United Nations Square
Casablanca's beating civic heart, where the city exhales and gathers.
Place des Nations Unies — United Nations Square — is the central public square of Casablanca, the point from which the modern city radiates outward. Ringed by wide boulevards and flanked by some of the city's most recognizable architecture, it functions as the geographic and symbolic center of downtown Casa. It's not a tourist attraction in the traditional sense; it's the real pulse of the city, where ordinary Moroccan life plays out in full view — commuters crossing in every direction, cafés spilling onto the surrounding streets, and the low hum of a metropolis of nearly four million people going about its day.
The square itself is an open, paved expanse with a central fountain feature, palm trees, and the constant motion of the tramway that now cuts through the downtown area. Looking around from the middle, you get a genuine sense of Casablanca's architectural personality — a hybrid of French colonial Mauresque style, mid-century modernism, and contemporary glass towers that together tell the story of a city always in the process of reinventing itself. The nearby Hyatt Regency anchors one edge; the broad sweep of Boulevard Mohammed V leads away toward the old medina and the Central Market. It's a great place to simply orient yourself, get your bearings, and feel the city.
The square is most alive in the early evening, when the heat softens and the city's residents come out to breathe. Grab a coffee at one of the surrounding cafés, watch the tram loop past, and don't rush. The area around Place des Nations Unies connects directly to Casablanca's best walkable downtown stretch — it's the logical starting point before heading down to the Hassan II Mosque waterfront or exploring the Art Deco streets of the Ville Nouvelle.