Drinking tap water in Paris

Certainly, why would it not?

You may or may not like the taste, I do not recall how it tasted, but I am not aware of anywhere in Europe where municipal water supplies are unsafe.

Still, many people buy bottled water, if that makes you feel better, then go for it.

Tap water in Paris is absolutely fine. When in a restaurant, ask for "une carafe d'eau" (Oon carafe do) and they will bring you a carafe of tap water rather than pricy bottled water.

People routinely drink tap water in restaurants and it saves a lot of money; this is true even in nicer restaurants where they often have fancy carafes for the water and may chill them. I am puzzled why anyone would think water in Europe was not drinkable.

I've never had any problems at all with the tap water in Paris (or many other places in Europe). France is a modern developed country and AFAIK they have regulations for that sort of thing.

Giardia has been a long-term problem in the St. Petersburg, Russia, water supply. As far as I know, the issue has not been resolved. Having been a victim of the parasite back in 1972, I can only urge other travelers to stick to bottled water there.

Many, many Ukrainians drink bottled water. I assume they have a reason to do so, and I think at least some guidebooks recommend avoiding the tap water in Ukraine. Whether this is related to the Chernobyl disaster, I do not know.

One of our posters has indicated he has some doubts about the infrastructure in Budapest and prefers to use bottled water there.

The Greek island of Skiathos used to have (and may still have) rather brackish water. It was said to be safe but unpleasant-tasting (more or less the situation in Washington DC, I'm sorry to say).

The above is the sum total of the problem areas in Europe I'm aware of, though I haven't checked the CDC website for every country in Europe.

Can you not drink your tap water?

We can drink the water in DC (they say), but it is so heavily treated that it has a very strong chemical flavor. One imagines it's not exactly the world's safest water. I filter my water at home, which takes care of the taste, at least. Offices often have water coolers with 5-gallon bottles loaded. A lot of people, unfortunately, drink bottled water.

Edited to add: I completely disagree with bugslife about drinking bottled water in most places in Europe. There is no more need to drink bottle water there than in a random US city.

I agree, absolutely no need for bottled water. All that single used plastic. Not necessary

A lot of the water in plastic bottles you see locals carrying was filled from the tap at home or one of the many Wallace fountains all over the city.

tap water will be perfectly drinkable and ice cubes will be fine as well.

the problem is that we make assumptions.

Unless andrei-1994 tells us why they are asking we have no way to know.

I believe from previous posts that andrei is coming from North America and will have been in London before, but didn't ask about the water there.

My wife and I travel to France (and other countries in Europe) frequently and never give it a second thought. I dislike wasting plastic and with water weighing a kilogram per litre I really dislike buying large bottles of it and humping them home.

My wife grew up in Texas and she, even now, loves ice in water and drinks. First thing she does at a hotel is go down to the bar and get a large glass with ice in it. We're both still here to tell the story.

It is true that a number of studies have found that ice at buffets is often contaminated - that is often because of the poor hygiene of the customers, and the habit of leaving the scoop laying on the ice without washing hands. I never use a scoop at a buffet.

Ice vending machines can be much cleaner.

But the underlying quality of the water itself is high in France, much as it is in England.

Much of the cheaper water in plastic bottles is municipal water repackaged. Some expensive waters too.

“I am puzzled why anyone would think water in Europe was not drinkable.”

Maybe they’ve traveled somewhere in the past where the water was not drinkable, and they’ve never been to Europe, or Paris specifically, so they don’t know :-) I know if I were going to another place I had not yet visited I would likely look that up. You don’t know what you don’t know :-)

This conversation, like many here about water has taken on the tone of a current news topic: Vaccine Reluctancy. The fact that seriously ill people, for example with compromised immune systems, may suffer from otherwise perfectly safe water systems in the U.S.A., has no bearing whatever on the travel decisions of healthy people. You're taking a tiny bit of information, and considering it to be "knowledge" to be applied in another situation.

And just because celebrity-physicians (I mean like Jenny McCarthy and Robert Kennedy Jr.) do something does not need that you need to protect your children and yourself by emulating them.

How many people here read every word of the Annual Water Quality Report their home utility has to send them? In my northern New Jersey case, there are detectable toxins, below the "Action" level, in every report. And it smells and tastes unattractive. So we buy supermarket water for drinking. But in Paris, we drink the tap water.

Water in Paris comes from different sources, so taste varies across town. It also varies from day to day according to treatment needs, but on average it is excellent - not particularly heavily chlorinated. No issue whatsoever drinking from hotel taps and the numerous public fountains. Similarly, it is very common to just get tap water (carafe d'eau) at all but the fanciest establishments. The savings are significant (bottled water typically charged 5€/liter in restaurants, sometimes up to 8).

I haven't had any issues with water anywhere in France. If a waiter tried to sell me bottled water instead of giving me a refrigerated carafe of tap water, I'd be insulted.

Some of the Victorian era fountains around Paris specifically say the water is not for drinking. I assume that's related to the lead pipes that feed them? I've seen them in various places around town but can't recall any in major tourist areas. Once upon a time, they were public fountains for drinking water.

I personally like the tap water in Paris and never had an issue with it at all ! I wouldn’t pay to drink a bottle of water unless I had to, and I’ve never had to except in Italy ( where the restaurants won’t give you tap water , and it’s not because it’s undrinkable ) and on a small island in Greece where the water was potable , but didn’t agree with me as it was very mineralized and my stystem didn’t like it , but hubby was fine with it )

Hey guys, thank you for this info!
I also like the sense of humor of some of you: "maybe OP had never been to Europe".

Maybe they’ve traveled somewhere in the past where the water was not drinkable, and they’ve never been to Europe, or Paris specifically, so they don’t know :-) I know if I were going to another place I had not yet visited I would likely look that up. You don’t know what you don’t know :-)

Do you look up if the water is drinkable if you're visiting another US state?

It's as if some people still think that France is in the middle ages. It's a first-world country. The water is potable. Good luck finding a gob of ice cubes, though. Enjoy the one cube you get with the coca light.

"Do you look up if the water is drinkable if you're visiting another US state?"

JC - no, but I do often ask when I am there. Water quality does vary from place to place. There have been places I brush my teeth with bottled water.

Well, I asked the same question 40 years ago when I was feeding my baby on a trip to the States from France. But it was the New York City Water Department that I called to be assured I could use NY water to mix formula or give a sip. In France, the doctors told us to give our babies Evian.

Well, there are places in the US where it has not been safe to drink the water. More long-term health issues than Montezuma's Revenge, but still, I guess one cannot be blamed for wondering about water in a 1st world nation in the Western world.

And I suspect most people don't really understand WHY some people cannot drink water in some nations. So they may not know when to ask and when it comes across as rather silly.

we stayed in an Paris airbnb apartment and we drank tap water. no problems.

Sources of Paris' drinking water
https://www.fusac.fr/water-in-paris-part-2-drinking-water/

Yes, we know that millions of Parisiens drink the tap water every day, and they’re fine. But millions of Mexicans drink the tap water in Mexico, too, and their systems adapted to it while ours are not and it can make us sick.

We're discussing Paris not Mexico, there's a world of difference. It can be perceived as slightly insulting when you question the potability of tap water in a First World, Western country such as France.

If the OP has sensitivity issues with drinking tap water then they would surely mention it in their original post however, the question is simply "Is it safe to drink tap water in Paris?"

“It can be perceived as slightly insulting when you question the potability of tap water in a First World, Western country such as France.”

I agree 100%, as if there’s an image of people still living in post WW II ruins rather than a country with infrastructure we should emulate.

That's because Romans are obsessed with their water! Those fountains are everywhere with American tourists filling up their camelbacks as if they found the cure to aging.

Totally agree JC

If the manager of the hotel in Rome, referred to in a post above, made a point of mentioning that the water is very good, it might be because he is used to every American guest asking the same question.

“Every American guest”, Classic Norma. Norma can never resist her jabs against Americans. Don’t change, Norma. Don’t change,

Oh, sorry, Alexander, to have upset you. And how is the water where you live?

I'm drinking tap water on the Mosel right now (or is it wine?) and am feeling rather bilious. Is it because I'm not that far from Paris, give or take a few?