Drinking water in Turkey

I have Lifestraws in my hiking and emergency gear, but using one in Turkey would have been difficult in implementation, especially on the go. Not only should you not drink tap water, you also shouldn't use it for brushing your teeth, which I would find a logistical challenge with a Lifestraw. Every hotel and most restaurants only provide plastic bottles of water. I appreciate the desire to cut the plastic usage, but unfortunately that is just how it is there. You can purchase larger drinking water bottles from virtually any market and use it to refill one bottle (I used the same one almost the whole tour) or bring a reusable one from home.

And FWIW, the taste of the tap water is not great and a Lifestraw does not address that situation.

What about a water bottle with a (replacable) built in filter?

Re brushing teeth, I've been to Türkiye a few times and have always brushed my teeth with tap water. I'm fine.

This topic has come up before. You will need to buy bottled water in Turkey. Even many Turks buy bottled water. I bought two or three liters each day while touring. The Lifestraw is not designed to filter the quantity of water you will need to drink during a week or two in Turkey. While some upscale hotels provide filtered or bottled water, at some point you will need to buy bottled water for drinking while you’re out seeing attractions. As in much of Europe, public sources of water like drinking fountains are simply not a thing in Turkey. If you go to a cafe or a restaurant and ask for water, you’ll be brought bottled water and it will cost significantly more than what you can buy it for yourself.

Tea and coffee is OK, presumably because it is boiled?

I am not assuming tea or coffee pots in the hotels, but restaurant tea and coffee is vaguely safe due to boiling?

Yes of course - any water that has been boiled is fine, and tea is pretty much ubiquitous - you'll get through several cups a day.

On your RS tour the hotels usually supply some bottled water in the room and water at breakfast will be fine. Water given at the included meals will also be okay to drink. So … the need for extra water will be during the other time on your tour. We buy a 1 gallon bottle of water at a nearby store and bring a reusable drinking bottle of your choice. My choice is a coke bottle which is a hard plastic used for water only. Turkey is an interesting country. Have a great trip.