Ville Nouvelle (Modern City)

The modern European part of town with cafes, international restaurants, and good lighting. Safer and more convenient than the medina but less authentic.

Ville Nouvelle is the modern part of town around Boulevard Pasteur and Place de France. Wide tree-lined streets instead of narrow medina alleys, French colonial buildings with banks, hotels, and upscale shops. Gran Cafe de Paris at the top of Boulevard Pasteur has been around since the 1920s - still the most famous cafe in town. You'll see students, business people, and tourists sitting outside for hours. People wear everything from traditional djellabas to Western clothes. Restaurant and cafe staff mostly speak French and English, so it's easier to get around here. Sitting alone at cafes is normal - places like Dolcy's or Alma Kitchen have women working on laptops by themselves all the time. Bars and restaurants stay open later than in the medina, until midnight or later on weekends. Police patrol regularly and the street lighting is good. It feels more like an international business district than Morocco, but if you want safety and convenience it's a good base.