Things to Do at Villa des Arts

A white 1930s villa on Boulevard Brahim Roudani, set back from the street behind a garden with bougainvillea climbing the walls. Villa des Arts has hosted contemporary art exhibitions since 1999 in rooms with the original tiled floors and high ceilings that let natural light wash across the work. The building feels more like a collector's home than an institution - intimate, quiet, and almost always uncrowded. The Fondation ONA runs the space and the programming rotates every 6-8 weeks: painting, photography, sculpture, and mixed media by Moroccan and international artists. The quality is consistently strong and the shows often feature artists working between Moroccan tradition and global contemporary practice. A small bookshop stocks catalogs and Moroccan art publications. The garden cafe serves Moroccan mint tea (10 MAD) and is one of the more pleasant spots in Casablanca to sit and read. Free entry to exhibitions.

Villa des Arts sits on Boulevard Brahim Roudani-central enough, but you won't walk there from the main tourist areas. Take a taxi instead. It'll run you 15-25 MAD from the Medina or downtown, and drivers know the spot well enough. Local buses work too. Catch one to Boulevard Zerktouni and walk ten minutes from there-not complicated, but you'll need to know where you're going. The villa hides behind a small sign in a quiet residential stretch. Easy to miss. Look for the setback from the street, and don't expect flashy signage pointing the way.