I second the assertion that drinking tap water in Europe is fine. I can't think of anyplace where I did not drink it. I also second the claim that the water in Rome is best. And absolutely DO fill your water bottle from the street fountains (the ones meant for that purpose, of course) in Rome. The water is fresh, cold, and a treat on a hot day. A lot of it comes via ancient or Renaissance aqueducts, which just adds to the romance of it all. :-)

The only place I do not drink tap water is actually here at my own home in Florida, where it is absolutely vile and upsets my tummy more than European water ever would!

I always drink the tap water in Paris. And I found that the fountain water in Rome to be really good.

Nonesense, most Europeans can't or won't afford bottled water! Emergency..Boil the water! Shops carry small electric devices that can be used to purify water by boiling it. When in doubt, wine or beer. Check with a local. The cold or unheated water is usually 'potable'. Look about you, what are the locals drinking. The hot water tap supplies water that may not be potable. Try your local outdoor supply store. They carry many kinds and sizes of water purification systems. Be really aware of open water sources, water that was once drinkable is now polluted with giardia.

"Shops carry small electric devices that can be used to purify water by
boiling it."

Well, no, those are not for that purpose. It is a water boiler that boils water for tea or instant coffee. Saves energy.

People don´t buy water in bottles because it would be stupid to pay for something that comes free and perfectly fine from a tap.

We used tap water everywhere in europe except St Pete (since the water there is infested with giardia) and never had any problems. That said - we used it for brushing teeth, taking pills etc. Otherwise we always bought bottled water - just because it tastes better.

But I don;t think it would bothe you unless 1) you have a very sensitive system or 2) you're immunocompromised.

"Every country has small towns where the water supply is questionable."

Sorry, but I have to agree that if by "questionable" the writer means less than safe, this is plain wrong. There's no town in my country (Australia), no matter4 how small or remote, where I'd hesitate to drink tap water. Of course if the source is unfamiliar (eg artesian bores in arid areas) you might find it mildly unpalatable at first, but health regulations are policed on a statewide basis.

If indeed "everybody in Europe drinks bottled water" (another statement that strains credulity), more fool them. Bottled water as consumed in advanced countries is one of the great scams of the last couple of decades, and in all likelihood a pointer to the decline and fall of western civilisation.

>"Europe drinks bottled water"
Bottled water is the exception, not the rule.

"everybody in Europe drinks bottled water".

Utter nonsense. On stilts.

We DO, however, drink bottled water when we're in the USA because we can't stand the chlorinated junk you poison yourselves with.

>can't stand the chlorinated junk you poison yourselves with.
agreed 100%. :-)

It's amusing to see how many people think that the water in their own countries is universally safe, without any possible exception, no matter how many small towns are obtaining inadequately treated water from questionable sources.

Go ahead and drink the water in those tiny towns, if you want. Most of the time you'll be lucky. Someday you might not be, and then you can spend a day or two on the toilet thinking about it.

Generally speaking, I don't think it is a matter of anything being wrong with the water. It is more a reaction of each individual person's body to the particular bacteria present in any area. That said, I am quite careful now because several years ago I was traveling with a friend in Florence and upon returning home she became very ill. It turned out she contracted giardia while there and it took a very long time for the doctors to discover her problem. She had lost over 30 pounds. Obviously, this could have happened at home too, but I am now much more careful everywhere.
Char

It's amusing to see how many people think that Europe is a backward continent, and therefore think that many small towns are obtaining inadequately treated water from questionable sources.

They are fearful of drinking the water in those tiny towns, and consider it lucky if they don't spend a day or two on the toilet thinking about it.

Europeans, when they do drink water from a bottle, don't so much drink regular water from bottles (like Americans do) but rather they drink mineral water (with or without gas) in bottles - it tastes different and is not drunk because the tap water is no good but because they prefer the mineral water, simply as a matter of taste.

It's very common to order tap water, and there's nothing wrong with it, but waiters would rather sell you a bottle of mineral water, of course...

WK

Bloody hell, you don't give up easily, do you, AnthonyGA? Even when you're grandly generalising about countries of which you have no knowledge, in the face of citizens of those same countries who actually know what they're talking about. Some of us actually live in the First World, mate. On balance I think it would be a good idea to throw away the shovel while you can still clamber out of the hole.

LOL Neil, you are so right.

Anthony, municipal water supplies are tested etc. by government agencies. Bottled water does not have that kind of inspection.

And no ecorunner, "everybody in Europe does not drink bottled water" or at least in Italy they don't. I will say at a restaurant it is bottled water.. but for the reason that Wally stated.
And it is more of a status sort of thing. Kind of like everyone puts their cell phone on the table.

You are in a hotel room with nothing but a faucet and a cup..drink the water..you will be fine. Or buy bottled water at the grocery store and bring it back to your hotel room. But how do you know that water is any better than the tap water?

Not all municipal water supplies are tested. Tiny towns that pump their water supply from a well may not test anything for long periods. The water may or may not be safe to drink. If they do things properly, it may be largely free of germs, but it may still have a blend of inorganic compounds that can upset the tummy.

It's naïve to think that only the Third World has these problems. No country anywhere is capable of policing water supplies for every one of its residents. And small towns everywhere are usually strapped for cash and cannot afford fancy water installations and constant testing. They do what they can to get a pretty clean water supply, and that's it. It's true in the backwoods of the Third World, and it's also true in small towns in the First World … and woe to anyone who assumes otherwise (sometimes).

In summary, then: it's okay to drink tap water in large cities of the developed world, as a general rule. Exercise more caution in less developed countries, and when staying in small towns just about anywhere.

Actually, AnthonyGA may have a point.

Water should leave the purification plants virtually bacteria free, because of the combination of filtration and chlorine.

The problem is likely to arise between the treatment and the water arriving at a home/hotel. Older cities often have old water pipes. It is estimated that London loses up to 30% of it's water supply through leakage. If the water can leak out of the pipe, then contamination can leak in.

I am not suggesting UK water is unsafe, I would be extremely suprised if "100 people developed cholera" anywhere in a UK or any Western city.

As stated in previous posts, humans are very sensitive to changes in gut bacteria. There are people who make very good livings out of lecturing and advising travel companies on "Travellers diarrhoea".

Anthony, you just won't give it up, will you? I don't know how things happen where you're from, but we have tight regulations in this country. Believe me, if anyone got ill from the tap water here, even in a remote town, it's headline news

Kate
London

Anthony, if you are from the USA, do a Google on Arsenic drinking water.

Mind you, small amounts of arsenic are supposed to be good for the complexion.

For anyone who cares: Eleanor Clark's "Rome and a Villa", a glorious work of journalism published in the early 50s, provides details of the Roman water supply -- and fascinating reading it makes!

Romans of the 50s knew which springs and which aquaducts supplied which public fountains -- and consciously sought out the water they preferred for purity, taste and mineral content.

BTW: "Acqua non potabile" and "Eau non potable" indicate, as you would expect, water not fit for drinking.