Yes, you can drink alcohol in Morocco. It’s a Muslim country, but not a dry one — beer and wine are made here, sold in shops, and served in thousands of bars, hotels, and restaurants. As a tourist you can order a glass of wine with dinner or buy a few beers for your riad without a second thought.
There’s one rule that explains everything else, so learn it first: licensed space, not public space. Drink where alcohol is sold and served — a bar, a hotel, a licensed restaurant, your room — and you’re completely fine. Drink in the street, a park, or anywhere public, and you’ve crossed the only line that actually matters. Get that distinction and the rest is easy. Here’s how it works.
The legal reality
Alcohol is legal in Morocco. There’s no prohibition, no permit for foreigners, and the legal drinking age is 18. You’ll find a real bar and nightlife scene in the bigger cities, and plenty of Moroccans drink too.
The one piece of legal nuance: Moroccan law technically restricts selling alcohol to Muslim citizens. In practice it’s loosely enforced, and as a foreign visitor it doesn’t affect you at all. You can buy and drink freely in licensed places.
What you cannot do is drink in public. An open container on the street, a beach, or a park bench is against the law, and visible drunkenness in public can get you fined or held until you sober up. That’s why many local bars have no street-facing windows. Keep your drinking inside licensed venues or your own accommodation and you’ll never have a problem.
Where to find it
Alcohol lives in specific places here, and knowing them saves you wandering.
Bars, hotels, and restaurants. Hotel bars (three-star and up), licensed restaurants, riad rooftops, beach clubs, and nightclubs all serve openly. Mid-range and upscale restaurants that cater to visitors almost always have a drinks list. If a restaurant menu shows no drinks, it likely has no licence — asking does no harm, but don’t expect a bottle to appear from the back.
Supermarkets. This is the cheapest way to drink in your room. Carrefour and Marjane are the reliable chains with an alcohol section, usually tucked behind a partition or in a separate room, in the bigger cities only. Smaller chains and corner shops generally don’t stock it. Bring your passport; some shops still ask for ID.
Liquor shops. Dedicated stores — the French call them magasins d’alcool — sit in the modern districts of cities like Marrakech’s Gueliz. They carry Moroccan wine, beer, and imported spirits. Hours are usually around 10am to 8pm, often closed Sunday and sometimes Friday afternoons for prayers.
Where you won’t find it. Not in the medina, the souks, or the small neighborhood shop. That’s a firm cultural line — the liquor stores sit outside the old city walls. In a town like Marrakech, head to the ville nouvelle (the new town) to buy or drink, not the old quarter.
Off the beaten track — small towns, the countryside, deep rural areas — alcohol can be hard or impossible to find. Stock up in a city before you go.
What to drink
Half the fun is trying what’s actually made here, and it’s a genuine part of the culture most visitors miss.
Beer. Three local lagers run the show: Casablanca (the premium one, named after the city, and the best of them), Flag Spéciale, and Stork. They’re light, easy, and cheap in a shop.
Wine. Morocco is one of the bigger wine producers in the region, with the main vineyards around Meknès and others near Essaouira. Reds dominate, but the thing to try is gris — a pale, dry “grey” wine, almost a rosé, made mostly here. Look for labels like Guerrouane, Cellier de Meknès, or Domaine Sahari. Good bottles cost a fraction of what imported wine does.
Spirits and the local one. Imported spirits are around but pricey. The traditional Moroccan spirit is mahia, a strong fig eau-de-vie with roots in the country’s Jewish community — rare to find, but a real curiosity if you do.
And the national drink? Sweet mint tea, jokingly called “Moroccan whisky.” You’ll drink far more of that than anything else.
What it costs
Here’s the catch in an otherwise cheap country: alcohol is taxed heavily, so it’s pricier than you’d expect. The big lever is where you buy it. A local beer might be 12 to 15 dirhams in a supermarket and 40 to 60 in a hotel bar. A decent local wine runs around 80 dirhams in a shop and far more on a restaurant list.
The move is simple: if you want a quiet drink at your riad, buy from a supermarket earlier in the day. Save the bars for the atmosphere, not the value. (More on managing cash and prices in the money guide.)
Alcohol during Ramadan
This is the one time the rules tighten. During Ramadan, supermarkets and liquor shops stop selling alcohol entirely for the month — the sections are closed and curtained from the night before until after Eid. Licensed hotel bars and some upscale restaurants keep serving, mostly to tourists, but only inside the venue. If you drink during Ramadan, be especially discreet and never in public view. The full daily rhythm of traveling here during the fast is covered in the Ramadan guide.
Etiquette and a safety note
A little sensitivity goes a long way in a country where most people don’t drink.
- Keep it discreet. Drink in licensed venues or your room, never on the street or a public-facing balcony.
- Don’t get visibly drunk in public. It reads as disrespectful and can bring legal trouble.
- Don’t offer alcohol to locals unless you know they drink. Many don’t, and it can feel inappropriate.
- Never drink near a mosque or religious site.
- A nice touch: order a beer or wine in a Moroccan bar and you’ll often get free tapas — olives, nuts, sometimes a small spread, generous in places like Tangier and Agadir.
One real warning: Morocco has near-zero tolerance for drink-driving, with limits far lower than most travelers are used to. If you drink, don’t drive. Use a taxi or a ride app instead.
FAQ
Is alcohol legal in Morocco? Yes. It’s legally produced, sold, and served in licensed bars, hotels, restaurants, and shops. The drinking age is 18, and there’s no restriction on tourists buying or drinking.
Can tourists drink alcohol in Morocco? Freely, in licensed venues and private accommodation. The only firm rule is no drinking in public spaces like streets, parks, or beaches.
Where can I buy alcohol in Morocco? Carrefour and Marjane supermarkets in the cities, dedicated liquor shops in modern districts, and any licensed bar, hotel, or restaurant. Not in the medina or small corner shops.
Can you drink alcohol during Ramadan? Yes, but it’s harder. Shops stop selling for the month, while licensed hotel bars and some restaurants keep serving tourists inside the venue. Be extra discreet and never drink in public.
What’s the best Moroccan drink to try? For beer, Casablanca. For wine, the local gris — a dry grey wine made mostly here. And the non-alcoholic classic everyone drinks is sweet mint tea.
Is alcohol expensive in Morocco? Pricier than you’d expect, due to high taxes. Supermarkets and liquor shops are much cheaper than hotel bars, which mark drinks up steeply.
Can I bring alcohol into Morocco? Adults can usually bring a small duty-free allowance — around a litre of spirits and a litre of wine. Pack it in checked luggage and declare it if asked. It’s rarely worth the space, since you can buy locally.