drinking water

The water is safe to drink...has been since at least 1959 that I know of!

We have been traveling in Europe since 72 and drinking the water with no problem. Who possibility could have said the water was unsafe to drink? Some European standards for water are higher than many areas of the US.

Thanks for the information about water in Europe. Ross

Thanks for the information about water in Europe. Ross

Many people will still tell you you can get traveller's diarrhea from drinking the tap water in Europe just because it is "different" from that in the US. In fact, many so called cases of traveller's diarrhea are actually just your stomach rebelling from a change in diet (all those wonderful but heavy restaurant meals and alcohol, if you drink it). I have drunk tap water all over Europe and even in Costa Rica (according to the State department it is safe except on the coasts) with no ill effects. What I will say is that because Europeans tend to drink bottled water, it can be hard to request it in restaurants. I've attempted to learn the local lingo for "tap water" in every country I've been to, yet have only had moderate success at actually acquiring "free" water. This fall my parents and I are going to Spain. Since I'm pretty much fluent in Spanish, it will be a test of wills rather than understanding as to whether we will be spending mucho dinero on water, not to mention the cost to the environment.

@Liz, Agreed about upset tummies and changes/splurges in diet. As for water, I can speak only for France, but there is no problem getting pitchers of tap water in France, even at white-table-clothed restaurants. However, it's assumed that if you can pay for a meal in a top-of-the-line Michelin-starred restaurant, you can spring for a bottle of water and one would look pretty cheap if one didn't. More and more French drink tap water at home. I happen to buy water when we're at our place in France or in restaurants because the water is very hard--full of limestone, which isn't good for anyone prone to kidney stones--the same as here in Indiana. On the other hand, in Istanbul, I noticed that Turks and tourists alike drank bottled water, and according to RS book, it's necessary. I think info on water safety is on a US State Department website.

I have a somewhat sensitive stomach, and I had no difficulty with the water in Paris. And it tasted good, too.

Ross,
I'd drink the tap water, and use some bottled water in your c-pap (or whatever version you have). My mom uses distilled in her machine as well, but that it because of mineral buildup, I believe. Can't say that I've seen distilled in France, but I haven't been looking. Bottled water should do the trick for the machine, though.

Distilled water is just as easy to find in a grocery store in Europe as in the US.

Have been from Edinburgh to Prague and never had a problem asking for and receiving "tap water". Sometimes it comes in a glass; sometimes in a pitcher. Only time I have ever had a problem was in Atlanta, GA.

Thanks once again. The replies have been very kind so I will go another step.Like many people, I need a bi-pap machine during sleep because of sleep apena. The bi-pap sends air humifided by passing it through water to the lungs. It would not be in one's favor to use water which was not
drinkable. In Wisconsin, I use distilled water which we presume is somewhat more "pure" than tap water. Thanks again. Ross

Looks like you are convinced, but I will add anyways. Yes, very safe to drink. I visit Milwaukee a lot (have family), and drink the water there with no problems either. Am I missing something?

Most French tap water has a lot of minerals in it--big limestone country.

Bottled water (as in mineral or spring water, not purified water) often contains more minerals than tap water, so please check what you are looking for. I know places where the tap water company and the mineral water company share the same well - bit of a waste to buy that water bottled... Purified water is supposed to be not very suitable for drinking (at least as only intake of fluids), as it lacks sufficient salts and other necessary minerals.

Liz, I too like you often ask for tap water in restaurants, (a glass of bottled water can cost about 2 Euros), and provided you are also eating or paying for other drinks I don't think there should be a problem. We were a party of 5 in a restaurant in France, all ordering food with the exception of my mother in law (in her 80's) who had been suffering a little with the heat. She wanted only a mouthful of tap water with which to take her medication and to sit for while in the cool interior. She was asked to vacate her seat for a paying customer, despite the fact that the restaurant was not full. I have more than once encountered a snooty atttiude when ordering tap water but this takes the biscuit.