Mariah Mooks-Jong

I have heard that the plumbing in France , particularly paris is horrible and that you can't drink the water are these myths or should i bring bottled water and cancil my 2 day tour of France??

Leslie

France is not a third-world country. I was in Paris visiting a friend when another acquaintance asked my friend if the water was safe. He was quite offended. Yes, you can drink the water in Paris. You can drink the water anywhere in Europe... but the WORST tasting water is in Germany. Although safe... once you see what the calk does to your sink, it turns your stomach. Not even Germans drink the tap water. They all buy bottled water (only the fizzy kind though).

joelle

I am offended too!... Yes, water is safe all over in Europe and in France as well. The taste however may not be always great, as there is calk in the water and some type of "bleech" or other desinfection products in it. So your stomach should not protest... However, if you are not used to drinking water from the tap at home, you may experience some reaction from harmless bacteriae present in tap water. In that case, there is plenty of bottled water available, but you won't need it to wash your teeth!

Lee

Mariah: I lived in Germany for almost three years. I drank the tap water there, Austria, Switzerland and Holland, but nowhere else. On my first trip to Paris, we drank the tap water and about 8 hours later, we were sicker than anytime that I can remember in my life (I'm 44!). We were sick for two days. Coincidence? I think not. Europeans do not drink tap water and most of the bottled water is NOT effervescent. Bottled water is cheap in grocery stores (about FF4.50 for two litres), but not in the hotel mini bars (FF15.00 for one litre). Don't take any with you, but I wouldn't do more than rinse when brushing your teeth with the water in Paris. BTW, We were there in January ('98) and I didn't notice any smell from the sewers. Have a good time!

Rachel

Two days -- you won't see much in two days!

I've been to France several times and have never encountered a problem with stinky sewers. As for the water the French drink bottled water for a couple of reasons. If I were you I would leave the bottled water at home the French have great bottled water and it's really cheap. A good one is badoit.

Joyce

We have been to Paris several times and have always drunk the tap water with no ill effects and have never felt it tasted bad. A tour guide once told us Europeans drink bottled water to prove they can afford it, but that there is nothing wrong with the water. She was Austrian. As to Lee's comment that they got deathly sick after drinking the water, do we assume they ate nothing at all in that time period? I personally have never heard of anyone getting sick from, or even complaining of, the water in France. As far as "stinky sewers" where on earth are you getting your information?

Christina

Lee Simmons' comments on the tap water in Paris
are complete nonsense! Yes, I believe he/she may
have gotten sick some hours after drinking water in
Paris, but to attribute this to the tap water is absurd.
I have studied at several universities in Paris for
two summers, living in the dorms, as well as visiting
there often, and always drink the tap water and I
have never gotten sick once. For heaven's sake,
Paris is a developed, civilized, technically-
advanced country. It is really unfortunate when
people perpetuate and spread such ignorant
comments. The tap water in Paris is superior in
taste and bacteria level to many places I have been
in the US, including where I live now -- they have an
extensive quality control and hydraulic engineering
system to regulate the water. Now, I do drink bottled
water for a beverage if I want (another falsity is the
idea that only a certain kind of bottled water is easily
available in France, which Lee also said, both
gaseous and non-gaseous are readily available
in many brands), but the supposition that you will
get sick if you drink the tap water and that there is
something unhealthy about it is wrong.

Joel

Lived there for two and a half years. Significantly better water than in the U.S! I realize that you've been told this stuff about bad water in France by someone and so your concern is reasonable, but France is as fine a place to live in or visit as there is on Earth. They revere their water for good reason and many Frenchmen and women travel to the various "sources" or springs just to experience the local water in its natural setting. Physicians actually prescribe certain waters from certain sources for various bodily ills and insurance pays for trips to the prescribed source for treatment. Hence the phrase "taking the waters at Baden-Baden". What I suggest is that you make it a point to try the bottled waters (as well as the tap water), simply because each brand is unique. My favorite, best drunk after a meal to aid in digestion, is Badoit, a very mild gaseous mineral water. Honestly, if I had to compare France and the U.S. to 3rd world standards based on food and drink quality, including water, unquestionably the US would lose big. And should you get a tummy ache, don't jump to the conclusion of bad water, anymore than you would in the States. And sewers? Get real!

Jody

A TWO-DAY tour of FRANCE??? The water is nothing whatsoever to be concerned with. That you have only two days to spend certainly is though.