Is it common to have tap water provided with meals in Spain or do people usually order a mineral water (or similar) if they like to have water with meals?

It will depend on where you are, but tap water in Spain is generally quite good, although most restaurants don't offer it unless you ask.

Mineral water, IME (which does not claim universal knowledge).
Usually you can also get a bigger 1/2 or 1 liter bottle to share if you want to. I did not find bottled water to be costly.
Many regions esp. around the Med get their tap water from desalination so while it's perfectly safe to drink it does not taste too great anyway, IMO.

The above are BOTH correct. Certain regions of each mediterranean country actually have quite good-tasting water, perhaps because of artesian Springs. Other places are short of water and must de-salinize. You can usually find out by asking around. I don't go to Spain, but to Greece. And some islands or districts actually have factories where they BOTTLE the water & sell it in the rest of the nation.

If it's a place where you see public "taps" and locals filling bottles & pails you may be sure there is good local water. In that case, take a sip of the water when you brush your teeth at the hotel, and see if you like the taste. Then when you go to the local restaurant, the waiter will always ask, "Water?" not specifying. And if you just say plain "Yes" or "si" he will bring a bottle -- at a charge of 2 euros up, depending on the water and the lvel of restaurant. But if you liked the local water, just say "carafe" or "tap" and make the "faucet motion" ... and you'll get a pitcher of cool water. Even if you're also having wine, water of course is good to hve too.

You have to ask for tap water. If you ask for 'water' and you are an american, you might(will?) get bottled water.

If you check out regular supermarkets in Spain you will find a huge variety of literally "gallon-sized" water bottles (up to 5 liters) of mineral water. I doubt that this water is aimed at the occasional tourist who goes shopping there but that also many locals must prefer it that way for drinking purposes - esp. if the tap water is desalinated I would guess.

When I ask for "water" in Barcelona, I always get mineral water - just like anyone else around me, local or tourist.
Maybe it's different in places with natural spring water as tap water.

Even here in Munich where we have fine natural spring water from the Alps running thru the tap, I never have seen anyone asking for or drinking tap water in a restaurant. Except with coffee in an Italian style café - which is quite odd when I think about it.

But our Spanish Fodorites can probably offer better insight on the situation in Spain anyway.

It may be a matter of habit that people in Europe don't drink tap water in restaurants as many people here in the US do...although you may have noticed that in SOME areas of the US it is much more common now for a server to ask if someone wants bottled or tap water.

Anyway, when I have eaten out in Spain I have specifically asked for tap water on more than one occasion and it was brought to me. I have never eaten anywhere that was rude enough to refuse that request..after all, it IS a restaurant and they are used to serving food and whatever else.

I would not hesitate to ask for it regardless of what others in the restaurant are doing and believe me, they will know what you mean.

In the north, tap water is the standard at the vast majority of homes. Bottled water is normally served with the cheap daily menu, free of charge, but it may be also tap water. Tap water up here is excellent, that´s why we don´t have those gallon sized bottles as they do in the south and east, where tap water is not that good...In restaurants you may ask for a jug of tap water without any problems, but it´s not customary.

Dukey don't group all of Europe into this discussion. In the Netherlands it is quite normal to ask for, and get, tap water.

Thanks for the insight. I'll be going to Madrid in a couple weeks, mostly for work, but a little for play. No wine at lunch for me during the work days because of my own company policies. I am looking forward to trying the Spanish wines with dinner though

Usually you order bottled water in restaurants, but lately, with the crisis going on, I get to thinking: well, if I drink tap water home, why should I spend money in bottled water in the restaurant? So it's becoming more frequent ordering "una jarra de agua, del grifo" and that's it. (I am in the south)

In Europe tap water is never provided with meals. If you want it you will have to ask. And there is no busboy walking around refilling constant ice water - it will be tap water not ice or possibly even very cold and you will have to ask for each glass. You can certainly do this and the water will be fine, although not sure what it will taste like.

Our water here has little taste - and I find I don't like the taste of water most places and always go for iced bottled water.

I don't know nytraveler, we often ask for "tap" water in Spain and the Pays Basque/Béarn, depending on the situation, and it always comes chilled, with ice. As already mentioned, the tap water in the Basque country, Navarra and the Rioja is perfectly fine, without the mineral deposits found in some locations. It tastes pretty much the same as what we have here in Seattle.

I'm not picky about my water, so it would have to be fairly strange-tasting for me not to drink it - high sulfer content or some serious mineral deposits.

sin gas means still water
con gas means sparkling water

We usually order bottled water. There is nothing wrong with Spanish water but some times another city's water can upset one's stomach.

Well there are a lot of places where I won;t drink the tap water, including many places in the US - not because there's anything wrong with it - but because it is "hard" water. Cincinnati is an example. the water smells and tastes like earth (like the backyard smells after a rain - and I can;t drink it alone or even in tea - it ruins the taste. Only coffee is strong enough to cover the flavor. (Also you can't wash your hair properly - the water is so hard the shampoo doesn;t really lather.)

But, as I said, our water is very soft and haas essentially no taste.

Well, you can ask for tap water (which is free) and if you dont like it ask for bottled.