Photobear

water bottles by the case like we do here? Are they a reasonable price?

Here, we buy small water bottles by the case and freeze a few the day before an outing. We take a few with us and by time we want something to drink, it's melted enough to drink.

What are the good brands?


Thanks, but I just want to be prepared. We don't drink much soda and we don't drink booze or wine of any kind so it's a little important.

dlb716

Hello!

I have not been to Paris in about five years so I do not remember specific brands, but yes, you can buy bottled water just about anywhere. It is readily available.

Christina

Of course, they probably have it more there than in the US. Brands people prefer really vary depending on their personal taste. I like Evian and Vittel, because I detest water with carbonation, and want something fairly basic and neutral in taste. I think Vittel has a little more magnesium than Evian.

BikerScott

We did exactly that in Beaune for our car trips - they had almost an entire aisle for bottled water.

Be careful which one you're buying - there are far more carbonated waters there than we get in North America - I don't know that you'd want to freeze those - look for "naturel", not "gazeuse" for still water.

crefloors

They had stacks and stacks and stacks of bottled water at the Monoprix I shopped at last year. Several different brands..Evian and others that we see here plus a couple others I wasn't familiar with. I thought the prices were fine. Didn't pay that much attention actually. I got a bottle and then just kept refilling it from the bathroom tap in the room every morning and when that was gone, refilled in the ladies room on a "pit stop".

monet77

Loads of brands, including some very inexpensive store brands. Volvic is another.

Contrex water is popular with women because of its high calcium content and supposed "slimming properties." (I can't vouch for that, although i drank it while there got 2 months - the slimming properties must have been offset by all the food and wine!)

pavfec

They do sell water in packs, but they're 6-packs of 1.5 litre bottles (big bottles). I don't recall seeing small bottles like we have on this side of the Atlantic. Maybe someone else has seen them?

ira

Hi PB,

You can buy water in 0.5, 1.0 and 1.5L bottles, individually or in 6 packs.

I usually buy a 1/2L bottle (warm is cheaper than cold) and refill it from the sink.

Christina

You do have to know something about them if you have any dietary concerns, such as a low-sodium diet. Cristaline is another one that is real basic and of neutral taste.

For example, a lot of folks like Badoit which is a very light sparkling one. If I do drink a sparkling water, I do like Badoit. I might have that if I were using it for a drink as itself for example, in a cafe. But just to quench my thirst, or with dinner, I want still water. However, Badoit is very high in sodium, whereas Evian and Vittel are pretty low in sodium. VOlvic and Perrier and Contrex are a little higher.

I think the slimming properties sometimes touted (for Vittel, also) are due to high magnesium or something which may be slightly laxative, anyway, as I recall from reading about it. Badoit has just as much magnesium, though. Contrex has a very high
calcium level.

Magnesium in mg/liter: Contrex 84,Vittel 36, Evian 23, Badoit 85, Volvic 6, Perrier 3.4

Sodium in mg/l: Contrex 9, Vittel 7, Evian 5.5, Volvic 9, Perrier 9, Badoit 150

Calcium in mg/l: Contrex 486, Vittel 91, Evian 78, Volvic 10, Perrier 147, Badoit 190

Bicarbonates in mg/l: Contrex 403, Vittel 402, Evian 357, Volvic 65, Perrier 390, Badoit 1300

I think that may be why some people like Badoit, it's sort of has a built-in sodium bicarbonate for digestion.

Linda431

My favorite is Volvic and it's usually the cheapest. It takes exactly like the bottled spring water get delivered to our home. Evian tastes oily to me.

djkbooks

The larger bottles (sold in cases) are more prevalent and much more economical. We buy a couple of small bottles, then some large bottles which we use to refill the smaller ones.

Photobear

Thank you all so much.

My husband only likes Aquafina and Dasani here in Canada but he will have to try some there to find one he likes.

I thought it was a weird question so thank you all for your thoughtful answers. Very nice of you.

USNR

What waste! Tap water is perfectly safe to drink throughout France.

robjame

Photo - here is another thread on the same subject if you want some more info:
http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...p;tid=34958870

hetismij

If you are going to buy water, which as USNR says is a waste, then try before buying a lot of one type. They all have very different flavours and it really would be a waste to by loads of one and then findout you hate it. And having bought a couple of bottles to try - just refill them from the tap, better for you praobaly than all the salt in bottled water.

beaupeep

Dasani, DASANI !!??? I am American and live in Europe and was appalled when my US cousin said that is all she drinks. Do people even pay attention to what that label says? Purified water. That means that Coca Cola (yes, that's who owns it) can take the flippin' water from someplace like 3 Mile Island or Chernobyl for Cry Eye and clean it up and sell it! I would drink bilge water before I drank that junk.

Linda431

I feel the same way about Dasani. It's tap water and if I'm going to pay for bottled water I want it be spring water. Dasani is about all you can buy at airports now because of the concessions Coke has.

cmeyer54

we even found frozen bottled water at small markets in Paris. It was wonderful during a particularly hot spell.

Michel_Paris

My take on this is..I don't want to be carrying around extra weight, just the basics (map, camera). So if having to carry around water means a) I need some sort of back-pack b) I have to carry it around in my hand....I'll pass.

Whenever I stops for a sweet( regularly) or lunch or dinner, these places all have bottled water (I'm a Badoit kind of guy !) The amount I might save my pre-buying it at a store is outweighed by my need to "travel light".

Mike

kerouac

Cristalline is the largest selling water brand in France. It is just spring water, not mineral water. Depending on where you buy it in France, it comes from a number of different springs.

Just before Dasani was about to be launched in France, the newspapers pointed out that it was just tap water in a bottle. People made such a stink at the idea that Dasani scuttled its plans and it is still not sold in France.