Where to buy alcohol in Marrakech, Morocco

When we recently wrote about buying alcohol in Agadir in Morocco, several people asked us what the situation  was like in Marrakech. If you travel to Agadir -as it has become a more popular travel destination thanks to airlines offering cheap flights) – it’s likely you’ll take a day or weekend trip to Marrakech, since it’s one of the closest bigger cities.

Marrakech is the 5th biggest city in Morocco, and is home to the famous Jemaa el-Fnaa square. This large public area offers a multitude of stalls filled with anything from henna artists, to trinkets, to food. It’s no surprise the area around there is more traditional Muslim, and if you like to enjoy a beer you will have a very hard time finding it in a local supermarket here.

Luckily there are still some bars around, but be aware your odds of randomly finding a place are very limited. You’re better off planning this trip.

We ended up in Hôtel Tazi (Bab Agnaou، Marrakech 40000, Morocco), close to Jemaa el-Fnaa, to get a beer. Don’t expect anything fancy, the place looks like a dump. Upon entering on the ground, we found ourselves in a dodgy looking bar with fading wallpaper. There were some English tourists around, enjoying a football game. To be honest: it’s not very appealing. Luckily there’s a rooftop area that also serves alcohol. We highly recommend you head up there, since the view is quite nice and you don’t have to see any of the hotel’s godawful interior.

Beyond this we also found some shops that offered alcohol in Marrakech. Your best bet is to head to Gueliz, which is the new part of the city. We had heard the supermarket chain Acima was still selling alcohol. Unfortunately that information proved to be wrong. We asked the cashiers and they told us they no longer offered alcohol.

We found three shops we found that sold alcohol, with two of them being:

• Carrefour (Rue Tariq Bnou Ziad, Marrakech): As we found out in Agadir, Carrefour is your most reliable place to find alcohol. Just be aware you might not find any on the ground floor. Head down do the basement to find a decent selection.
• L’Atelier du Vin (87 Rue Mohammed el Beqal, Marrakech): Smallish wine shop with a decent selection.

We unfortunately don’t remember the exact location of the second one. This was a small supermarket in Gueliz with a decent alcohol selection attached to it. We found it by accident by walking through a less busy street and following the only other two white people on it. If you happen to know what this is, let me know and we will add it!