Bottled water is widely available. For some reason, it's basically impossible to find large bottles - you'll just have to buy lots of small ones (250 IQD each give or take a little). They'll be sold by vendors on the street who keep them in buckets full of ice, because electricity is very inconsistent in the whole area. Make sure they are sealed when you buy them. Don't drink the tap water - what's the point in risking it?
It is a Muslim nation so alcohol is not particularly widely available or freely consumed. However, if they can find it, visitors are advised to try the Kurdish "Arak" (there are loads of Araks throughout the Middle Eastern countries - Lebanon, Syria etc. and Kurdistan has its own version), a concoction of fermented dates and aniseed which can, as local tradition has it, "make the driest eye cry". European beers, lagers and ales are also obtainable as are locally produced wines, which make up for what they lack in sophistication with character. In other words, they're disgusting.
Where alcohol is found, however, such as in the Irbil suburb of Ainkawa (A Christian village originally accessible by a short taxi ride from downtown Irbil), the traveler will find a fairly wide selection of liquor and the prices are quite reasonable.
You wouldn't really go to Kurdistan to get drunk though - you won't find many drinking companions, if any. If you want companionship, find yourself a coffee shop to sit in.
The Most Frequently Asked Travel Questions about Iraqi Kurdistan
Where To Stay & Best Hotels in Iraqi Kurdistan - updated Apr 2024
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Iraqi Kurdistan Travel Guide from Wikitravel. Many thanks to all Wikitravel contributors. Text is available under Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0, images are available under various licenses, see each image for details.
