LoginWhy Germans Don’t Drink Tap Water
When you go to a restaurant in Germany, a waiter will NOT bring you a complimentary glass of water. In fact, it’s almost impossible to get a glass of tap water in a German restaurant even if you ask for it.
Now the tap water in Germany is generally safe to drink — but Germans usually don’t drink it, and the restaurants definitely won’t serve you a free glass of German water.
The tap water is safe to drink in Germany. (1)
The only water you can get it a restaurant will be bottled water with carbonation or bottled water without carbonation.
The German Word for Tap Water
So what’s the reason why no-one drinks tap water in Germany when it’s perfectly safe to do so?
The reason is at least in part the word for tap water. In English, lots of good things come from taps. Beer comes from a tap, soda can be on tap, and of course, the other meaning of tap, as in tap your fingers on the table is also positive.
But the German word for tap water is Leitungswasser which literally means plumbing water. Now if you offered someone plumbing water, well that’s slightly better than sewer water but it isn’t something you would do.
One of my biggest cultural mistakes in Germany was offering a friend of mine (who was probably very thirsty) a glass of ordinary tap water (Leitungswasser) and being surprised and somewhat offended when she wouldn’t take a sip.
So when you go to a restaurant, plan on ordering mineral water, with or without carbonation (gas) and never offer a German friend a glass of tap water.
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When you read the comments below you will understand a lot more about Germany, and perhaps love it more too.
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Please tell us your stories about the water in Germany below.
I’m especially looking for comments from people who know about the rare circumstances when German tap water is not safe to drink.
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(1) Image of beautiful German-made water faucet courtesy of Hansgrohe.
There is only one reason that restaurants don’t put a glass of water on your table in Germany. They want you to buy a bottle instead. It has nothing to do with water quality. They simply make more money that way.
@Simon: Wrong, the water quality of tap water in germany IS worse. It always has a different taste than clear bottled water.
Well, that might be true but you are contradicting yourself right now. The Point here is that Germand dont usually drink from Tap Water, because its just disgusting, normal water from bottle is generally better , it has lots of nutriouns in it and is healthy and naturall, Tap Water is the oppisite with many kinds of chemicals in it.
Actually, they do make money from it. I order Leitungswasser at a hotel. They gave me a glass and charged me 1.90 Euros. That is a very good profit.
I drink tap water because it is better for the environment. You’d think Germans would support that.
Tap water in Leipzig tastes really gross
The hell? I only drink tap water. I bottle it up, cool it in the fridge and carbonate it if I want to or not. There is nothing bad with offering someone tap water.
When in Germany, I drink tap water at home and sparkling (carbonated) water everywhere else. If you ask for still water in a restaurant it can easily cost as much as good wine, almost all germans seem to prefer carbonated water (they call it sprudelwasser) and it’s definitely the cheaper option.
The thing about bottled water is that it is very cheap and you can return most bottles for the deposit (pfand) which is almost what you paid for the water so if you’re on the move it makes sense to buy your water when you need it.
I’ve seen tourists in German towns fill their water bottles from a fountain and I’ve heard that the rivers and streams are very clean now, so almost all water seems to be safe to drink.
My family visited Germany Many years ago (late 60s). Signs all over: “vasser ist nicht gut”…
Fact is, we should put signs all over here reading the same, but in English. At least they were honest…
The quality of drinking water in Germany is good and safe to drink. Many people are only afraid to drink it because of its turbidity (dissolved particles) but it’s very safe for human consumption. So it’s a matter of marketing problem.
This is all true. They don’t drink it because of the long standing tradition that most potable water was in fact DIRTY. Also the water doesn’t taste very good not to mention most water coming out of pipes have chemicals and is “dead” water. Water from a spring is literally living water. I know which one I would want to drink. :)
Water in germany is actually very good. It’s one of the most controlled substances in germany. The water where i live is extremely tasty and has no chlorine added. The only thing is it’s a bit hard.
I live in Baden-Württemberg in Germany and in all cities here wherever you’d try tap water you would rather spend all of your money on botteld water… i dont know why is different kind of Information being spread in Internet it’s quite the opposite it’s really a bad quality of a tap water
dont drink tap water but wash food with it and then eat it? :D just saying….logic missing lol
Bottled water contains micro-plastic. Even though Germans like bio product but their body is contaminated by plastic.
I am quiet surprised about this article. Germany has really great tap water. In fact the quality is, on average, as good as or better even as the water in bottles. It is tested constantly by the water supplier and it is so clean that is does not need any chlorine like what they add in France or the US.
Everyone I know drinks tap water, some exclusively, a lot of people carbonate it because Germans prefer sparkling to non-sparkling water.
Two reasons why they do not serve it for free in restaurants: Drinks are expensive and served mostly in order to sell the food to more moderate prices. So drinks and bottled water are an important factor of income for the ownver. And, second, most Germans still prefer sparkling.
I must be living in alternate universe. Here in Berlin, 80 to 90% of my requests for tapwater are granted. It helps if you order another drink to soften things, but it’s not necessary.
Ich lebhr Berlin.
Reading this article and comments at 3am having failed to get tap water in a German restaurant and awoken in the night dehydrated having finished my bottle water before bed.
Bottle refilled, body rehydrated, thanks all and goodnight!
We drink tap water all day long, we also offer it to our guests as an alternative to carbonated water and our guests aren’t offended at all. This isn’t extraordinary, this is quite common. The quality of tap water is good and always under official control. The taste depends on the source of the water, not on its pureness. In restaurants they want to charge you for drinks, so they don’t offer tap water. Recently there are some restaurants which offer their own tap water, sometimes flavoured, but you have to pay for this anyway.
German tap water is officially a ” food” ( Lebensmittel)
It is the most rigid controlled food of all.
It is brilliantly clean and healthy.
I live in Germany and drink tap water everywhere.
In the meantime if you ask for it, Restaurants and Cafés are obliged to serve it. Of course they may charge a service fee.
Using bottled water in plastic is environmentally horrific.