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Can tourists drink water in France?

Can you drink tap water in France? Although many French people prefer bottled water, in most places in France, tap water is perfectly okay to drink. Some locales, like Paris, even pride themselves on the quality of their tap water.



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The water is safe to drink and meets EU standards for potable water. However, it may contain trace amounts of contaminants so if you're concerned about those, it's best to filter your own bottled water or use a pocket-sized portable filter when filling up from public fountains.

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Ordering bottled water can be pricey, especially in touristy areas. Luckily, there's a way to get water for free in any French restaurant: Instead of asking for de l'eau plate/gazeuse, s'il vous plait, ask for une carafe d'eau. This means “a pitcher of (tap) water”.

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The short answer is yes. Drinking water from the tap in Italy is considered safe. Tap water in the major cities and towns around Italy is safe for consumption, and there are thousands of old-style water fountains dotted around cities, like Rome, where you can fill up water bottles.

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Hotel water is often as safe as the public water supply where the hotel is located,” Bartell told Verywell in an email. “But some remote hotels have their own private water supplies, which are less regulated.” In some older hotels, tap water might be contaminated by lead pipes, Bartell added.

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Europe's Water Is Generally Safe The tap water throughout most of Europe is completely safe to drink. The taps in hotels, homes, restaurants and cafés all run with potable water. Of course, there's always room for common sense.

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Restaurants. Tipping is not considered etiquette by French people in French restaurants, but if you enjoyed your meal, it's nice to leave 5 - 10%. If you really enjoyed the meal, or plan on returning to the restaurant and want the wait staff to like you, 15% is a generous tip.

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Tipping in France is not mandatory. Even though it is always appreciated, it's up to the customers to decide if they want to tip or not. Unlike other countries, the price of the service is included in the total cost of the bill. You will never be asked to tip, but it's common to leave one if the service was good.

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The short answer is yes. Drinking water from the tap in Italy is considered safe. Tap water in the major cities and towns around Italy is safe for consumption, and there are thousands of old-style water fountains dotted around cities, like Rome, where you can fill up water bottles.

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Tap water in Milan is absolutely safe and good, albeit it is hard (calcareous) so it might not be suitable for an excellent coffee or tea. It is safer than some bottled water.

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If you ask locals “Do you tip in Italy?”, they'll explain that while they sometimes leave a small tip, it's generally not necessary. In Italy, gratuity (or una mancia, pronounced oo-nah MAN-chah) is considered a bonus for exceptional service. And it's not often that you'll find a tip jar at a register.

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