Marrakesh and Fez bewitch travelers with their ancient customs, and Tangier and Essaouira with their counter-culture exotica, but Casablanca, Morocco’s largest city, is a cosmopolitan Atlantic port, an alluring blend of tradition and progressiveness. With Roman roots, French city planning and a Portuguese name (later changed to Spanish) that dates to the 16th century, the city retains a midcentury elegance with modern touches, including a sleek tram system across its center. In the oldest part of town, wanderers can buy strawberries and eggs off wheeled carts, eat sandwiches fried on the spot outside the mosque, and engage with locals, who always seem willing to share their pathways through the city’s history and geography. A short taxi ride away, visitors can indulge in a luxury shopping spree at Galeries Lafayette, watch a 3-D movie or peer into a three-story aquarium. Here’s looking at you, kid.

Friday

1. To Market | noon

Unlike the overflowing mazes in Fez and other Moroccan cities, Casablanca’s central market is small and manageable. White-walled stalls with green clay tile roofs dotted with foliage make for all the Instagrammable backgrounds you’ll ever need. Vendors sell produce, nuts and dates and, in one stand, argan oil, the traditional Moroccan elixir for most everything. Linger long enough and eventually you will see the vendors line up for the call to prayer, and then join them in a quick tagine lunch, served at outdoor tables.

2. ­Juice Fast | 3 p.m.

Cafes are traditionally the province of Moroccan men, who linger over mint tea and strong coffee. The brightly colored Espace El Frutero juice bar, near the market, is a prime meeting spot for gaggles of young women, friends and students. Fruit and nuts hang from the ceiling in sacks, and you can custom-order a mixed fruit cocktail (about 20 dirhams, about $2.35 at 8.55 dirhams to the dollar).

3. Visit a Mosque | 5 p.m.

Completed in 1993 after many years in construction, the Hassan II Mosque is among Africa's largest, with one of the world's tallest minarets to boot. Thanks to its location on the waterfront, and the laser atop the minaret that beams toward Mecca, it’s one of Morocco's most striking buildings. It’s also one of the only mosques that permits non-Muslim visitors into its halls. Take a taxi over at dusk to witness local couples strolling along the shore, snacking on garbanzos sprinkled with salt or fresh potato chips sold in paper cones from pushcarts (12 dirhams) in the mist. The airy plaza in front of the mosque will be dotted with families, the children treating it as a playground, tearing up and down on their scooters. The mosque is an imposing sight but also a welcoming one; ticketed tours are available daily, in several languages, at the entrance.