Is the tap water safe to drink? A country-by-country guide

US public tap water is regulated under federal safety standards and is safe to drink almost everywhere, including from drinking fountains and in restaurants, where free tap water is the norm. Taste varies city to city with the local source and treatment.

The exceptions are specific local advisories (a boil notice after a main break, or a known legacy-pipe problem in a particular city), and private wells in rural areas, which are not federally regulated and rely on the owner to test them. Absent a posted advisory, public-supply tap is fine.

The catch: Carry a refillable bottle: free water fountains and refills are widely available, and restaurants serve tap water on request at no charge.

Source: US EPA: ground water and drinking water

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UK tap water is among the most strictly regulated in the world and is safe to drink everywhere, including in London. Licensed premises (places that serve alcohol) in England, Wales and Scotland must provide free tap water on request.

Hard water in the south and east (London included) leaves limescale and a slightly different taste, but that is a mineral-content thing, not a safety one.

The catch: Ask for "tap water" specifically in a restaurant, otherwise you may be brought bottled and charged for it.

Source: Drinking Water Inspectorate (UK)

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Ireland’s public tap water is treated to EU standards and is generally safe to drink, in Dublin and the main towns alike.

Some rural areas occasionally see a temporary boil-water notice after heavy rain or a treatment issue, and these are announced locally by Uisce Éireann (Irish Water). Outside such notices, the tap is fine.

The catch: If you are staying somewhere rural, glance at local notices: short-term boil advisories do crop up after storms.

Source: Uisce Éireann (Irish Water)

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French tap water (l’eau du robinet) is safe to drink throughout the country, Paris included, and restaurants will bring a free carafe d’eau on request.

Taste varies by region with the mineral content, which is partly why bottled mineral water is so popular culturally, but that is preference, not safety.

The catch: Ask for "une carafe d’eau" and you get free tap water at the table rather than a paid bottle.

Source: Ministère de la Santé (France): eau du robinet

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Mainland Spanish tap water is safe to drink, including in Madrid (whose mountain-sourced water is well regarded) and Barcelona. The reason you see so much bottled water is taste: along the Mediterranean coast and on parts of the islands the water is hard and noticeably chlorinated, so many locals prefer bottled.

On some of the Canary and Balearic islands the supply is desalinated; it is treated and safe, but the taste puts a lot of people off, so bottled is common there.

The catch: Safe but often not tasty on the coast and islands. If the chlorine taste bothers you, a filter bottle helps.

Source: Ministerio de Sanidad (Spain): agua de consumo humano

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Portuguese tap water is safe to drink in Lisbon, Porto and across the mainland. Quality is high and the water authority reports very strong compliance.

As elsewhere, taste varies a little by region, and some visitors prefer bottled for that reason rather than any safety concern.

The catch: No real catch on the mainland. On Madeira and the Azores the tap is also generally fine in the main towns.

Source: ERSAR (Portuguese water regulator)

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Italian tap water is safe to drink, and Rome is famous for it: the cast-iron street fountains known as nasoni run constantly with cold, drinkable water you can refill from for free. Florence, Milan and the other big cities are fine too.

In a few southern areas and on some smaller islands the local supply can be harder or less reliable, so ask locally if you are off the beaten track, but in the major destinations the tap is good.

The catch: Look for Rome’s nasoni fountains: free, cold and drinkable. A fountain or tap marked "acqua non potabile" (not drinkable) is the rare exception, and it will say so.

Source: Istituto Superiore di Sanità (Italy)

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German tap water (Leitungswasser) is among the best regulated in Europe and is safe to drink everywhere, Berlin included.

The cultural quirk is that restaurants lean toward selling bottled (often sparkling) water and may look mildly surprised at a request for tap, but the tap itself is excellent.

The catch: Tap is great, but in restaurants you will usually be offered bottled; ask for "Leitungswasser" if you specifically want tap.

Source: Umweltbundesamt (Germany): drinking water

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Austria has some of the best tap water anywhere. Vienna’s supply is piped straight from Alpine springs and is famously pure, so there is no reason to buy bottled in the city.

The same high quality holds across the country. You can drink freely from the tap and from the public spring fountains in Vienna.

The catch: None worth worrying about: Vienna’s mountain spring water is a point of local pride. Bring a refillable bottle.

Source: Stadt Wien: drinking water

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Dutch tap water is consistently rated among the cleanest in the world and is safe to drink everywhere, Amsterdam included. Notably, it is delivered without chlorine, so it tastes clean rather than treated.

There is simply no need to buy bottled water here for safety reasons.

The catch: No catch. The tap water is so good that buying bottled is mostly a waste of money.

Source: Vewin (Dutch water companies)

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Czech tap water is safe to drink, in Prague and across the country. Quality is monitored to EU standards and is reliably good.

Restaurants tend to sell bottled water and may not offer tap by default, but the tap itself is fine to drink.

The catch: Tap is fine; in restaurants you will often need to ask specifically rather than be offered it.

Source: Státní zdravotní ústav (Czech NIPH)

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Hungarian tap water is safe to drink, including in Budapest, and meets EU drinking-water standards.

Budapest also sits on a famous network of thermal springs, but that is for the baths, not for drinking; the ordinary tap supply is what you fill your bottle from.

The catch: Drink from the tap, not the thermal spas. The bath water is mineral-rich and not for drinking.

Source: Hungary National Centre for Public Health and Pharmacy (NNGYK)

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On the Greek mainland, including Athens and Thessaloniki, the tap water is treated and safe to drink. Athens in particular has good-quality supply.

The islands are the real caveat. On many smaller, arid islands, especially popular Cyclades like Santorini and Mykonos, the local water is brackish or desalinated and bottled is commonly recommended or simply preferred, so islanders and hotels rely on it. Not every island is the same, so check locally when you island-hop.

The catch: Mainland tap is fine; on the drier islands assume bottled unless your hotel says the tap is drinkable.

Source: EYDAP (Athens water utility)

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Tap water in Turkey is chlorinated and used for washing and cooking, but it is widely not recommended for drinking, in Istanbul and beyond. Ageing pipes and rooftop storage tanks mean the water that reaches the tap can pick up contaminants even when it leaves the plant treated.

Locals overwhelmingly drink bottled water, which is cheap and sold everywhere. That is the safe and normal choice for visitors too.

The catch: Drink bottled (sealed) water. It is inexpensive and what residents drink as well. Tap is fine for brushing teeth and showering.

Source: CDC Travelers’ Health: Türkiye

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The UAE’s tap water is mostly desalinated and leaves the plant meeting safety standards. In Dubai and Abu Dhabi it is, in principle, safe to drink. The hesitation is what happens after that: water is stored in building rooftop tanks that are not always well maintained, which can affect quality and taste by the time it reaches your tap.

For that reason most residents and hotels use bottled or filtered water for drinking, and that is the easy default for visitors.

The catch: Safe at the source, but bottled or filtered is the norm because of building storage tanks. Hotels provide bottled water.

Source: DEWA (Dubai Electricity & Water Authority)

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Japanese tap water is safe to drink throughout the country, Tokyo included, and is held to high standards. Restaurants routinely serve a free glass of cold water (and tea) without being asked.

Public refill points and water fountains are common, so a refillable bottle is easy to keep topped up.

The catch: No catch: the tap is fine and restaurants bring free water automatically. Bring a refillable bottle.

Source: Japan Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare: water supply

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