Water Quality

Everywhere. Bottled is also available everywhere.

It's always a good idea to play it safe and stick to bottled water. 'You don't want to risk getting sick on your trip.

Having said that, I will confess that I brush my teeth with tap water and don't worry about eating salads and such, especially in larger cities such as Istanbul. I stick to bottled water for drinking mainly because it tastes better. Even in Aglasun, which is pretty rural, I brushed my teeth with tap water. The general rule of thumb is that if you can flush toilet paper down the toilet, you can probably drink the water. If you have to put your toilet paper in a trash can, then it's very likely that the water system does not meet modern sanitation standards and you should be very careful to avoid drinking the water from the tap.

You'll see bottled water sold in little stores all over Istanbul, including neighborhoods that rarely see a tourist. Most of that water is purchased by locals. I stuck to bottled water myself, even for brushing teeth.

We were in Istanbul in October and only drank bottled water. My husband used bottled water to brush his teeth, and I used tap. Neither of us had any tummy troubles.

I've been to Istanbul twice and always used bottled water right down to brushing teeth. However I always ate whatever was put in front of me (fresh included) and never had an intestinal issue. And if anyone would be intestinally sensitive it would be me.

The pipes are so old in Istanbul that there is bottled water everywhere. As awful as that is to us as Americans, it's a fact of life in Istanbul. Drink bottled water, but enjoy the food and your trip!