Toilets and Tap Water in Marrakech: What You Need to Know

The short answer: stick to bottled water

Marrakech's mains water is treated and monitored, and residents drink it. For a stay of a few days, however, health authorities advise travellers to drink only sealed bottled water or water that has been made safe. The reason is not that the water is "dirty": a body that is not used to it reacts more easily to the germs found in water and food, and travellers' diarrhoea is the most common health problem among visitors. The simplest habit is therefore to buy bottled water, which is cheap everywhere in Morocco.

Who supplies the water in Marrakech

Water and electricity in the Marrakech area are distributed by RADEEMA (Régie autonome intercommunale de distribution d'eau et d'électricité de Marrakech). Questioned in 2022 after residents complained about the colour and taste of the water, the utility stated that the water it supplies meets Moroccan drinking water standards (NM 03.7.001 and NM 03.7.002). It added that microbiological tests are carried out every day by its own laboratories and by accredited external laboratories, on top of checks by ONEE (the national electricity and drinking water office), the provincial health delegation and the municipal hygiene office.

According to RADEEMA, the change in taste reported at the time came from a switch in supply sources caused by drought and lower rainfall. So the tap water in your riad may taste of chlorine or look slightly different from one day to the next without this being a health issue. To understand where the city's water comes from and how Morocco manages such a scarce resource, the Water Museum is an instructive visit.

What health authorities advise travellers

The official advice is consistent:

• France Diplomatie (the French foreign ministry's health page for Morocco, updated in September 2026) recommends drinking only sealed water or drinks, or water made safe by filtering, boiling or, failing that, a disinfectant. It also advises peeling fruit and vegetables or washing them in safe water, avoiding raw vegetables, shellfish, reheated dishes and cold buffets, and washing your hands often.
• Institut Pasteur, in its general advice for travellers, specifies that the bottle should be opened in front of you, that water should be boiled for one minute at a rolling boil, and recommends avoiding ice cubes and ice cream.
• The US CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) recommends factory-sealed bottled water, asking for drinks without ice, and brushing your teeth with bottled or disinfected water.

Ice, raw vegetables and brushing your teeth

In practice, this means a few simple habits: order juices and soft drinks without ice in small cafés and at stalls, keep raw salads for restaurants you trust, and choose fruit you peel yourself. Keep a bottle of water by the sink for brushing your teeth. For freshly squeezed juice, very popular on the square, ask for it to be served without ice. The dishes themselves are covered in our guide to what to eat in Marrakech.

This advice does not replace a doctor's opinion: vaccines to consider (hepatitis A, typhoid) and what to do if you have stomach trouble are covered in our guide to health in Marrakech.

Bottled water: brands and prices

Bottled water is sold in every neighbourhood grocery (hanout), supermarket, petrol station and café. The most common Moroccan brands are Sidi Ali and Bahia (Les Eaux Minérales d'Oulmès group), Aïn Saïss and Sidi Harazem (Sotherma group), as well as Aïn Ifrane. The most widespread sparkling water is Oulmès. Check that the cap is properly sealed when you buy.

Prices are low, as long as you buy in the right place:

• 1.5-litre bottle: about 5 DH in a supermarket (Sidi Ali), around 6 DH in a neighbourhood grocery.
• Small 50 cl bottle: roughly 3 to 5 DH at a grocery.
• Pack of six 1.5-litre bottles: just over 30 DH in a supermarket.
• Tourist cafés and restaurants, especially around Jemaa el-Fna square: the same bottle costs considerably more. Ask the price before ordering.

If you are staying in a riad, ask whether it offers large bottles or a filtered water dispenser: it is cheaper and saves piling up small plastic bottles.

Filter bottles and other options

A filter bottle lets you fill up at the tap, but they are not all equal. The CDC points out that a portable filter used correctly removes parasites, but not viruses or all bacteria. To cover both risks, you need a reverse osmosis system, or to combine filtering with disinfection (boiling or a disinfectant). So read the instructions: a simple "carbon" model mainly improves the taste.

The other official options still apply:

• Boiling: one minute at a rolling boil, using the kettle in your accommodation if you have one.
• Disinfectant tablets, sold in pharmacies, used according to the instructions.

Public fountains in the medina

The medina has many old fountains, such as the Mouassine fountain or the Chrob ou Chouf fountain ("drink and look"), which were long essential to neighbourhood life. They are fine witnesses to the history of water in Marrakech, but they are not meant for filling a traveller's bottle: follow the health authorities' advice and do not drink from them. The same goes for the red-costumed water sellers of Jemaa el-Fna square with their copper cups: today they mostly pose for photographs, in exchange for a coin.

Where to find toilets in Marrakech

Public toilets are rare in the medina. For a day of sightseeing, it is best to plan in advance where you can stop.

Monuments, museums and gardens

Paid sites usually have toilets, often the cleanest in town. Use them during your visit:

• Jardin Majorelle: well-kept toilets inside the grounds, accessible with your ticket (170 MAD for the garden only, booked online).
• Le Jardin Secret: free toilets for visitors at the far end of the garden near the tower entrance, and more at the entrance with a baby-changing table (100 MAD ticket).
• Cyber Parc Arsat Moulay Abdeslam: this free public garden between the Koutoubia and Guéliz has public toilets; bring your own paper.
• Museums and palaces in the medina: many have toilets for visitors, reserved for ticket holders; ask at the front desk.

Cafés and restaurants

This is the most common solution. Custom is to order something: a mint tea or a coffee is enough, for a few dirhams in a local café. The terrace cafés around Jemaa el-Fna square and those in the souks are convenient for a break, and newer restaurants often have modern facilities.

The paid toilets on Jemaa el-Fna square

Jemaa el-Fna square has paid public toilets. As in most public toilets in Morocco, you leave a few dirhams, often 1 to 3 DH, for the person who looks after them. Always carry small change; tipping customs are covered in our guide to money and tipping in Marrakech.

What to expect

Toilets in Marrakech range from very modern, in hotels, gardens and newer restaurants, to very basic in small cafés and public toilets.

• Squat toilets: still common in local cafés and public toilets. A tap or a small bucket of water is used for rinsing instead of paper.
• Toilet paper: often missing. Slip a small roll or paper tissues into your bag, along with hand sanitiser, as soap is sometimes lacking too.
• Bin next to the toilet: if a bin is provided, put the paper in it rather than in the toilet, so as not to block old pipes.
• Attendant: at the entrance to public toilets, someone sometimes hands out paper and expects a coin. It pays for keeping the place clean.

With children, these points matter even more: our guide to Marrakech with kids has more practical tips.

Excursions: the Agafay desert and beyond

On a trip to the Agafay desert, the camps where tea, dinner or the night take place have toilets, more or less comfortable depending on the standard. Out on the tracks, by quad, buggy or camel, there are none: use the camp's toilets before setting off. Bring your own bottled water, as it is hot and dry during the day, especially from May to September. On the road, drivers usually stop at cafés or petrol stations, where toilets are paid or reserved for customers.

For a trip of several days to the big dunes, the same rules apply, with desert camps that are more or less well equipped: see our guide to the Merzouga desert from Marrakech.

Summary table

Prices as checked in October 2026, for guidance only.

Further reading

To prepare the rest of your stay, our guide to health in Marrakech covers pharmacies, doctors and vaccines, and the Marrakech travel budget guide sets out daily costs. To find out when the heat makes water essential, see the best time to visit Marrakech, and to find your way through the alleys, read our medina guide.