What is Casablanca like in December?

December brings Casablanca's mild Atlantic winter into full swing. Days sit around 18°C, the rain is frequent — this is one of the wettest months of the year — and the skies are often a soft, dramatic grey rolling in off the ocean. I always reassure people that it is not cold in any harsh sense; the sea keeps the worst of the chill away, and you will never see snow here. But it is damp, breezy and changeable, the opposite of the desert-Morocco postcard many arrive expecting.

I find December has a real charm if you embrace it for what it is. The city is quiet, the riads and hotels are inexpensive, and there is a cosy, slowed-down feel to the season. The rain washes the dust off the magnificent art deco facades downtown, which I think look their most handsome under brooding winter skies, and a morning spent café-hopping between showers, watching the city go about its business in the drizzle, is one of my quiet December pleasures. The Hassan II Mosque, set right on the ocean, is especially powerful under stormy skies with the Atlantic crashing below.

Nights get genuinely cool, dropping to around 9°C, and I cannot stress enough that many older buildings have little or no heating — a warm jumper and a proper jacket are essential for the evenings. The ocean is cold and wild now, firmly off-limits for swimming, and the Corniche is for bracing, windswept walks rather than lounging. There is a festive edge to parts of the city around the holidays, with some hotels and the more international districts marking the season, which can be a pleasant surprise.

My practical advice is to treat December as a quiet, atmospheric, budget-friendly culture trip rather than a sun-and-sea one. Use it to explore the mosque, the architecture, the Habous quarter, the museums and the food, planning around the rain and ducking indoors when it sweeps through. Pack warm layers, a genuinely waterproof jacket, a wind-resistant umbrella and good shoes, and December gives you a moody, intimate, well-priced side of Casablanca that most visitors never experience.