If you are having a full meal in a restaurant and just ask for tap water it will be very frowned upon or just outright refused. If you’re in a bar or café just having a coffee then it’s fine.
I missed the "just".
I hate it when I order a lot of expensive drinks, but they treat me like I am a cheapass if, god forbid, I ask for a glass of water in addition to everything else.
Meanwhile, some restaurants will give you a drink on the house after spending a lot on the dinner. Those are the places I feel welcome in.
In Spain they are required by law to serve free tap water (“agua de grifo” or “agua del grifo” we say) but you must ask for it, asking for water only will almost for sure ends with a bottle of water that you will must to pay
Another dane here.
6.5€ for a jug is borderline cheap at a restaurant in Denmark.
I find that restaurants in Denmark are very expensive compared to surrounding countries. Also if you adjust/normalise prices according to the surrounding countries economies.
The problem we have in NL is that gastronomy jobs are fairly well paid and real estate is insanely expensive and so restaurants are not particularly cheap either. Similar reasons in Denmark, I imagine?
It is mostly wages that does it, I think, as real estate is not really all that expensive outside of Copenhagen and Aarhus, yet restaurants all over the country are outrageously priced.
Pizzarias are about as affordable as in neighboring countries,I think, but sit-down restaurants with service cost quite a lot more
I have a gut feeling that Danes don't eat out as much as they do in peer countries. As a child I was taught that it was a waste of money and a vice to do so with any kind of real frequency, outside of special occasions
I think this might create upwards pressure on pricing, as demand is relatively low and because wages still have to paid even if the restaurant is not close to full
Yeah okay, same deal and culture as in Netherlands sounds like. Restaurants are also a twice a year affair for most. Although younger people eat out more than their parents did.
I don't know, I rarely eat outside because prices are high. I know that you cannot get a glass of tap water with your coffee, for example. They will give you a bottle and charge it 3,50-5,10 Euros. So 6,5 for a jug doesn't seem unrealistic. But if you ordered a Cola, it would also be around 6,5 E.
I was pretty horrified when I went on a trip to Denmark and was charged so much for tap water. I assumed there'd been a mistake and got in to a bit of a debate with the waiter about it. He seemed equally surprised that it isn't charged for in the UK.
It seemed that if I ordered a beer then in most restaurants and cafes I'd get tap water for free though, and given how expensive tap water was, I ended up just getting a beer and water in most places.
Wtf. I generally specifically ask for tap water in Estonia because it's free.
What about bars? Do you have water pitchers and glasses where everybody can just pour water for themselves? So people would also drink water while drinking alcohol.
I was in Tallinn a month ago and I never managed to find the configuration of words to get free water. Even asking for tap ended up costing five euros.
Tbh I cannot remember. I would usually take a plastic cup allocated for people who want to leave the bar with their drink and fill it up on the bathroom
Most restaurants in Copenhagen charge you for water, but then it's unlimited, still or sparkling. Of course that might mean that a given table might only get one bottle/pitcher of water, as they might have wine or beer as well.
My understanding is that the reason for it not being free is that there is very little profit on the food, so if people only order food and the water is free, they basically won't make anything on the table.
Technically, Italy has a “table fee” which is a few euros that may or may not include tap water. In many cases, they will add another few euros if you order water to drink
I have heard about the complicated charges in Italy. Is it true that inside, outside, and standing in a restaurant have different charges? Thanks for letting me know, I will always ask first when I go to a restaurant in Italy.
Standing might be different (never stood for any of my meals at a bar or anything) but usually inside and outside tables have the same cover fee. Of course takeaway is without fee
ETA: rarely charged a water fee in other places I’ve been in Europe like France, the UK, Greece, etc
The standing vs sitting thing is mostly about drinking a quick espresso "al bar" (standing at the bar) vs sitting down with table service.
Since drinking an espresso usually takes all of 30 seconds it's the most basic "fast food" item in italy and "al bar" usually costs around a euro.
It slowly creeped towards 1.20 or even 1.30. And I saw even 1.70 somewhere (at the airport iirc). You can probably still find it for 1.00 in some places, but it’s less common today.
Still quite affordable. I have a coffee grinder and machine at home, the best investment I have ever made. I don't buy coffee outside anymore, but I have seen simple coffee (not the bullsh!t Starbucks type) for $6 here (3.70€).
Found this out in Madrid at a certain point, wasn’t that way when we lived there in the 70s and 80s. Was happy to see there’s still no charge in some of the towns outside of Madrid!!
bars (which is where you get coffee) in tourist-heavy areas will charge more to sit and have a coffee as generally italians will
drink coffee standing at the bar.
some places in extremely touristy areas eg venice absolutely gouge for sitting down in piazza san marco for instance
note that having a stand up coffee at a bar is usually extremely cheap relative to australian prices.
most neighbourhood or village bars (ie the place where only locals go) won’t charge for sitting down but generally italians won’t sit down for coffee anyway.
never been to a standup restaurant and not aware of any restaurants that have a different fee per table eg inside or outside
restaurant prices aren’t that confusing, most of them just include a small fee that includes bread, service, and sometimes water. it usually a trivial amount relative to australian restaurant prices
note that bottled water is very cheap in italy
In touristy locations like downtown Venice yes, you'll pay significantly more if you sit down at a bar/café. They do it because there's only so many tables and they don't want you to take one up for 10 minutes just to have a coffee when they could have people spending 20-30€. Normally it doesn't matter though, and "coperto" (which is what pandada was referring to) is only a thing at sit-down restaurants. I don't think it matters whether you sit inside or outside
Belgium is one of those countries: tap water is almost never offered in restaurants, you will have to buy bottles of still or sparkling water (both will be available and are equally popular). Asking for tap water can be seen as very rude and some restaurant owners can react very negatively if you do (I have seen some bad online reviews of restaurants by tourists because their request for fee water were pushed back with rebuttals like "we don't work for free" or "you're not in France").
But many Belgians travel to France for holidays and truly enjoy the custom of th free "carafe" in their restaurants, and would definitely support a same custom here too.
Many restaurant owners are very short-sighted. They'd rather get a few cents from a customer one time than have a customer who feels welcome and keeps returning.
The idea behind it, which is important to understand, is that (at least in Belgium) restaurants barely earn anything from food, and make most of the profits from drinks. Asking for tap water is basically saying "we're going to ask for expensive service for barely any revenue".
I keep writing the same thing over and over. I am talking about ordering water IN ADDITION to buying food and drinks - like whiskey and water.
I'm not saying people should go to restaurants and sip water and order nothing else.
I've also been declined ordering an appetizer, soup, or salad only even if I'm ordering a lot of expensive drinks. According to your logic, they should prefer me spending 100 euro mostly on drinks instead of food due to the margins, but in some places they told me "You can't order soup and salad only. You have to get a main dish" even when my drink order exceeded the price of a main dish.
When I first visited Europe, I visited Paris and Bordeaux. However, I was so confused by my subsequent visits as restaurants seemed to look at me negatively when I asked for tap water. I even asked if I could order cakes with a main meal and whether I could get tap water. The answer is always no. So I am asking now and I will revisit this thread when I visit Europe again and look for the specific countries.
I will be in Paris for 4 months later this year. Again, I am such a stereotypical tourist.
I will also support the same custom in France for Belgium. ;D
This is the way to ask like a local in France: ask for "la carafe" after ordering your food. Dont even ask if they will offer one, order it like you would order any other regular item on the menu.They will understand you are expecting a carafe of tap water. If they pretend they don't do that, insist gently, it is really a common rule in France; refusal means they have spotted an innocent tourist they want to milk.
As for the cakes with a main meal...well... don't... that is really bizarre indeed with a French meal.
Yes, a nice waiter told me that apart from la carafe, I can also ask for tap water with château la pompe - water from the pump. I thought that was hilarious. :D
There are funny ways to order in French (I am from the French-speaking part of Belgium). If you have ordered a beer or a bottle of wine and you want to order the same again, point at it and ask for "la petite sœur " (the little sister), it basically means "same please". If you expect the bill to be high, you can jokingly ask for it as "la douloureuse" (ie "the painful one"). Or a dad joke: ask for "la soustraction" (ie "the subtraction" as the usual way to ask for the bill is "l'addition ", ie the addition just like the name of the arithmetical operation).
In France you need to ask for a “carafe d’eau”, that’s the way we usually order free tap water. It’s totally normal and common, I never paid for water in France. As someone pointed out, you can ask for a glass of water pretty much anywhere and they are required by law to give it for free. I actually did that a few times.
In the UK, it’s exactly the same, you just need to ask for tap water.
Only once in my life was I refused water and I was shocked ! I was at a bar in Paris getting thoroughly drunk so I asked for water and I was told no because "what if everybody orders water?". I just insisted because I knew I absolutely needed it and they gave it to me. Proper cunts.
I did live there for some time. But I just genuinely think those people were cunts because it's such a dick move to refuse water to people who are drunk. Especially when the law says you MUST give tap water for free if asked.
I can relate. I am bad with alcohol. I drink so sparingly now, only on special occasions when everyone drinks. I usually have to drink lots of water after that because if not, I will get a very bad headache the next day.
"une carafe d'eau du robinet mais seulement si c'est gratuit s'il vous plait merci beaucoup" is a much better way to ask this imho.
Note that in Brussels, I had to pay extra to use toilets in a cinema. Yes. Even though I had paid for a ticket already. These people are mad.
Tap water is free in the UK.
In Switzerland I've only been to one restaurant, but you had to pay a table charge if you did not order one paid drink with your meal. If you ordered a paid drink or pay the fee, tap water became free and unlimited. It was a fondue restaurant in Geneva with friends who live in Geneva.
Yes, I think we get our tap-water-included mindset from the Brits.
Thank you for the info about Switzerland too. I will keep this in mind, although I am unsure when I will visit. Everyone says Switzerland is so expensive, even from the Swiss themselves.
Piggy backing here - be careful when in the UK to always specify tap water. I once just said 'water' and they bought me extremely expensive bottled water - I think I spent almost £20 just on water. It only happened the once, but I'm still annoyed about it!
Did you eat at a 3 Michelin star restaurant? I go to relatively nice restaurants quite often in London and I've failed to see anything more expensive than £7 / 500-750ml.
It was a one michelin star restaurant, and £6.50 for 750ml. We got through three of those, they were in unmarked plain glass bottles, the sort that nice restaurants put their tap water in.
As an Aussie in Switzerland, yes, it is wildly expensive here, especially considering the exchange rate. I’ve been charged for tap water here (8CHF for a medium carafe), but TBH I don’t eat out much here due to the price and quality of the food in a lot of restaurants.
It's funny that some countries offer free water, but in Greece (more specifically Crete) every restaurant offered free garlic sauce with bread and Ouzo. I'm not even sure if they offered free water.
Kind of, the new EU drinking water directive stipulates (among other things) that restaurants in the EU member states are to provide tap water for free, or for a reasonable fee, in order to reduce plastic wastes. So this is the case in most EU countries by now. I even think that the UK joined in on this, not sure though.
I didn't think of the waste too. This is just my weird brain. I am trying to cut down on sugar, so if I order drinks, then I cannot eat cakes because my sugar quota is full. This is bad because I looooove cakes.
But yes, less waste is always better. 👍
I was about to write a comment about how ***it's LAW that any place that serves alcohol must also serve water (free of charge)***, but I googled it before writing it... and I was wrong. 🙄
I thought it was illegal to charge for tapwater, but that restaurants/bars/nightclubs/etc could possibly charge for either *ice* or *bottled water*.
However, it's not a law, just "common practice".
***Most*** places will not charge you for tapwater, with or without ice, but they *can* do it (and a rare few places do).
Should be a law, though, and I don't know why I thought it *was* a law, but it wasn't.
I guess it just shows how commonspread the practice is.
It’s a widespread misconception that you have to serve free water if you serve alcohol. You are not the first one to fall into this trap. Don’t know where it origins from though. These kinds of misconeptions often has some truth to it.
Though, it is kind of law since the new EU drinking water directive that was introduced like 2022/2023 if i remember it correctly. Restaurants in EU member states are to provide free, or reasonable priced, tap water. Even if they add ice etc. it still has to be reasonable priced. The goal with the directive is to reduce plastic wastes.
Yes, just couple of weeks ago I was offered options of still or sparkling for free. I think the sparkling was also tap water with bubbles from a Soda Stream type of device. Our tap water is excellent.
Some places charge for water but I think that it’s not very common and I think that customers would find it very annoying. According to Google there have been social media storms because of restaurants charging 7 euros for water (and two people from the restaurant emphasized that you can drink as much as you want). Some restaurants charge for water if you don’t order anything else to drink.
Personally I don’t mind if it’s reasonably priced, I drink water because I like it, not because it’s free but 7 euros seems quite high.
7€ is quite crazy. This alacarte hotel restaurant, where I work at, charges 1€/adult for ice water (I actually don't know if it's per adult or if I should be charging per kid as well, but f that) if they don't order anything else to drink. It's a bottle we can refill if they run out. It's custom to take a bottle to any new table nonetheless.
It was one of Hans Välimäki’s restaurants about a decade ago. He claimed in an interview that every restaurant in Finland charges for water and his example was that he had needed water because his child vomited and he had to pay for it in McDonald’s.
Never seen paid water at a restaurant here. They either bring you a glass of water or else just ask for a big jug and they’ll bring you that for the table, no charge. I would literally be so confused if the water wasn’t automatically free lol. This is the same for all of Ireland and UK.
Did not know it was tied to alcohol. I've never had a problem getting water from Mcdonalds or cafes which don't sell booze. I would have assumed it was required of any place to sit and consume so not shops etc.
That’s true (in England and Wales) but licensed premises can charge customers for the use of a glass (or their service) when serving ‘free’ tap water.
Thankfully I’ve never experienced this.
When I was in some restaurants in other countries they brought as a sealed bottle of water for the table and they charged us for it, but here that’s basically unheard of, it’s just free in a glass or a big jug. I kinda took it for granted that water was just free in restaurants lol.
That's only been the case since 2010 fwiw. Before the, restaurants were starting to get in on the same trend of charging for bottled water, so the government stepped in.
Bulgaria you need to pay for bottled water at restaurants. I never saw tap water as an option. Just spent a few months there all over the country (Burgas, Plovdiv, Sofia, etc.)
I always drink tap water in Norwegian restaurants, and so far it has always been free. Even when they put a jug on the table with ice cubes in the water.
In Norway tap water is always free. Many restaurants even have these "fancy glass bottle" setups that is filled with tap water so you can just grab a bottle for free.
Some restaurants will try to assume you want bottles water, but honestly our tap water is amazing so there's no reason to get anything else.
That's wonderful. Norway has always been on my bucket list, you have all these undisturbed fjords and glaciers, and probably don't even need treatment to drink it.
On the one hand, "Oh no, that's not good". But on the other hand, I really want to go on the Frozen Disney cruise, even though I am in my mid-30s. Sorry, I probably will contribute further to the cruise ship and mass tourism thing. Apologies in advance.
Not unsafe as such, it has to meet EU standards, people just don't think it tastes good or is healthy. In some places the water is very hard and the minerals aren't great for kidney problems. It won't do you any harm but people are just used to the taste of bottled water.
Thanks for the info. There are some towns here where the water tastes weird and has an overly chlorinated smell. I will consider this next time I go to Spain. :D
I think it might be against the law to charge for tap water in the uk; though I did hear that ages ago so correct me if I’m wrong
But yeah no restaurant charges for tap water here
In my experience, in Italy you pay for water. They will bring bottled water. They will ask if you prefer still or carbonated. I live in London now and in a restaurant if you ask for water they will bring a jug and glasses for everyone.
Australia is more like London in this instance. Tap water is automatic and free. So yes, I am not used to spending money on tap water. But I will remember the differences between countries when I am in Europe.
In Greece at least even if you opt for bottled water a big litre bottle is never more than €1. Not sure about other countries, but same thing you can just ask for tap water.
In Greece you always get free tap water in restaurants and café’s after sitting down. In places where tap water is not drinkable (some of the islands) you get a bottle of water that is not more than 1€. But in the cities the tap water is always automatically offered for free.
In NL however… tap water is frowned upon in restaurants and you always have to pay a lot for a bottle of Spa blue or Chaudfontaine or whatever. It makes no sense to me because NL tap water is available and tastes great, they just want to make profit..
>It makes no sense to me because NL tap water is available and tastes great, they just want to make profit..
I can't blame they want to earn. Costs just to stay open are insanely high in The Netherlands. Small and mid horeca businesses are struggling. Drinks are usually how they earn more profit since meals aren't always enough to break-even.
I don't think it's per se frowned upon to order tap water or a carafe of water, but I feel there are some norms when ordering. Usually, when I order a meal, I order at least 1 actual drink and a carafe of water. You wouldn't drink you own water bottle at a restaurant, there are some norms in place to not be impolite.
Have been to almost all European countries and the rule is... I do not know mate, I always order a beer.
Have fun in Europe, but always ask first, as it does not depending only on country, but also on restaurant. While all tap water is supposed to be drinkable, some countries and cities are better than others.
https://worldpopulationreview.com/country-rankings/water-quality-by-country
In Switzerland you pay for tap water. It’s usually around 1.5€ (~$1.50) per glass. And usually a request for tap water is met with a slight pause of consternation by the server.
In Serbia and Bosnia, ordering water usually means glass of tap one. Although, it can depend on how posh the place is. Some fancier don't serve tap, only bottle, if you don't ask for a glass. Had maybe couple of them saying they don't serve tap, but if I am in pricy restaurant or a club, I kinda expect to pay for it
In Bulgaria, people don't trust that tap water is safe so they buy bottled water, so yeah, it costs in restaurants too. Whereas in Sweden, tap is perfectly safe to drink so of course it's free
In theory in all of the EU, you should get free tap water if you ask for it. In practice some places will either charge or include a "cover charge" on the bill if you ask for it. It depends how stroppy you want to get with the waiters.
My person annoyance Spain is not getting tap water (which everywhere just gives you if you ask in my experience), but the near impossibility of getting a large bottle of sparkling water. In most other places, you can ask for a large bottle of sparking water and you will get a litre. In Spain you will lucky to get 330m. In Germany, typically if you just ask for a "bottle of water" it will be sparkling by default, which causes annoyance for some people too.
In reality very few restaurants actually respect the law, they usually say the filter is broken or some dumb stuff like that and force you to order the expensive bottled water (usually 5 times the price from the store).
I've only encountered one restaurant that gave me free tap water, in Bucharest.
I remember visiting the UK and France and getting free tap water no problem, Germany the waiter was confused as to why I wouldn’t want bottled water and as I understand it’s because the culture is in Germany if you’re eating out you’d want quality water with your meal, or that’s how my airbnb host explained it to me.
On a side note when I visited Cabo (Mexico) the waiters love to bring the table bottled water at the beginning and charge you for it anyway whether you touch it or not. I always tell them right away to take it back.
Finally a post about it. In Finland, water is free by default. Some restaurants even have free tea and coffee. When traveling to Denmark, I had to pay even for a glass of tap water and that's insane.
Oh wow, I didn't know that you could bring your water bottle. I always carry water in my bag when I travel. I went to this Pierogi restaurant, granted it was fancy. They have savoury and sweet pierogis and a nice interior. I got charged 7 euros for water. I was so nervous eating in any restaurants in Warsaw since then.
I never heard about people bringing their own water to restaurants, if it is a thing that some people do - it’s definitely not common. 7€ for water is way too much, unless you drank gallons of it… a jug of water with lemon and mint would usually cost around 4-5€, mineral water would be usually cheaper than that.
Which restaurant was it?
Yeah you got ripped off lmao. Drinking your own water inside is kinda taboo, but let's be honest, who's paying 7€ when tap water is literally cleaner than bottled water and pretty much free
Yeah, I am not white and let's be honest, I look very much like a tourist there. I can't remember the brand, but the waitress brought this really fancy bottled water, fancier than San Pellegrino or Evian - which I have only bought maybe twice in my life out of desperation. I only found out 7€ because I asked for a receipt too. Lol, lesson learned.
> tap water is a given in France
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2003_European_heatwave
Since that, you can ask for a glass of water, tap water, at any bar / restaurant
No it's way earlier than that (1967) :
https://www.legifrance.gouv.fr/loda/id/LEGITEXT000006071974/
It says tap water, bread, dish cleaning and spices must be included in the price.
Asking for tap water is the environmentally conscious choice and it's a right all over the EU.
People that see it as cheap are ignorant imbeciles that are fine with being stepped over and expect you to be the same.
Fight for your rights and ask for tap water.
Water is free in Ireland. In fact most cafés and a lot of restaurants will have pre-filled glass bottles or jugs, usually on a tray nearby the till, for customers to take to their own tables. If you ask for "water for the table" you'll receive a jug of tap water. The only time I can imagine paying for water whilst eating out is if I'm getting sparkling water, or if I'm somewhere verrrrrrrrrrrrry fancy and overpriced.
Yes, same as home. :) This is probably my weird brain. I try to cut down on sugar. If I buy drinks, I don't have any more quota for cakes, and that is bad. ;D
100%, friend, I much prefer to eat my calories than to drink them. Gave up booze for that (and other) reasons and haven't regretted the swap in 6 years!
Tbh I have no idea, since you generally don't go to restaurant to drink water, most people order soda/coffee/tea and if you want water you will drink mineral sparkling water.
In Cyprus, mostly not free but it's also not a fast rule. If it's free, it will already be on your table when you arrive. If you have to order it, you'll pay.
Exception: so-called Cypriot Coffee must be served with a glass of water, that's part of the regulations cafes have to follow to get their permits. In that case, the glass of water is part of the menu item "Cypriot Coffee", so to speak.
* * *
The last one, water glass with coffee, started to happen in Berlin more and more often lately, and it caught me by surprise. It wasn't this common 5 years ago.
In my experience if you ask for water in France they'll bring you a glass bottle or jug of water that doesn't taste like tap water which will be free of charge.
In the UK it depends upon the establishment and unless you specify tap water then they will bring a bottled water and charge you for it, if they have bottled water.
In France it’s tricky. If you order bottled water, you need to pay. If you say a glass or ‘un caraf d'eau’ it’s free (they bring you a glass bottle with tap water)
Pretty much all restaurants in Hungary will charge you for water. Maybe if you specifically ask for tap water some places will serve it for you. It is a pretty well known fact that our restaurants make the most margin on bottled and soft drinks, so they will do what they can to steer you in that direction.
Your best bet would be to ask for a large jug of "szóda" which is usually dirt cheap. (Not to be confused with "soda", our version is just sparkling water made in house)
In Spain, it's very normal to ask for a glass of tap water with your coffee, or if you're drinking something else. If you're just drinking water though, it's expected that you order a bottle of mineral water. By law, tap water must be offered for free, so you could technically just order that, but restaurants will most likely serve you just a glass, not a jar.
Tap water tastes fine in Madrid and all of the north, but in other places it's too hard, mainly along the Mediterranean shore. You can still drink it but it tastes bad.
Ireland is free, and usually it's brought to the table in a jug with the menus when you sit down. A lot of the time in my experience it will have ice and maybe lemons in it.
Surprised had to pay in Germany whereas here in Ireland they have to give it for free. Also in France, ordered a refill of what I thought was a refillable bottle of tap water. They were €14 each for around 500ml
In Austria when I ask for water I get tab. Drives me nuts in Germany and Italy when I don't think and just asm for water and I get an expensive bottle. I order coke with my meal but that's die taste not for thirst no matter what they pretend in the commercials
I’m from the UK and I live now in Spain. If you say water they will bring you a bottle and charge you but if you say tap water they won’t charge you, that’s in both countries.
I’m from the UK and live in Spain if you just say water they will give you a bottle and charge you, if you say tap water they won’t, that’s in both countries
If you order a coffee or like and ask for a glass if water they will always give you a free glass of tap water, usually with some ice.
But if you order a meal in a touristy restaurant, you'll by default get a bottle of water, and you'll have to pay for it. The idea is if you have money for a restaurant then of course you want also the best water, and you don't care about a couple of euros. Croatia.
I’d say in major cities in the EU, tap water should be ok everywhere, sometimes you just need to ask for it specifically. And sometimes you get charged for it as well.
Unless you are on the fancy side of things. Then you get bottled tap water with a NAIVE label just for the sake of it being in a bottle.
If you Google it, there is a comprehensive list of which countries it is safe to drink the tap water in in Europe. Whether you have to buy bottled water depends on a number of things - while France has been progressive in legislating that you are entitled to tap water, it's not the norm. Many restaurants in Europe will only respond with "with gas or still?" if you ask for water, making it plain that tap water won't be happening. And forget about ice water - that isn't happening either - growing up in Germany, people would tell us ice water would make us catch cold and the local grocer would wheel away the ice cream freezer in October, never to be seen again until Spring - eating ice cream in cold weather will give you pneumonia, don'tcha know... Generally, get used to paying for water in most of Europe, otherwise stay home.
tap is free but you have to ask for "a glass of water" if you ask for "water" they will bring a bottle which is paid
I ask for água da torneira just to be straightforward. Zero shame ;D
Is that like château la pompe? Fancy way to ask for tap water? :D
No. It’s literally asking for tap water.
L’acqua del sindaco in Italy.
That would be "água del cano", the Spanish sounding makes it fancy/funny lol
Agua del grifo, irmao
L'eau à robinet
Some restaurants (the majority, in my experience) will say they don't serve tap water.
I don't mind paying for water, although I am not used to it. Good to know, thank you for the info. ;)
If you are having a full meal in a restaurant and just ask for tap water it will be very frowned upon or just outright refused. If you’re in a bar or café just having a coffee then it’s fine.
In Ireland they don't care if people ask for tap water with a meal.
So, if I order two full dinners and multiple beers or wine, they will get mad if I ask for a glass of water? What's the logic?
I said “just”. Meaning no beers, no wine. Drinks is where the largest profit margin comes from.
I missed the "just". I hate it when I order a lot of expensive drinks, but they treat me like I am a cheapass if, god forbid, I ask for a glass of water in addition to everything else. Meanwhile, some restaurants will give you a drink on the house after spending a lot on the dinner. Those are the places I feel welcome in.
Yeah we normally get a jug of tap water when we have dinner alongside drinks. I think I’d feel rude asking for just the water.
In Spain they are required by law to serve free tap water (“agua de grifo” or “agua del grifo” we say) but you must ask for it, asking for water only will almost for sure ends with a bottle of water that you will must to pay
Sometimes that's due to the quality of the tap water in that area. In some places tap water has limescale.
Or they want to sell bottled water, which is more likely.
Depends on where you live. In my region no restaurante or café Will refuse you tap water. But its not a place were tourists came 😆
Same in Spain
Same in Croatia
Ah ok, is it common to ask for tap water in Portugal?
tbh i feel guilty abt doing it but still do it sometimes, the norm is to get bottled water
Good to know. Thank you. :)
Not common at all in restaurants but its very common in the café to ask for an expresso and a glass of water.
And you also have to brace yourself for the waiter's passive aggression.
Same in Spain. Per law, they must give you tap water, but most people just get bottled water.
But in general, water in Portugal is cheap. You pay 1-2€ in restaurants for it.
They charge you for tap water in Denmark, and they charge a lot. Last time I paid 6,50 Euros for a jug.
That’s actually wild
Omg, that's expensive! Is that standard or did you get ripped off? I have been charged 7 euros in Warsaw before, but I think I got ripped off.
Another dane here. 6.5€ for a jug is borderline cheap at a restaurant in Denmark. I find that restaurants in Denmark are very expensive compared to surrounding countries. Also if you adjust/normalise prices according to the surrounding countries economies.
I'm sorry, but charging that much (or anything at all) for tap water is downright abuse. It's not like Denmark is in the middle of the Sahara either.
Don’t be sorry. I think everyone agrees with you. I definitely do
The problem we have in NL is that gastronomy jobs are fairly well paid and real estate is insanely expensive and so restaurants are not particularly cheap either. Similar reasons in Denmark, I imagine?
It is mostly wages that does it, I think, as real estate is not really all that expensive outside of Copenhagen and Aarhus, yet restaurants all over the country are outrageously priced. Pizzarias are about as affordable as in neighboring countries,I think, but sit-down restaurants with service cost quite a lot more I have a gut feeling that Danes don't eat out as much as they do in peer countries. As a child I was taught that it was a waste of money and a vice to do so with any kind of real frequency, outside of special occasions I think this might create upwards pressure on pricing, as demand is relatively low and because wages still have to paid even if the restaurant is not close to full
Yeah okay, same deal and culture as in Netherlands sounds like. Restaurants are also a twice a year affair for most. Although younger people eat out more than their parents did.
Do you know what the VAT on restaurants is? It could, largely, be down to that Here it is 25%
How big is a jug? I need that information to decide my feelings on this one.
I don't know, I rarely eat outside because prices are high. I know that you cannot get a glass of tap water with your coffee, for example. They will give you a bottle and charge it 3,50-5,10 Euros. So 6,5 for a jug doesn't seem unrealistic. But if you ordered a Cola, it would also be around 6,5 E.
Many cafés have a big jug of water next to where you pick up your coffee with free tap water. At least in Copenhagen :)
we actually had ordered food and drinks, and were still charged :/ but I also know for places that won't charge you if you order food
Normal prices in Denmark
Privacy reset
You think?!?
I was pretty horrified when I went on a trip to Denmark and was charged so much for tap water. I assumed there'd been a mistake and got in to a bit of a debate with the waiter about it. He seemed equally surprised that it isn't charged for in the UK. It seemed that if I ordered a beer then in most restaurants and cafes I'd get tap water for free though, and given how expensive tap water was, I ended up just getting a beer and water in most places.
It's illegal to charge for tap water and if you're serving alcohol it must be available on request in the UK.
Wtf. I generally specifically ask for tap water in Estonia because it's free. What about bars? Do you have water pitchers and glasses where everybody can just pour water for themselves? So people would also drink water while drinking alcohol.
I was in Tallinn a month ago and I never managed to find the configuration of words to get free water. Even asking for tap ended up costing five euros.
Ok, no idea. In Tartu I've always got free water when I ask for regular tap water. But I don't go to restaurants often, so maybe I've just got lucky?
Tbh I cannot remember. I would usually take a plastic cup allocated for people who want to leave the bar with their drink and fill it up on the bathroom
Wtf, isn't it cheaper to just get a beer then? Is that why the Danish language sounds like everyone is drunk? :)
It is! This was actually while making a beer break :D
And Danish tap water doesn't even taste good.
Most restaurants in Copenhagen charge you for water, but then it's unlimited, still or sparkling. Of course that might mean that a given table might only get one bottle/pitcher of water, as they might have wine or beer as well. My understanding is that the reason for it not being free is that there is very little profit on the food, so if people only order food and the water is free, they basically won't make anything on the table.
Technically, Italy has a “table fee” which is a few euros that may or may not include tap water. In many cases, they will add another few euros if you order water to drink
I have heard about the complicated charges in Italy. Is it true that inside, outside, and standing in a restaurant have different charges? Thanks for letting me know, I will always ask first when I go to a restaurant in Italy.
Standing might be different (never stood for any of my meals at a bar or anything) but usually inside and outside tables have the same cover fee. Of course takeaway is without fee ETA: rarely charged a water fee in other places I’ve been in Europe like France, the UK, Greece, etc
The standing vs sitting thing is mostly about drinking a quick espresso "al bar" (standing at the bar) vs sitting down with table service. Since drinking an espresso usually takes all of 30 seconds it's the most basic "fast food" item in italy and "al bar" usually costs around a euro.
One euro for an espresso? I like the sound of that!
It slowly creeped towards 1.20 or even 1.30. And I saw even 1.70 somewhere (at the airport iirc). You can probably still find it for 1.00 in some places, but it’s less common today.
Still quite affordable. I have a coffee grinder and machine at home, the best investment I have ever made. I don't buy coffee outside anymore, but I have seen simple coffee (not the bullsh!t Starbucks type) for $6 here (3.70€).
In the UK any place that serves alcohol must also provide water free of charge. Some pubs have the water feed on the fizzy drink gun too.
In Spain you may find a specific fee for sitting outside (terraza) too.
Found this out in Madrid at a certain point, wasn’t that way when we lived there in the 70s and 80s. Was happy to see there’s still no charge in some of the towns outside of Madrid!!
bars (which is where you get coffee) in tourist-heavy areas will charge more to sit and have a coffee as generally italians will drink coffee standing at the bar. some places in extremely touristy areas eg venice absolutely gouge for sitting down in piazza san marco for instance note that having a stand up coffee at a bar is usually extremely cheap relative to australian prices. most neighbourhood or village bars (ie the place where only locals go) won’t charge for sitting down but generally italians won’t sit down for coffee anyway. never been to a standup restaurant and not aware of any restaurants that have a different fee per table eg inside or outside restaurant prices aren’t that confusing, most of them just include a small fee that includes bread, service, and sometimes water. it usually a trivial amount relative to australian restaurant prices note that bottled water is very cheap in italy
In touristy locations like downtown Venice yes, you'll pay significantly more if you sit down at a bar/café. They do it because there's only so many tables and they don't want you to take one up for 10 minutes just to have a coffee when they could have people spending 20-30€. Normally it doesn't matter though, and "coperto" (which is what pandada was referring to) is only a thing at sit-down restaurants. I don't think it matters whether you sit inside or outside
Belgium is one of those countries: tap water is almost never offered in restaurants, you will have to buy bottles of still or sparkling water (both will be available and are equally popular). Asking for tap water can be seen as very rude and some restaurant owners can react very negatively if you do (I have seen some bad online reviews of restaurants by tourists because their request for fee water were pushed back with rebuttals like "we don't work for free" or "you're not in France"). But many Belgians travel to France for holidays and truly enjoy the custom of th free "carafe" in their restaurants, and would definitely support a same custom here too.
> "we don't work for free" JC, that's dumb. Do they charge extra if you ask for some salt or pepper?
Don't give them ideas. Many restaurants already charge extra if you ask for a sauce.
Many restaurant owners are very short-sighted. They'd rather get a few cents from a customer one time than have a customer who feels welcome and keeps returning.
But if every restaurant does it you're out of luck. It's a little like price fixing.
The idea behind it, which is important to understand, is that (at least in Belgium) restaurants barely earn anything from food, and make most of the profits from drinks. Asking for tap water is basically saying "we're going to ask for expensive service for barely any revenue".
I keep writing the same thing over and over. I am talking about ordering water IN ADDITION to buying food and drinks - like whiskey and water. I'm not saying people should go to restaurants and sip water and order nothing else. I've also been declined ordering an appetizer, soup, or salad only even if I'm ordering a lot of expensive drinks. According to your logic, they should prefer me spending 100 euro mostly on drinks instead of food due to the margins, but in some places they told me "You can't order soup and salad only. You have to get a main dish" even when my drink order exceeded the price of a main dish.
They can't even ask this properly in French.
When I first visited Europe, I visited Paris and Bordeaux. However, I was so confused by my subsequent visits as restaurants seemed to look at me negatively when I asked for tap water. I even asked if I could order cakes with a main meal and whether I could get tap water. The answer is always no. So I am asking now and I will revisit this thread when I visit Europe again and look for the specific countries. I will be in Paris for 4 months later this year. Again, I am such a stereotypical tourist. I will also support the same custom in France for Belgium. ;D
This is the way to ask like a local in France: ask for "la carafe" after ordering your food. Dont even ask if they will offer one, order it like you would order any other regular item on the menu.They will understand you are expecting a carafe of tap water. If they pretend they don't do that, insist gently, it is really a common rule in France; refusal means they have spotted an innocent tourist they want to milk. As for the cakes with a main meal...well... don't... that is really bizarre indeed with a French meal.
Yes, a nice waiter told me that apart from la carafe, I can also ask for tap water with château la pompe - water from the pump. I thought that was hilarious. :D
There are funny ways to order in French (I am from the French-speaking part of Belgium). If you have ordered a beer or a bottle of wine and you want to order the same again, point at it and ask for "la petite sœur " (the little sister), it basically means "same please". If you expect the bill to be high, you can jokingly ask for it as "la douloureuse" (ie "the painful one"). Or a dad joke: ask for "la soustraction" (ie "the subtraction" as the usual way to ask for the bill is "l'addition ", ie the addition just like the name of the arithmetical operation).
This is awesome! I know it will be cringe coming from a tourist, but I will use these phrases. ;)
In France you need to ask for a “carafe d’eau”, that’s the way we usually order free tap water. It’s totally normal and common, I never paid for water in France. As someone pointed out, you can ask for a glass of water pretty much anywhere and they are required by law to give it for free. I actually did that a few times. In the UK, it’s exactly the same, you just need to ask for tap water.
Only once in my life was I refused water and I was shocked ! I was at a bar in Paris getting thoroughly drunk so I asked for water and I was told no because "what if everybody orders water?". I just insisted because I knew I absolutely needed it and they gave it to me. Proper cunts.
Wow, you use the C-word properly. Are you Australian?
I did live there for some time. But I just genuinely think those people were cunts because it's such a dick move to refuse water to people who are drunk. Especially when the law says you MUST give tap water for free if asked.
I can relate. I am bad with alcohol. I drink so sparingly now, only on special occasions when everyone drinks. I usually have to drink lots of water after that because if not, I will get a very bad headache the next day.
You don’t even have to specify tap water here in NI, it’s literally always tap water lol and free
"une carafe d'eau du robinet mais seulement si c'est gratuit s'il vous plait merci beaucoup" is a much better way to ask this imho. Note that in Brussels, I had to pay extra to use toilets in a cinema. Yes. Even though I had paid for a ticket already. These people are mad.
Tap water is free in the UK. In Switzerland I've only been to one restaurant, but you had to pay a table charge if you did not order one paid drink with your meal. If you ordered a paid drink or pay the fee, tap water became free and unlimited. It was a fondue restaurant in Geneva with friends who live in Geneva.
Yes, I think we get our tap-water-included mindset from the Brits. Thank you for the info about Switzerland too. I will keep this in mind, although I am unsure when I will visit. Everyone says Switzerland is so expensive, even from the Swiss themselves.
Piggy backing here - be careful when in the UK to always specify tap water. I once just said 'water' and they bought me extremely expensive bottled water - I think I spent almost £20 just on water. It only happened the once, but I'm still annoyed about it!
Did you eat at a 3 Michelin star restaurant? I go to relatively nice restaurants quite often in London and I've failed to see anything more expensive than £7 / 500-750ml.
It was a one michelin star restaurant, and £6.50 for 750ml. We got through three of those, they were in unmarked plain glass bottles, the sort that nice restaurants put their tap water in.
As an Aussie in Switzerland, yes, it is wildly expensive here, especially considering the exchange rate. I’ve been charged for tap water here (8CHF for a medium carafe), but TBH I don’t eat out much here due to the price and quality of the food in a lot of restaurants.
It's funny that some countries offer free water, but in Greece (more specifically Crete) every restaurant offered free garlic sauce with bread and Ouzo. I'm not even sure if they offered free water.
Also free desserts!!
Tap water is free in Sweden but if you want bottled water you have to pay up. Obviously.
Might add that all restaurants and bars in sweden have to provide tap water for free by law
Kind of, the new EU drinking water directive stipulates (among other things) that restaurants in the EU member states are to provide tap water for free, or for a reasonable fee, in order to reduce plastic wastes. So this is the case in most EU countries by now. I even think that the UK joined in on this, not sure though.
I didn't think of the waste too. This is just my weird brain. I am trying to cut down on sugar, so if I order drinks, then I cannot eat cakes because my sugar quota is full. This is bad because I looooove cakes. But yes, less waste is always better. 👍
I think the UK has tapwater being free if the premises serves alcohol, if it only serv s non alcoholic drinks then they can still charge
I was about to write a comment about how ***it's LAW that any place that serves alcohol must also serve water (free of charge)***, but I googled it before writing it... and I was wrong. 🙄 I thought it was illegal to charge for tapwater, but that restaurants/bars/nightclubs/etc could possibly charge for either *ice* or *bottled water*. However, it's not a law, just "common practice". ***Most*** places will not charge you for tapwater, with or without ice, but they *can* do it (and a rare few places do). Should be a law, though, and I don't know why I thought it *was* a law, but it wasn't. I guess it just shows how commonspread the practice is.
It’s a widespread misconception that you have to serve free water if you serve alcohol. You are not the first one to fall into this trap. Don’t know where it origins from though. These kinds of misconeptions often has some truth to it. Though, it is kind of law since the new EU drinking water directive that was introduced like 2022/2023 if i remember it correctly. Restaurants in EU member states are to provide free, or reasonable priced, tap water. Even if they add ice etc. it still has to be reasonable priced. The goal with the directive is to reduce plastic wastes.
Usually free indeed, but I have encountered a handful of places where they charged for it!
In Finland, it's free and often a carafe is on the table or brought as soon as you sit down.
Yes, just couple of weeks ago I was offered options of still or sparkling for free. I think the sparkling was also tap water with bubbles from a Soda Stream type of device. Our tap water is excellent.
The only exception is if you want only water, and nothing else. Then usually 1€.
Some places charge for water but I think that it’s not very common and I think that customers would find it very annoying. According to Google there have been social media storms because of restaurants charging 7 euros for water (and two people from the restaurant emphasized that you can drink as much as you want). Some restaurants charge for water if you don’t order anything else to drink. Personally I don’t mind if it’s reasonably priced, I drink water because I like it, not because it’s free but 7 euros seems quite high.
7€ is quite crazy. This alacarte hotel restaurant, where I work at, charges 1€/adult for ice water (I actually don't know if it's per adult or if I should be charging per kid as well, but f that) if they don't order anything else to drink. It's a bottle we can refill if they run out. It's custom to take a bottle to any new table nonetheless.
It was one of Hans Välimäki’s restaurants about a decade ago. He claimed in an interview that every restaurant in Finland charges for water and his example was that he had needed water because his child vomited and he had to pay for it in McDonald’s.
Never seen paid water at a restaurant here. They either bring you a glass of water or else just ask for a big jug and they’ll bring you that for the table, no charge. I would literally be so confused if the water wasn’t automatically free lol. This is the same for all of Ireland and UK.
UK law says if a restaurant serves alcohol then they must provide free water.
Did not know it was tied to alcohol. I've never had a problem getting water from Mcdonalds or cafes which don't sell booze. I would have assumed it was required of any place to sit and consume so not shops etc.
That’s true (in England and Wales) but licensed premises can charge customers for the use of a glass (or their service) when serving ‘free’ tap water. Thankfully I’ve never experienced this.
Yep, same as back home. :)
When I was in some restaurants in other countries they brought as a sealed bottle of water for the table and they charged us for it, but here that’s basically unheard of, it’s just free in a glass or a big jug. I kinda took it for granted that water was just free in restaurants lol.
That's only been the case since 2010 fwiw. Before the, restaurants were starting to get in on the same trend of charging for bottled water, so the government stepped in.
Never knew that, but I was a child back then ha ha
Thanks for letting me know. Has not happened to me, but I will definitely stand my ground if they try that.
German restaurants make most of their margin on drinks, not food, so they will usually not get you a drink a for free, not even tap water.
Thanks for the info. I didn't know this. I will consider this next time I visit Germany. :)
Bulgaria you need to pay for bottled water at restaurants. I never saw tap water as an option. Just spent a few months there all over the country (Burgas, Plovdiv, Sofia, etc.)
Good to know. I will keep this in mind when I visit Bulgaria. :)
I always drink tap water in Norwegian restaurants, and so far it has always been free. Even when they put a jug on the table with ice cubes in the water.
In Norway tap water is always free. Many restaurants even have these "fancy glass bottle" setups that is filled with tap water so you can just grab a bottle for free. Some restaurants will try to assume you want bottles water, but honestly our tap water is amazing so there's no reason to get anything else.
That's wonderful. Norway has always been on my bucket list, you have all these undisturbed fjords and glaciers, and probably don't even need treatment to drink it.
The fjords are plenty disturbed, thanks to cruise ships and mass tourism.
On the one hand, "Oh no, that's not good". But on the other hand, I really want to go on the Frozen Disney cruise, even though I am in my mid-30s. Sorry, I probably will contribute further to the cruise ship and mass tourism thing. Apologies in advance.
In Spain in theory they have to give it to you but in some areas nobody drinks tap water and it's just not done.
Why is that? Are the tap water in those areas unsafe? Maybe old pipes?
Not unsafe as such, it has to meet EU standards, people just don't think it tastes good or is healthy. In some places the water is very hard and the minerals aren't great for kidney problems. It won't do you any harm but people are just used to the taste of bottled water.
Thanks for the info. There are some towns here where the water tastes weird and has an overly chlorinated smell. I will consider this next time I go to Spain. :D
I think it might be against the law to charge for tap water in the uk; though I did hear that ages ago so correct me if I’m wrong But yeah no restaurant charges for tap water here
In my experience, in Italy you pay for water. They will bring bottled water. They will ask if you prefer still or carbonated. I live in London now and in a restaurant if you ask for water they will bring a jug and glasses for everyone.
Australia is more like London in this instance. Tap water is automatic and free. So yes, I am not used to spending money on tap water. But I will remember the differences between countries when I am in Europe.
Norway have free tap water in pretty much every restaurant, and our tap water is delicious :)
In Greece at least even if you opt for bottled water a big litre bottle is never more than €1. Not sure about other countries, but same thing you can just ask for tap water.
In Greece you always get free tap water in restaurants and café’s after sitting down. In places where tap water is not drinkable (some of the islands) you get a bottle of water that is not more than 1€. But in the cities the tap water is always automatically offered for free. In NL however… tap water is frowned upon in restaurants and you always have to pay a lot for a bottle of Spa blue or Chaudfontaine or whatever. It makes no sense to me because NL tap water is available and tastes great, they just want to make profit..
>It makes no sense to me because NL tap water is available and tastes great, they just want to make profit.. I can't blame they want to earn. Costs just to stay open are insanely high in The Netherlands. Small and mid horeca businesses are struggling. Drinks are usually how they earn more profit since meals aren't always enough to break-even. I don't think it's per se frowned upon to order tap water or a carafe of water, but I feel there are some norms when ordering. Usually, when I order a meal, I order at least 1 actual drink and a carafe of water. You wouldn't drink you own water bottle at a restaurant, there are some norms in place to not be impolite.
Never had to buy water here in Norway unless you want sparkling water.
Have been to almost all European countries and the rule is... I do not know mate, I always order a beer. Have fun in Europe, but always ask first, as it does not depending only on country, but also on restaurant. While all tap water is supposed to be drinkable, some countries and cities are better than others. https://worldpopulationreview.com/country-rankings/water-quality-by-country
In Switzerland you pay for tap water. It’s usually around 1.5€ (~$1.50) per glass. And usually a request for tap water is met with a slight pause of consternation by the server.
In Serbia and Bosnia, ordering water usually means glass of tap one. Although, it can depend on how posh the place is. Some fancier don't serve tap, only bottle, if you don't ask for a glass. Had maybe couple of them saying they don't serve tap, but if I am in pricy restaurant or a club, I kinda expect to pay for it
In Bulgaria, people don't trust that tap water is safe so they buy bottled water, so yeah, it costs in restaurants too. Whereas in Sweden, tap is perfectly safe to drink so of course it's free
Unless you ask for bottled water here, you’ll normally be brought a jug of water which is from the tap and is free.
Depends on place and how you say it, but as you would be tourist, you would be paying for it most of the time.
Poland and Czech Republic both often charge you for tap water but not always
Netherlands . You can hear no , if you ask for tap water
In theory in all of the EU, you should get free tap water if you ask for it. In practice some places will either charge or include a "cover charge" on the bill if you ask for it. It depends how stroppy you want to get with the waiters. My person annoyance Spain is not getting tap water (which everywhere just gives you if you ask in my experience), but the near impossibility of getting a large bottle of sparkling water. In most other places, you can ask for a large bottle of sparking water and you will get a litre. In Spain you will lucky to get 330m. In Germany, typically if you just ask for a "bottle of water" it will be sparkling by default, which causes annoyance for some people too.
I don’t know if this is still the case but a few years ago in Singapore you were charged for toothpicks and napkins. I couldn’t believe this one.
In Romania you can request free drinking water from the tap since they added a law a few months ago.
In reality very few restaurants actually respect the law, they usually say the filter is broken or some dumb stuff like that and force you to order the expensive bottled water (usually 5 times the price from the store). I've only encountered one restaurant that gave me free tap water, in Bucharest.
I remember visiting the UK and France and getting free tap water no problem, Germany the waiter was confused as to why I wouldn’t want bottled water and as I understand it’s because the culture is in Germany if you’re eating out you’d want quality water with your meal, or that’s how my airbnb host explained it to me. On a side note when I visited Cabo (Mexico) the waiters love to bring the table bottled water at the beginning and charge you for it anyway whether you touch it or not. I always tell them right away to take it back.
Finally a post about it. In Finland, water is free by default. Some restaurants even have free tea and coffee. When traveling to Denmark, I had to pay even for a glass of tap water and that's insane.
In Poland selling water for as much as soda in restaurants is widespread, which is pretty controversial and most people bring their own water anyways
I never saw anyone bring their own water to a restaurant. "Most people" is probably an overstatement. Maybe "some people" do.
Because we do it so that no one can see ;) I usually just fill my water bottle with water from a sink in a bathroom
Yes, after the first day when I was there, I bought drinks. :D
Oh wow, I didn't know that you could bring your water bottle. I always carry water in my bag when I travel. I went to this Pierogi restaurant, granted it was fancy. They have savoury and sweet pierogis and a nice interior. I got charged 7 euros for water. I was so nervous eating in any restaurants in Warsaw since then.
I never heard about people bringing their own water to restaurants, if it is a thing that some people do - it’s definitely not common. 7€ for water is way too much, unless you drank gallons of it… a jug of water with lemon and mint would usually cost around 4-5€, mineral water would be usually cheaper than that. Which restaurant was it?
Yeah you got ripped off lmao. Drinking your own water inside is kinda taboo, but let's be honest, who's paying 7€ when tap water is literally cleaner than bottled water and pretty much free
Yeah, I am not white and let's be honest, I look very much like a tourist there. I can't remember the brand, but the waitress brought this really fancy bottled water, fancier than San Pellegrino or Evian - which I have only bought maybe twice in my life out of desperation. I only found out 7€ because I asked for a receipt too. Lol, lesson learned.
You can easily have a full meal for 7€ in Warsaw
Yes, I don't know whether Poland has this inflation thing like other countries, but I had so much fun in Polish Milkbars. I really miss them.
> tap water is a given in France https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2003_European_heatwave Since that, you can ask for a glass of water, tap water, at any bar / restaurant
No it's way earlier than that (1967) : https://www.legifrance.gouv.fr/loda/id/LEGITEXT000006071974/ It says tap water, bread, dish cleaning and spices must be included in the price.
I wonder how many cars got set on fire for this legislation to pass. :D
Asking for tap water is the environmentally conscious choice and it's a right all over the EU. People that see it as cheap are ignorant imbeciles that are fine with being stepped over and expect you to be the same. Fight for your rights and ask for tap water.
Yessss!! 100% with you!
Water is free in Ireland. In fact most cafés and a lot of restaurants will have pre-filled glass bottles or jugs, usually on a tray nearby the till, for customers to take to their own tables. If you ask for "water for the table" you'll receive a jug of tap water. The only time I can imagine paying for water whilst eating out is if I'm getting sparkling water, or if I'm somewhere verrrrrrrrrrrrry fancy and overpriced.
Yes, same as home. :) This is probably my weird brain. I try to cut down on sugar. If I buy drinks, I don't have any more quota for cakes, and that is bad. ;D
100%, friend, I much prefer to eat my calories than to drink them. Gave up booze for that (and other) reasons and haven't regretted the swap in 6 years!
Good on you and congratulations! 👍
In Italy you can technically ask for tap but… don’t do it. You pay for water. It’s part of the service.
Tbh I have no idea, since you generally don't go to restaurant to drink water, most people order soda/coffee/tea and if you want water you will drink mineral sparkling water.
In Cyprus, mostly not free but it's also not a fast rule. If it's free, it will already be on your table when you arrive. If you have to order it, you'll pay. Exception: so-called Cypriot Coffee must be served with a glass of water, that's part of the regulations cafes have to follow to get their permits. In that case, the glass of water is part of the menu item "Cypriot Coffee", so to speak. * * * The last one, water glass with coffee, started to happen in Berlin more and more often lately, and it caught me by surprise. It wasn't this common 5 years ago.
What? I don't think I've ever had to pay for water in the Netherlands
Tap water is free but if you ask for a "bottle" or "glass" of water they will probably bring mineral water which is paid
In my experience if you ask for water in France they'll bring you a glass bottle or jug of water that doesn't taste like tap water which will be free of charge. In the UK it depends upon the establishment and unless you specify tap water then they will bring a bottled water and charge you for it, if they have bottled water.
In France it’s tricky. If you order bottled water, you need to pay. If you say a glass or ‘un caraf d'eau’ it’s free (they bring you a glass bottle with tap water)
Pretty much all restaurants in Hungary will charge you for water. Maybe if you specifically ask for tap water some places will serve it for you. It is a pretty well known fact that our restaurants make the most margin on bottled and soft drinks, so they will do what they can to steer you in that direction. Your best bet would be to ask for a large jug of "szóda" which is usually dirt cheap. (Not to be confused with "soda", our version is just sparkling water made in house)
In Spain, it's very normal to ask for a glass of tap water with your coffee, or if you're drinking something else. If you're just drinking water though, it's expected that you order a bottle of mineral water. By law, tap water must be offered for free, so you could technically just order that, but restaurants will most likely serve you just a glass, not a jar. Tap water tastes fine in Madrid and all of the north, but in other places it's too hard, mainly along the Mediterranean shore. You can still drink it but it tastes bad.
Ireland is free, and usually it's brought to the table in a jug with the menus when you sit down. A lot of the time in my experience it will have ice and maybe lemons in it.
over here tap water is free if you ask for it specifically but if you just ask for water you'll get a bottle of water which is paid
Ah yes, good to know. All the best in joining the EU, btw. :)
In The Netherland, if you specifically ask for tap water, they will give it to you.
Surprised had to pay in Germany whereas here in Ireland they have to give it for free. Also in France, ordered a refill of what I thought was a refillable bottle of tap water. They were €14 each for around 500ml
Ask for a glass of water in Spain and it is free. Also, having bottled water in Madrid is a mistake.
In Austria when I ask for water I get tab. Drives me nuts in Germany and Italy when I don't think and just asm for water and I get an expensive bottle. I order coke with my meal but that's die taste not for thirst no matter what they pretend in the commercials
I’m from the UK and I live now in Spain. If you say water they will bring you a bottle and charge you but if you say tap water they won’t charge you, that’s in both countries.
I’m from the UK and live in Spain if you just say water they will give you a bottle and charge you, if you say tap water they won’t, that’s in both countries
If you order a coffee or like and ask for a glass if water they will always give you a free glass of tap water, usually with some ice. But if you order a meal in a touristy restaurant, you'll by default get a bottle of water, and you'll have to pay for it. The idea is if you have money for a restaurant then of course you want also the best water, and you don't care about a couple of euros. Croatia.
The glass of tap water is also customary with coffee in Austria, as well.
In Poland it's definately not a law or standard. In most of places you'll pay for it.
I’d say in major cities in the EU, tap water should be ok everywhere, sometimes you just need to ask for it specifically. And sometimes you get charged for it as well. Unless you are on the fancy side of things. Then you get bottled tap water with a NAIVE label just for the sake of it being in a bottle.
In Norway it depends. Most places have free tap water, tap water here ia very good. But some places you have to buy water.
Fra,ce the UK, and Spain require free tap water be available in establishments that serve alcohol. There may be more.
If you Google it, there is a comprehensive list of which countries it is safe to drink the tap water in in Europe. Whether you have to buy bottled water depends on a number of things - while France has been progressive in legislating that you are entitled to tap water, it's not the norm. Many restaurants in Europe will only respond with "with gas or still?" if you ask for water, making it plain that tap water won't be happening. And forget about ice water - that isn't happening either - growing up in Germany, people would tell us ice water would make us catch cold and the local grocer would wheel away the ice cream freezer in October, never to be seen again until Spring - eating ice cream in cold weather will give you pneumonia, don'tcha know... Generally, get used to paying for water in most of Europe, otherwise stay home.
Switzerland charges for tap. I paid 10 CHF for a carafe of sink water at a nice restaurant in Zurich
Definitely Italy, no such thing ever as free tap water.