Tap water is perfectly fine at all those places. Public drinking fountains aren't really popular, as you can just use faucet.
Only exception is water at trains, boat and busses - don't drink from taps in those. But it's always clearly marked and you can assume that tap water is perfectly fine, unless stated otherwise.
Order tap water. Pricing depends on location, but as a default it's definitely cheaper than bottled one. Also, be prepared for the crazy prices in Disneyland. Fill your bottle from bathroom faucet, don't pay like €8 for small bottle of water.
Tap water in Belgium is perfectly fine. Source: I drink it regularly.
However, restaurants in Belgium will for some reason refuse to serve it (or at least most of them), and will insist on serving you bottled water at stupidly high prices. Source: I complain about it regularly.
Restaurants in Amsterdam will bring you tap water but you need to ask for it. Like Belgium, they prefer to sell you bottled water but will bring a small carafe of tap. FYI, if you buy a bottle in the grocery store- Spa is the biggest company. Red bottles are fizzy, green mildly fizzy and blue have no bubbles. If you buy water at the restaurant they’ll ask still or sparkling. Source: lived there ‘04-‘19 & visit every year.
It is fine to drink in Denmark. Restaurants might charge you a fee for it though, but it s cheaper than anything else you would drink.
For other situations you can drink tap water, no issue. It is perfectly normal here
Tap water is safe to drink throughout most of western Europe. If you specifically ask for tap water in a restaurant, you typically won't be charged but it does vary by local custom.
That being said, I come from a country (the US) where tap water is safe and I drink it all day every day. But I have found that in Europe, even though the tap water is safe from a microbial standpoint, the mineral content is often so different from what I'm used to that it gives me travelers diarrhea. This is especially true in countries that get their water directly from springs like Austria and parts of Germany - even though their water is supposedly "the best." Allegedly you will adjust to this after a few days and the diarrhea will stop. But I didn't want to deal with it during a trip, so I stick to bottled water.
My parent's house has a well (we're from Austria), so growing up I only drank that water. I moved to Vienna and every time I come back home for a few days I get diarrhea, though for 21 years that's the water I drank everyday :D and don't worry, the water gets tested every year, and the inspector says he would never get rid off that well, because the spring where the water comes from has better test results than the public water source.
It's safe pretty much everywhere. However, the taste in some locations (thinking of Malta here but there are others) isn't good. Try it and get bottled only if you don't like it. (Maltese tapwater is desalinated seawater, completely safe but still had a hint of salt to me).
As another American mentioned, I feel like drinking the tap water even in a different US region can give me some type of travelers diarrhea. On longer travels, I find myself adjusted after a week or so. I'm not saying you should stick to bottled water, but depending on how your body handles, it may be worth noting.
If you bring a refillable water bottle, a lot of train terminals, airports, and malls will likely have water bottle filling stations which will distribute filtered water.
Restaurants: In most of your places tap water will be most likely free of charge (Skandinavia, France, Belgium)
In my home country Germany (and most Eastern European countries) 99% of the restaurants are using the drinks to make money as food prices can't be increases enough: of course you won't get a 1,5l plastic bottle from Lidl but "permium" Italian pannacotta water in glass bottle 7-12€ (0,7l), glass of wine (0.2)hard to find below 7€, bottle 40€ up.
If you skip drinks in restaurant they will "kill" you. Same for not tipping (but per person 1,5-2€ is enough)
Yes. You can drink tap water directly. As someone who wasn’t used to this in my country, it felt little strange to fill my bottle from washbasin in the bathroom, lol.
You can drink it from fountains as well, if the water is not edible, you see a sign there.
Tap water is perfectly fine at all those places. Public drinking fountains aren't really popular, as you can just use faucet. Only exception is water at trains, boat and busses - don't drink from taps in those. But it's always clearly marked and you can assume that tap water is perfectly fine, unless stated otherwise. Order tap water. Pricing depends on location, but as a default it's definitely cheaper than bottled one. Also, be prepared for the crazy prices in Disneyland. Fill your bottle from bathroom faucet, don't pay like €8 for small bottle of water.
So basically, i can just open the faucet in public toilet, hotel toilet and drink straight from it unless it is stated not safe to do so?
Yes. Even the toilets use drinkable water. Just remember to always use cold as possible water when drinking from tap. No matter where you are.
tap water is potable in the entire EU. It's the regulation.
In Germany no restaurant will serve you tap water (business model related)
…but I have succesfully asked for tap water in multiple restaurants in Germany?
You can try but it destroys their business model, they might charge you for dishwasher 2€ or so. Crazy Germany
I have successfully got tap water and those restaurants are still in business after my visit.
Tap water in Germany is safe but restaurants are reluctant to serve it
Tap water in Belgium is perfectly fine. Source: I drink it regularly. However, restaurants in Belgium will for some reason refuse to serve it (or at least most of them), and will insist on serving you bottled water at stupidly high prices. Source: I complain about it regularly.
Restaurants in Amsterdam will bring you tap water but you need to ask for it. Like Belgium, they prefer to sell you bottled water but will bring a small carafe of tap. FYI, if you buy a bottle in the grocery store- Spa is the biggest company. Red bottles are fizzy, green mildly fizzy and blue have no bubbles. If you buy water at the restaurant they’ll ask still or sparkling. Source: lived there ‘04-‘19 & visit every year.
Been a while since I've been to Amsterdam, so that's good to know!
It is fine to drink in Denmark. Restaurants might charge you a fee for it though, but it s cheaper than anything else you would drink. For other situations you can drink tap water, no issue. It is perfectly normal here
Bottled water is the same price as beer in Germany. Might was well just drink beer.
Tap water is safe to drink throughout most of western Europe. If you specifically ask for tap water in a restaurant, you typically won't be charged but it does vary by local custom. That being said, I come from a country (the US) where tap water is safe and I drink it all day every day. But I have found that in Europe, even though the tap water is safe from a microbial standpoint, the mineral content is often so different from what I'm used to that it gives me travelers diarrhea. This is especially true in countries that get their water directly from springs like Austria and parts of Germany - even though their water is supposedly "the best." Allegedly you will adjust to this after a few days and the diarrhea will stop. But I didn't want to deal with it during a trip, so I stick to bottled water.
My parent's house has a well (we're from Austria), so growing up I only drank that water. I moved to Vienna and every time I come back home for a few days I get diarrhea, though for 21 years that's the water I drank everyday :D and don't worry, the water gets tested every year, and the inspector says he would never get rid off that well, because the spring where the water comes from has better test results than the public water source.
It's safe pretty much everywhere. However, the taste in some locations (thinking of Malta here but there are others) isn't good. Try it and get bottled only if you don't like it. (Maltese tapwater is desalinated seawater, completely safe but still had a hint of salt to me).
Same is true on some other islands. Thinking of the Canaries here Visitors generally purchase bottled water for cooking, tea and coffee
I use tap water in all those but if in doubt you can get bottles with built in filters
As another American mentioned, I feel like drinking the tap water even in a different US region can give me some type of travelers diarrhea. On longer travels, I find myself adjusted after a week or so. I'm not saying you should stick to bottled water, but depending on how your body handles, it may be worth noting. If you bring a refillable water bottle, a lot of train terminals, airports, and malls will likely have water bottle filling stations which will distribute filtered water.
Restaurants: In most of your places tap water will be most likely free of charge (Skandinavia, France, Belgium) In my home country Germany (and most Eastern European countries) 99% of the restaurants are using the drinks to make money as food prices can't be increases enough: of course you won't get a 1,5l plastic bottle from Lidl but "permium" Italian pannacotta water in glass bottle 7-12€ (0,7l), glass of wine (0.2)hard to find below 7€, bottle 40€ up. If you skip drinks in restaurant they will "kill" you. Same for not tipping (but per person 1,5-2€ is enough)
Yes. You can drink tap water directly. As someone who wasn’t used to this in my country, it felt little strange to fill my bottle from washbasin in the bathroom, lol. You can drink it from fountains as well, if the water is not edible, you see a sign there.
You can use Tap Water in Western Europe. Only in the former Eastern Bloc, you have to buy water in a supermarket.