buildings. Architect Joseph Marrast designed it in the 1920s. The result feels both monumental and intricate. Massive carved stone arches rise above the entrance. Ornate cornicing rewards binocular-level attention. The roofline echoes traditional Moroccan forms without being imitative. You can't enter without business inside. The exterior alone justifies lingering on the steps opposite.

Banque Al-Maghrib Building

Morocco's central bank occupies one of the square's most photogenic facades. It's a confident colonial structure with Moorish decorative overlays that feel unified rather than cobbled together. The warm sandstone glows well in the hour before sunset. Carved details cast long shadows that make the surface read almost like bas-relief sculpture. The main entrance doors are impressively oversized bronze. They exist purely to communicate institutional permanence.

Wilaya (Prefecture) Building

The regional government headquarters faces the square with a colonnaded arcade at ground level. This gives pedestrians shade even at midday. The arches frame the square nicely if you're composing photographs. Ochre-tinted render catches the Casablanca light in late afternoon. The warmth softens the building's official bearing. Ceremonial events use the square as their stage. Military parades on national holidays develop here, with the Wilaya as backdrop.

The Grand Post Office

The main post office on the square's edge is a Mauresque beauty that most visitors walk past. Step through the heavy wooden doors. Inside opens into a high-ceilinged hall with an ornate plasterwork ceiling. It's cooler than outside, quieter, and surprisingly serene. Counter staff are used to tourists wandering in to look at the architecture. Buying a stamp or postcard keeps the transaction mutual.

Practical Information

Opening Hours

The square itself is publicly accessible at all hours. Fountain illuminations typically run from dusk until around midnight. The schedule can shift around national holidays and official ceremonies. Individual buildings around the perimeter keep standard government and banking hours. They're generally closed Friday afternoons and weekends.

Tickets & Pricing

No entry fee. Place Mohammed V is a public square and free to visit at any time. The interior of the Post Office is accessible during business hours without charge. Other buildings around the square are government institutions not open to general visitors.

Best Time to Visit

Early morning on weekdays offers the square at its quietest. You can examine the architecture without much foot traffic. The light is soft and raking across the stone facades. The evening fountain show makes a post-dinner visit equally worthwhile. The square feels alive in a different register after dark. Colored water reflections shimmer. The air is cooler.

Suggested Duration

Thirty to forty-five minutes covers a thorough circuit. That's enough time to examine the fountain and facades, plus a pause inside the Post Office. Factor in additional time if you want to sit and sketch. Photograph methodically. Or simply absorb the scale of the ensemble from multiple angles.

Getting There

Place Mohammed V sits in central Casablanca's city center, making it straightforward to reach by most means. The tramway (Casablanca Tramway Line 1) has a stop close to the square. It's a budget-friendly option that connects efficiently to the Hassan II Mosque area and the Ain Diab coast. Petit taxis are plentiful throughout the city center and tend to be the most direct option from most neighborhoods. Agree on the meter before setting off. From Casa-Voyageurs or Casa-Port train stations, the square is a manageable walk through the city center. A short taxi ride works if the heat or luggage makes walking less appealing.

Things to Do Nearby

Quartier Habous (New Medina)
A twenty-minute walk south brings you to the Habous quarter, a planned medina built by the French in the 1930s as a model Arab town. The result is quietly fascinating. The souks feel less chaotic than in older medinas. The patisseries sell excellent msemen alongside almond pastries. The pace is calmer. It pairs well with Place Mohammed V as a study in how colonial planners approached Moroccan urbanism from two different angles.
Mohammed V Avenue
The grand boulevard extending from the square is itself worth a slow walk. The Mauresque facades lining both sides represent some of the best-preserved colonial commercial architecture in North Africa. The avenue connects Place Mohammed V to the old port area. Covered arcades make midday exploration tolerable even in summer heat.
Sacré-Cœur Cathedral
A short walk from the square through the administrative district brings you to the old French cathedral, now a cultural center rather than an active church. The exterior is arresting. It's a desert Gothic hybrid in white concrete, entirely incongruous and somehow compelling. Worth the detour for the architectural strangeness alone.
The Old Medina
Casablanca's medina is not the labyrinthine ancient affair you find in Fez or Marrakech. It's compact, slightly scrappy, and more authentic for it. The entry points are a short walk from Place Mohammed V. The interior has a neighborhood quality: workshops at street level, the smell of cedar and machine oil, the sound of hammering metal from a coppersmith's alley. Worth an hour of wandering without expectations.
Twin Center Towers
Visible from the square on clear days, the Twin Center skyscrapers in the Maarif district offer a useful counterpoint to the colonial architecture at your feet. Casablanca's commercial ambitions are modern and unapologetic. The base of the towers has a mall if you need air conditioning or a Western coffee chain. The contrast with Place Mohammed V's colonial gravitas is telling.

Tips & Advice

Come back twice. Once in the morning for the architecture and once after dinner for the fountain. They're meaningfully different experiences. The square is compact enough that neither visit needs to be long.
The fountain illuminations don't run on a fixed timetable during special events and national holidays. If you're visiting around a public celebration, the square may be closed to general access entirely or set up for ceremonies.
Photographers should know that the best facade light on the Palais de Justice is in the late afternoon when the sun is low to the west. The carved stone details practically glow. Morning light favors the Banque Al-Maghrib side of the square.
The covered arcades on the ground floors of several square-facing buildings are legitimate shortcuts in heavy rain. Casablanca's winters can be wet. The colonnades are technically public thoroughfares, not private property.

Tours & Activities at Place Mohammed V

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