Discovering...
Skip the tap water, embrace the orange juice, and work out where to find Pom's — a no-nonsense guide to staying hydrated and drinking well across Morocco.
Yasmine El Amrani· Marrakech & Atlas Editor
Marrakech-born travel writer who has spent the last decade walking the medina’s souks and the High Atlas trails above Imlil. She covers the Red City, Berber villages and day trips into the mountains. Marrakech · 12+ years covering Morocco
Published 7 July 2024 Last updated 10 April 2026
Tap water in Morocco is not reliably safe to drink for most visitors — stick to sealed bottled water, which costs almost nothing and is available everywhere from corner hanouts to supermarkets. Beyond that essential rule, Morocco's drink culture is genuinely worth exploring: the country has one of the world's great orange juice traditions, a mint tea ceremony embedded in every social interaction, and local soft drinks you won't find outside North Africa.
This guide covers water safety in plain terms, lists what bottled water actually costs (spoiler: very little, unless you buy from a tourist stall), and introduces the six non-alcoholic drinks every visitor should try. Whether you are asking “can I brush my teeth with the tap water” or wondering why those stacks of oranges at Jemaa el-Fna look so dramatic, you will find the answer below.
Tap water is the only option you should actively avoid. Everything else below is safe when bought from a reputable source.
| Option | Safe? | Indicative cost |
|---|---|---|
| Tap water | Free | |
| Bottled still water (0.5 L) | 3–5 MAD (~$0.30) | |
| Bottled still water (1.5 L) | 6–10 MAD (~$0.60) | |
| Filtered water (riads/hotels) | Often included | |
| Sparkling water | 6–12 MAD |
All MAD prices are indicative / from supermarket shelf prices as of 2026. Tourist venues charge significantly more.
A 1.5-litre bottle from a supermarket costs 6–10 MAD. The same bottle from a medina restaurant can cost 25–35 MAD. The difference is where you buy it, not what's inside.
Marjane, Carrefour, Label'Vie and BIM all stock Sidi Ali and Sidi Harazem at honest shelf prices. Buy a large bottle at the start of each day and refill your daypack. Every Moroccan city has at least one.
The tiny shops lining every medina street are slightly pricier than supermarkets but still cheap — 8–12 MAD for 1.5 litres. They are open late and require no navigation out of the historic quarter.
A 500 ml bottle at a riad minibar or prominent tourist stall can cost 20–30 MAD. Fine as a one-off, terrible as a strategy for a week in the heat.
Sourced from springs in the Middle Atlas mountains near Meknès, Oulmès is Morocco's premium sparkling water. It tastes markedly better than still water after a dusty afternoon in the souks and costs 10–14 MAD for a large bottle.
“Refusing mint tea is mildly impolite. Accepting it is how every real conversation starts.”
Morocco does not revolve around alcohol — which means the non-alcoholic drink culture is genuinely developed. These are the ones worth going out of your way to find.
Morocco grows some of the world’s sweetest navel oranges in the Souss Valley near Agadir, and the juice is pressed to order. The rows of stacked fruit at Jemaa el-Fna are one of the most photographed sights in Africa. At tourist stalls, expect to pay 15–25 MAD; the same glass costs 4–8 MAD from a local café a few streets back.
Gunpowder green tea, a fistful of fresh spearmint, and enough sugar to make a dentist wince — poured theatrically from height to build a froth. Refusing a glass when offered is mildly rude; accepting it is the correct way to open any negotiation or conversation. It is served hot regardless of the season.
Pom’s is Morocco’s own orange-flavoured soda, made locally and far sweeter than European equivalents. You will see it in every corner hanout from Tangier to Zagora. It is the default fizzy drink when Coca-Cola is not what you want.
Flag Spéciale is Morocco’s national lager, but the country also produces a non-alcoholic malt version for observant Muslims. It tastes broadly like malt beer and is widely available even in areas where alcohol is not sold. Look for the label marking 'sans alcool'.
Thick blended avocado with milk and honey has taken off in Moroccan cafés over the last decade, particularly in Agadir where avocados are grown locally. Some versions add almond or argan oil for extra richness. A filling, energising mid-morning option.
Moroccan café au lait — half strong espresso-style coffee, half hot frothy milk — sometimes spiced with cardamom or ras el hanout in upmarket spots. Ordered at a traditional café with a msemen (layered flatbread) for breakfast, this is the closest Morocco gets to a sit-down coffee ritual.
The rows of stacked oranges in Jemaa el-Fna are one of those sights that hits you before you can even explain why. There can be forty stalls, each with a small mountain of fruit and a manual press, each with a vendor calling out to passing tourists. At peak season the square smells of citrus from fifty metres away.
The juice is genuinely excellent — Morocco's Souss Valley around Agadir is one of the world's premier orange-growing regions, and the Navel varieties harvested from November to March are particularly sweet. The tourist stall price (15–25 MAD for a large glass) is many times what a local pays but still cheap by European standards. The key is to sit down, enjoy the spectacle, and not compare it to the 4 MAD glass you could get at a café off Rue de Bab Doukkala.
Outside Marrakech, fresh juice is equally easy to find. Fes has excellent pomegranate juice (grenadine fraîche) pressed from local fruit in autumn; Agadir juice bars serve thick avocado smoothies year-round; and in Tangier, the influence of Spanish café culture means freshly squeezed orange juice arrives with breakfast at most cafés as a matter of course.
Tap water in Morocco's cities is technically treated to WHO standards, but most travellers and locals alike avoid drinking it directly. Ageing pipes, high mineral content, and variable chlorine levels mean the water that arrives at your tap is not what left the treatment plant. Stomach upsets are common enough that even Moroccan residents in cities often drink bottled water at home. The simple rule: use tap water for brushing teeth, rinsing, and showering, but drink sealed bottled water throughout your trip.
Yes — bottled water is the universally accepted choice for travellers and costs almost nothing. A 1.5-litre bottle of Sidi Ali or Sidi Harazem from a supermarket or corner hanout runs 6–10 MAD (about $0.60). Avoid buying from hotel minibars, which can charge five times the street price. In summer heat, a litre per hour is not unusual if you are walking medinas or hiking; in mild weather, two to three litres a day is usually enough. Some upmarket riads now provide filtered water in glass carafes — always check it is sealed or the riad has confirmed the filtration system.
Morocco is among the top orange-producing countries in the world, with the Souss-Massa Valley around Agadir growing Navel and Valencia varieties of exceptional sweetness. The dozens of juice stalls in Jemaa el-Fna square in Marrakech — each stacked high with bright oranges — are a direct expression of that abundance. Juice is pressed to order in a mechanical squeezer, poured into a glass, and handed over in under a minute. The stalls in the main square charge tourists premium rates (15–25 MAD); wander a few streets off into the souks and the same glass costs 4–8 MAD from a local café.
Beyond mint tea, which appears everywhere, the most distinctly Moroccan options are: Pom's (a sweet locally produced orange soda, 5–8 MAD), Oulmès sparkling mineral water from the Middle Atlas (refreshing and not as sweet as sodas), the non-alcoholic version of Flag Spéciale malt drink (common in conservative areas), and fresh-pressed juice — not just orange but pomegranate (grenada), strawberry in season, and avocado smoothies in Agadir and Marrakech. International brands like Coca-Cola and Sprite are also everywhere and competitively priced.
Bought from a supermarket like Marjane, BIM or Carrefour, a 500 ml bottle costs 3–5 MAD (roughly $0.30) and a 1.5-litre bottle costs 6–10 MAD (around $0.60). From a corner hanout (convenience store) expect to pay slightly more, 5–8 MAD for the small size. Tourist restaurants mark up water significantly — 15–30 MAD for a restaurant-table bottle is common in Marrakech medina. The best strategy is to carry a large bottle refilled from supermarket stock. Never buy water from unlabelled refill stations without verifying the source.
Yes — brushing teeth with Moroccan tap water is generally fine. The chlorine treatment kills the main pathogens, and the small amount of water involved in tooth-brushing is unlikely to cause problems even if the mineral levels are higher than you are used to. Travellers with very sensitive digestive systems sometimes prefer bottled water for rinsing, but this is cautious rather than medically necessary. The risk comes from drinking a meaningful quantity of tap water, not from incidental contact.
No — Moroccan mint tea (atay in Darija) contains no alcohol whatsoever. It is made from gunpowder green tea, fresh spearmint leaves, and a generous amount of sugar, then poured from height to create a froth before serving. It is drunk freely by people of all ages, in all settings, including mosques and religious festivals. In a country where the majority Muslim population does not drink alcohol, mint tea functions as the universal social drink — the equivalent of what beer or wine might be in other hospitality cultures.
Plan it with a local expert
Crafting extraordinary journeys through Morocco's timeless landscapes. 100% private journeys, handcrafted around you.
from $2,054Essential Morocco: Imperial Cities Circuit
from $5,978Sahara to Sea: Morocco Complete