Recently updated on July 18th, 2022 at 05:01 pm
Drinking contaminated water is an easy way to get sick whilst travelling, no naturally many travellers are cautious. However, instead of creating a hard and fast rule that you are best to avoid tap water in Europe, know that in many countries, including all Western European countries, the water is perfectly safe to drink. So, save on buying and using plastic bottles and bring along a reusable water bottle on your trip instead. You can fill this up at the start of each day and feel good that you are saving on plastic and pennies.
Many countries including the UK, Italy, Germany and Belgium also offer public taps nationwide, giving you the chance to fill up on the go. A word of warning however – avoid filling up your bottle in decorative fountains, as this water can be unsafe.
European countries where the tap water is safe to drink:
The following are all the places where you can drink tap water in Europe, risk free…
Andorra
Austria
Belgium
Croatia
Czech Republic
Denmark
Finland
France
Germany
Gibraltar
Greece (except the islands)
Iceland
Ireland
Italy
Latvia
Lichtenstein
Luxembourg
Macedonia
Malta
Monaco
Netherlands
Norway
Poland
Portugal
San Marino
Slovenia
Spain
Sweden
Switzerland
United Kingdom
Vatican City
RELATED CONTENT: 27 reasons why a trip to Europe is good for the soul
Where should you exercise caution?
Despite most of Europe offering safe drinking water, there are some destinations where you should exercise caution. This is not so much due to water being contaminated, but rather that you have not develop immunity to the water in the same way as the locals have. The destinations to avoid drinking tap water in Europe are the following:
Albania
Armenia
Azerbaijan
Belarus
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Bulgaria
Cyprus
Hungary
Georgia
The Greek Islands
Kazakhstan
Kosovo
Moldova
Montenegro
Romania
Serbia
Ukraine
What to do if the water is unsafe to drink?
The easy solution here is to simply buy bottled water, however doing this will mean having to use single use plastics – something we all know to avoid. The good news is there are now many ways to filter water on the go. Consider investing in a smart water bottle that has an advanced filtration system, or simpler still, a filter straw.
Do you have a reusable water you swear by, that you bring on all your travels? Share your tips and recommendations in the comments…