Tap water in Portugal and Spain, any problems?
 

We have travelled all over Europe and have had no problems with tap water. Has anyone found any problems in these two countries? Thanks for your reply.

No problems for me. I think most any part of Western Europe is OK.

None; We were in both countries in April of 2009. Drank the watwer. Richard

I have stayed in smaller B&Bs in the Douro Valley that suggest that guests not drink the tap water; they provide (free) bottled water. We did brush our teeth with the tap water with no noticeable effects. I think in any situations like that the innkeeper would advise you.

Thank you, your replies have been very helpful!

Suppose it depends on the water that you are used to.
Us Brits are advised not to drink tap water in Spain.

Even to avoid ice in drinks because of the dodgy tum that could result.

I always steer clear of dtinking tap water there because the different levels of minerals can upset me.

But I suppose it's up to you.

Muck

"Us Brits are advised not to drink tap water in Spain."

I would love to see a link to that information as I have never heard of that before.

Having visited Spain and Portugal and now live and work in Spain I have not heard of any major incidences of a major waterborne disease out break.

NO problem the tap water was fine for us but we prefer the taste of the tinto de la casa...lol. No seriouly we did not have problems. However as mentioned by the others, any time you switch to more/less minerals, and combine that with a change in diet you may suffer some tummy ailments and or irregularity.

I order bottled water and all kidding aside yes the vino was a staple.

You might want to consider bottled water in Portugal. They have had their hands slapped by the EU multiple times over poor quality water. Likely not the end of the world, but if you have a sensitive stomach, it could help avoid any issues.

"Us Brits are advised not to drink tap water in Spain."

Why? IT's not a 3rd world country! Been several times and wouldn't have occurred to me not to drink it.....(and no ill affects btw)

I've no idea who advises people not to drink tap water in Spain. I've been all over Spain and Portugal on several trips and drunk tap water with no ill effects whatsover.

OK, I am going to speak as an spaniard. I drink usually tap water when at home or any place in the north or Madrid (really good water here, I think they are rightly proud). But if I travel to the Mediterranean (Barcelona comes to mind), I will drink bottle water.

It is not so much that the water is bad, but that is full with minerals and I don´t feel good with it. It affects small things such as the taste of coffee in the bars, the maintenance of washing machines or dishwashers ...

I read someplace an statistic(and I am still looking for it) that showed that the amount of bottled water being sold was far higher in the Mediterranean shores than in the North.

So, it is not so strange to get those recommendations.

Bye, Cova

The coastal communities get their tap water mostly from desalination plants. It tastes quite bland because it lacks most minerals like calcium carbonate (not because it had too much in it). Someone who is used to tap water from natural springs or wells which does not require treatment will notice the difference and vice versa. From the perspective of health and hygiene both meet the same standards.
I drank tap water all over Spain and never had any bad side effects. What might upset your tummy more easily is switching to a diet which is based on olive oil (unless you are used to it). The multitude of available digistifs will help to prevent negative side effects and tastes much better than any OTC drugs :-)

" The multitude of available digistifs will help to prevent negative side effects and tastes much better than any OTC drugs"

Exactly!

Cowboy, that's interesting what you said about a diet with olive oil. My mom always has indigestion problems but when we went to Greece she never once used her indigestion meds. On that same trip we went to London and the first meal we had, she suddenly got indigestion. She thinks the olive oil diet in Greece was good for her. Of course different people are affected in different way. :-)

The coastal communities get their tap water mostly from desalination plants

That should read the the coastal cities of the Med.

Tap water is the common thing all over the north of Spain. Excellent quality and completely safe. I´ve always drunk tap water and have never had any problems. But it´s true that Southern Spain water has more minerals, due to the composition of the land, that affects the taste (not the safety) of the water and people prefer bottled water.

Tap water is safe anywhere in Portugal and in most of northern Spain, iffier in central Spain and definitely avoidable in southern Spain and even in Barcelona.

"Us Brits are advised not to drink tap water in Spain."

I cannot think of a single occasion when going to Spain or Purtugal when this Brit has ever been warned off the tap water. The shell fish with an R in the month (or was it without?) but never the water.

bilbo, I was told never to eat oysters in June, July or August so avoid that in months without the R.