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Why 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.

Safe tap 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.

The Comments Below are Excellent

Occasionally an internet article attracts all the right people who leave their comments and by doing so they add clarity, depth, and understanding.

That’s what happened on this page.  Thank you all.

When you read the comments below you will understand a lot more about Germany, and perhaps love it more too.

If there are more than 100 comments below you will need to click on the “Older Comments” link in the blue “Leave a Comment” box below to see some of the best comments.

Please Tell Your German Water Story Below

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.

Do You Want to Learn German?

If you are planning on traveling to Germany, you will definitely have a LOT more fun if you can speak at least a little German.

This German learning program is very good at getting you the basics very quickly.

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(1) Image of beautiful German-made water faucet courtesy of Hansgrohe.

141 Comments
  • Avatar
    Jasmin

    I’m German… Yes it’s true that you usually don’t order tap water in restaurants or offer visitors tap water but I like tap water, especially in summer with ice. I also know many people who like to drink it. The main reason that you don’t order or offer it to other people (except you don’t have anything else at home at the moment), is rather etiquette than anything else. The word Leitungswasser also has nothing to do with it, it has no negative association in German.

    Just my opinion ^^
    Jasmin

     
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  • Avatar
    Ginette

    I grew up for the most part in Germany. German mother French father. It is true Germans don’t drink tap water “generally”. However growing up we were very poor and all we had to drink was tap water and that is what we were made to drink. At my grand parents I got to drink limonade which is a carbonated lemonade or I drank bottled water. But that was only at the grand parents. They had a bit more money. My grand mother would have never let me drink tap water. :-)

     
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  • Avatar
    Becky

    We will be visiting Germany for the 1st time. We’ve never been to Europe. After a tour of Frankfurt, we will be visiting friends in Lahr. They will be keeping us in their home. We drink tap water. Any advise for water lovers? Thanks!

     
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  • Avatar
    tap water experts

    Hello everybody,

    we are a group of germans who are discussing this topic in our english lesson. We think that german tap water is excellent quality. Research has found, that bottled water isn’t superior to tap water. In fact, tap water in germany is better controlled than bottled. Taste it and save energy and the environment, not to mention money for the good german beer!

     
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  • Avatar
    patrick maass

    Hi guys im born and raised in germany. I moved to the us when i where 26 so seven years ago. In germany i drink tap watet, the reason for drinking good quality bottle water is the bottle doesnt has a five dollar bill on it. A good bottle of water is about .49 cent.

     
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  • Avatar
    Alexander Schikora

    Hi there, I am German. Living in Frankfurt. Mineralwater costs for 1L 0,79 € for a good brand, cheaper water is about 0,49 € for 1 litre.
    I don’t drink tap water because I don’t like the taste. But I also don’t like some bottled waters like Volvic or Nestlé Aqua… But the tap water quality is not just “good” as mentioned, its superior! Because it’s better controlled than bottled water, by law.
    Trivia: A synonym for Leitungswasser is also “Gänsewein” which translates to goose wine. Try asking for Gänsewein in a Restaurant :p

     
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  • Avatar
    Laura

    Hi! I’m colombian, and i’ll be living in Mannheim 6 months, and i have brought an infussion from Colombia wich usually gets pink with hot water, but here it became green!! Don’t know if its the water or the infussion, but i think that generally water is better in Colombia, tap water and bottled watter taste better, and don’t have wierd residues…

     
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    • Avatar
      thomas

      Laura –

      Thanks for sharing that experience. Do you know why the water turns pink or green? I would find drinking filtered water that came out colored to be very peculiar!

      Thomas

       
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    • Avatar
      Germenglish

      It has everything to do with mineral content in the water. German water is filtered through a clay basin into granite aquifers over thousands of years. I’m not sure about the geology of Columbia. Colombia however is bordered by salt water. Things like salt water intrusion, different soil composition, different mineral and nutrient content. They all are factors. I’m not a chemist, but I studied a lot of it in college. My minor was in physics though. They are cousins. Green usually indicates copper or cobalt in most oxidations. If it is a herbal infusion there could be assorted tannic acids in play that react. For example, water from a limestone aquifer will have massive amounts of calcium where as a feldspar basin may contain high amounts of iron. If your aquifer is buffered by sand, it filters through faster. Clay takes lifetimes. Silica sand is very inert whereas clay has many metals in it. Color is not a real good indicator of water quality. Too many variations. Unless you are doing chromotography but that is a whole other monster. I can tell you this though. German water is VERY safe. Especially in the cities. Germans are notoriously cheap when it comes to building. Municipal infrastructure here is built as cheap as possible. Not always a bad thing. Smaller pipes aren’t just cheaper. They have less volume, so the water out of your tap spends less time in the pipes. Bad for capacity, better for water quality. The only time you have to worry is if your building is very old and still original. Then it is remotely possible that you have lead pipes. Yes on rare occasion they ate still around. Don’t forget how old some of these cities are. There are still sewers from the middle ages still in use today. If it ain’t broke don’t fix it. Besides. It costs money to replace.

       
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  • Avatar
    Erica

    I’m travelling to Germany soon. Here in the U.S., I carry a stainless steel bottle of water on walks, etc., and have a cup/straw on my desk that drink water from all day. I’m used to drinking A LOT of water! Any suggestions for my trip? If I bring my bottle, where would I fill it?
    thanks!

     
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    • Avatar
      thomas

      Erica –

      Your best bet is probably to buy gallons of filtered water from a local market and use it to refill your carry along bottle with when you are back at your resting area. If you were to fill it while you were out and about you will likely just have to buy a plastic/glass bottle and recycle the bottle when you transfer the water.

      Thomas

       
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  • Avatar
    Bastian

    Thank you very much for sharing that interesting experience. I come from Germany but live in Thailand and go to school here. Every 6 months I go back to my hometown Wiesbaden near Frankfurt. I realized even if the quality of the tap water is very good, everybody in my family is drinking bottled water, and that just because of personal preferences. It kinda shocked me and now I’ve decided to write a paper on the bottled water consumption in Berlin and every time I go to Germany now, I drink tap water!

     
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    • Avatar
      thomas

      Bastian –

      We’ve gotten a few reports recently that the tap water in Germany is getting better. Maybe they have installed a more modern water delivery filtration system that is more health conscious. The world today is rapidly moving towards health and wellness awareness. It’s no surprise that a great nation like Germany would move towards that same apparently global movement and help keep her Citizens healthy and strong!

      Do let us know how your paper comes along. We’d love to make sure our information is accurate for future explorers of Germany.

      Thomas

       
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  • Avatar
    George

    I have a question. We have German friends from Berlin arriving in a week. The husband told me that he drinks water out of the tap. Today the wife told she drinks only “water with gas”. Does that mean mineral water. I only drink bottled water when we are traveling and tap water is not readily available. What is a good brand of “water with gas” that I can purchase here in the USA

     
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    • Brent Van Arsdell
      Brent Van Arsdell

      Yes, if a German says that he only drinks water with gas, it means he only drinks carbonated mineral water. The Borjomi brand is widely available in the USA and I think also well known in Germany.

      Perhaps some Germans can tell about brands of water that are widely available in the USA and also in Germany.

       
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    • Avatar
      Steve J

      Water with gas in the U.S. is commonly called”soda water”. The expensive ones like the French Perrier are widely available but the best quality for value is Canada Dry. Many other regional ones are available and most grocery chains have their own. As far as I have learned traveling for forty years is that Germany is about the only country outside the US where tap water is potable, and much of the US communities’ is questionable. Tap water in France and Italy will definitely sicken you. Thus all Europe and most of the rest of the world drinks bottled water, either still or sparkling. Cheers.

       
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  • Avatar
    Eva

    I lived in Germany, & US. I can say the water quality in the US has myriad contaminates that can be very harmful to your health & /or even cause cancer. German “wasser” is good,specifically mineral. I’ve been studying water quality for some time. I understand that bottled water anywhere is bad due to the plastic that leeches chemicals. I don’t offer my friends in US nor Germany tap water as I want to provide them with a healthy glass of H20. Glass is best!
    Eva

     
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    • Avatar
      thomas

      Eva –

      Agreed! Glass is best. Water out of a tap is prone to contaminants based on the pipes that it was going through and the treatment process for sanitizing. Water all over the world is in jeopardy of industrial contamination too.

      I prefer filtered water stored in a glass container myself as well.

      Thomas

       
      Reply
  • Avatar
    Philip

    I’m German (currently living not too far from Ramstein Air Base) and for those of you wondering about the quality of tab water in Germany, I can assure you: No matter where you go in Germany, the water is ALWAYS perfectly safe to drink. Here there is no other food or drink that is as rigorously analyzed and controlled as drinking water/tab water, in fact the quality is often even higher than the bottled water you buy.

    The difference in taste of water (and probably also the effect on the infusion of the Colombian lady above) is due the different content of minerals in it as the water derives from different sources. Some regions simply have “harder” water than others.

    But back on topic: I drink both carbonated and tap water. I like carbonated water because I find it refreshing, but if I’m home and want a glass of water I’ll take it from the tab. But then again there is no logical reason why we should prefer one over the other …in the end it’s probably something that has become part of our culture over the years.

     
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    • Avatar
      thomas

      Philip –

      Thanks for the reassurance that the tap water in Germnay is of the highest quality. It is possible that when this article was conceived many years ago that the water conditions were different. As civilization evolves sanitation advancements will surely create differences in opinion based in personal experience.

      I, too, enjoy both natural gassy water and flat water. Each has its own unique quality.

      Thomas

       
      Reply
  • Avatar
    AJ

    Yes, here in US, we are spoiled- most restaurants will offer free tap water with ice and lemon. I visit Europe/Germany pretty often. My impression is that the “NO TAP watter” at restaurants is based on traditions and pure business (great markups!). The traditions come from the postwar/industrial times when tap water was not safe. But today… I cannot imagine unsafe tap water in Germany (if somebody does not agree with this, I would suggest them to visit China, Shanghai in perticular). BTW, many people here have mentioned Frankfurt/Wiesbaden area- that’s where the famous water filters Brita come from. My family has been using these for years and years in Europe and US. Not long time ago Brita introduced a small watter bottle-filter for travellers.
    Speaking of prices… The craziest price I have ever paid was $23 for 1L bottle in Moscow at a restaurant- more than the price for three shots of vodka :).

     
    Reply
    • Avatar
      thomas

      AJ –

      Thanks for the great info! You are right – there are some very poor water conditions in many places of the world. Most industrialized nations have pretty effective filtration systems. Many people have MUCH higher standards for drinking water than a municipal source. This is what makes water filters, in their many, many various forms, such a great tool!

      $23 is pretty steep for a bottle of water eh? WOW!

      Thomas

       
      Reply
  • Avatar
    Todd

    I am glad I found all these comments about the water in Germany as I will be traveling to Munich and Passau July 20-24th for a short business trip. I am from the US and live in a rural area where we have our own well so the water I drink has natural minerals in it. I travel to China about once a year and know that the water there cannot be consumed without being boiled so I was relieved to find the information I did here about the water in Germany. Thanks to all who shared their experiences and knowledge on the topic.
    Cheers!

     
    Reply
  • Avatar
    wan

    Thanks for sharing. In Munich now and was wondering if the water from tap is safe to drink. Got my answer!:)

     
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  • Avatar
    Nat

    All of above is very good information. Most views seem to favor using the tap water. What are you thoughts about using tap water in a 4-star hotel bathroom for purposes of taking medicinal pills, brushing teeth, etc?

     
    Reply
  • Avatar
    Sebastian

    Just some infos: 99% percent of the German tap water is perfectly drinkable,the regulations are stricter than they are for bottled mineral water. Those regulations go back to the early 70s, so it is not a new phenomenon.
    The exceptions are some areas where the water is not suitable for babys due to some natural radiation in the groundwater.

    I am 32, living in southeastern Germany, my parents always drank/drink tap water and so do I and most of my friends. But apparently tap water was unsafe in the years or even a decade after the war. Maybe this is where the preference for bottled water comes from, or maybe it was just great marketing by the bottled water industry. Carbonated water is prefered by many, thats why carbonation appliances are very popular here.
    Maybe one reason for the absence of free tap water in most German restaurants is the fact that most waiters get a salary and don’t have to rely on tips. This salary has to be paid with the revenue of the restaurant which often relys upon the drinks, and not the food.

    Regards

    Sebastian

     
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  • Avatar
    Ami

    Now, i am in Frankfrut Airport, i was a Little Bit thirsty, so i just went to the bathroom and get the tap water. It is actually very normal in Denmark, I lived there for more than one year, and we always drink tap water, it’s free and tasty(no taste). But this time, I tasted the tap water here, I realized the taste is different, tap water in Franksfurt was not so tasty, I felt like there are something chemical element inside maybe. But, anyway I still drunk it.

     
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  • Avatar
    Leah

    Great discussion. I’m in Berlin visiting for a year from Vancouver, Canada. The tap water here tastes much better than other places I’ve been, Toronto, Philadelphia, etc. usually North American tap water tastes like chlorine, or other petro chemicals (philly) but here it’s more like well water, calcium rich and delicious. Also good to know, unlike North American cities there is no fluoride (industrial waste product from phosphate fertilizer and uranium mining industries). Hard water is really good for you as it is a super easy way to get the daily recommended dose of calcium and magnesium. Most people are low on minerals. Wishing you all the best!

     
    Reply
  • Avatar
    Richard Timmons

    visiting my son in law at USAF soon and plan to carry a water filter. We don’t drink alcohol so water will be our option. I use an REI model with a crank pump. the filter is good for thousands of liters have used it for years. We use Nalgene bottles about two each and have two full ones in fridge.

     
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  • Avatar
    fred

    German tap water is great. It has no flouride or added chemicals and comes from a natural aquifier that feeds the city’s thermal baths.

    Only reason Germans won’t drink it is because they believe the water is not as clean as bottled water. They don’t bother to take a look at a lot of bottled water is just filtered water and restaurants capitalize on this so they can sell you bottled water at rip of prices.

    A German independent study of Stuttgart water commissioned by the German government where I live showed that The local tap water is equal or better in quality to Perier bottled water.

    So all those people pushing their nose up at it might want to look twice.

     
    Reply
  • Avatar
    Friedrich W O Vonostrowo

    The regulations for German drinking water guidelines would shame many of the state’s guidelines even if they were followed! German Leitungswasser is perfectly safe to drink and a fancy schmancy filter is not needed except maybe at the US base if they filter their own water. Save your filters for a trip to Haiti or Africa. The only tap water that ever made me sick was in Peru and I should have known better.

     
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  • Avatar
    Hans

    Plastic bottles create a huge amount of waste. So don’t offer water in a plastic bottle to your German friend. First explain to them that drinking tap water is logical to do since it’s free, safe and eco-friendly.

    Then give them a reusable bottle so that they can avoid the 167 plastic bottles per person waste a year.

     
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    • Avatar
      Ian Hunt

      nonsense…in germany virtually all plastic bottles have a cash deposit paid which is refunded when the bottle is recycled. this also happens with glass. so why would you say a german might be offended in any way if you offered them water from a plastic bottle ? they wouldn’t.
      they’d only be very surprised if the bottle didn’t get recycled.

       
      Reply
  • Avatar
    Diogo Schneider

    I went to Germany only once in a quick business trip. I was in the lovely city of Dusseldorf for a few days and I refilled the same plastic bottle I got from the airplane (call me frugal) from the tap in my bedroom while at the hotel. Probably the best water I ever tasted and I can usually tell the difference.

     
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  • Avatar
    Deborah Koerth

    My family and I lived in Schendeldorf on the small mountain above Stromberg Germany between 1983-1986. We lived on the economy instead of Military housing. We were told that the water was not safe to drink, therefore we drank Evian bottled water. Two young American women decided to drink the water anyway, and both had problems with their pregnancies; one miscarried and the other one’s baby was born premature and had many complications.

     
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    • Brent Van Arsdell
      Brent Van Arsdell

      Thanks Deborah. I’ve always been a big fan of getting local advice and following it.

       
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    • Avatar
      Germenglish

      It depends on the source. Water quality is tightly controlled as in the US. BUT! In the US water is chlorinated and flouridated. Not in Germany. If it is a dry summer and the water table sinks, the concentration of nitrates and metals could be higher. Although chlorination sterilizes and fluoridation locks minerals in, it can’t removed chemicals. If you well is near an old mine, like mine is, you really have to pay attention. Where I lived there is an abandoned coal mine. The local well is upstream of it. But!!! My neighbor’s grandfather worked in that coal mine. He said the reason they really closed it down was that they found uranium in it. Very possible geologicly. So…. do you drink the water? I have not seen that the water is tested for radiation. Maybe it’s there, maybe not. But I’m a man of science. In the elemental composition I looked at which minerals are in it and how much. No Uranium. No Iodine. No Cesium. No Cadmium. No dissolved Xenon. No Strontium. No Thorium. So…no radiation. I drink it. I’m more worried about nitrate from the farmers.

       
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  • Avatar
    Frank

    I am from the US and have been living in Germany for 20 years. The tap water in Germany is totally safe to drink! There is only one village that I know of (in southern Bavaria) that had a chemical spill and there are a few places where the ground water was slightly contaminated, but compared to all the places in the US that have been polluted and contaminated these few polluted German towns are few and far between. Most contaminationof the ground water in Germany is in a few swapy farming areas. I know of a couple places in the north and a couple places in the South. The contamination is due to nitrate run-off seeping into the ground water from farms. Even if you were to drink this wayer, the worst it would do is give you a case of mild indigestion. The chances of you finding one of these places here are way-way less likely than the chances of finding a town with bad water in the US. If you happen to visit one of these places there will be signs telling you not to drink the water (probably in English) and people will warn you beforehand – so no worries. Some places the water has a high calcium content this is especially true in some parts of upper Bavaria and in Frankfurt (there might be other place too but I am not aware of them). The calcium will not hurt you, but some people do not like the taste of it. If you ask for tap water in most restaurants they will give it to you. I don’t know where people get the idea that you can’t get tap water in a restaurant comes from. If you are in a restaurant with hateful Service personnel I suppose it is possible. It is a bit odd to order tap water though. It is like going to an expensive restaurant and asking for a burger. It is just something that people do not do here.

     
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  • Avatar
    Andrea the German

    HIIIII, I like water. i love german water. german water is the best. why? because germany is the best.

    #say no to nationalism (not a nazi)

     
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  • Avatar
    Mark

    I’m a Brit who had been living in Berlin for over 12 years now, it’s a fantastic place and I love living here. One of the first things that I noticed when I moved here was the difficulty in getting tap water in restaurants. There have been many different reasons I’ve been given as to why, for example, ‘It is not good for you’, to, ‘It doesn’t taste very nice’, but I’ve been drinking tap water for the last 12 years without any problems at all and it tastes better than back home. My guess is that nowadays it’s simply because the restaurants can make a lot of money from bottled water so they don’t want to give you free water instead. In one restaurant I was told if I absolutely must drink tap water then I could pay €6.50 for a carafe of filtered tap water! However, the environmental cost of providing bottled water for everyone, whether in glass or plastic bottles, is huge, just transportation alone uses up unnecessary carbons. So, if you ever get the chance, ask for tap water in German restaurants. You may get turned down but eventually the proprietors will have to start giving the customer the choice of what they would like to drink. German tap water is healthy and you’re doing the world a favour!

     
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  • Avatar
    Freidrich W O

    My father was a Prussian whose family and relatives (those that survived) were displaced after both WW1 and WW2 so we have relatives all across Germany (I even had relatives in East Germany/East Berlin before the wall came tumbling down) and my mother is from Duisburg Hamborn in the Ruhr. In the 1970’s I visited Germany for a year and visited my relatives except those in the east because it was forbidden! You are right that in Germany drinking Leitungswasser is uncommon, at least it was back then. I never drank bottled water there mostly beer, coffee or tea (black) in Ostfriesland but if I wanted to drink water I drank it without any ill effects! Only in Duisburg did my relatives tell me not to drink the water, they didn’t even use it for their coffee and the water was a little yellow but to my taste buds tasted fine and it didn’t make me sick. I always wondered if the water there was from the Ruhr and that was dirty!! But Konig Pils was brewed there and it tastes fabulous so how bad can it be. I did understand that most of the water there is a lot harder than what we drink here in SW Ontario (we get our water from Lake Huron). I have read that all the water in Germany is now tested as it is here in Canada and is as safe as more likely safer than bottled water and far cheaper too!!

     
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  • Avatar
    Lisa

    I am German and I grew up mostly drinking tap water at home. We eve had a tap for sparkling water. That many people don’t drinking because of the name sound just like an assumption to me.
    It may be considered to be cheap and that’s why restaurants don’t offer it or why it’s frowned upon. But the trend has changed and especially young people are mostly drinking tap water now.
    After all, there are only advantages of drinking tap water. It’s healthier, no heavy lifting of bottles anymore, and it saves CO2. The trend is going into the right direction.

     
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  • Avatar
    Aajahlee

    your site is GREAT don’t get me wrong , but i just wish there were more information on how they keep their water clean.

     
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    • Brent Van Arsdell
      Brent Van Arsdell

      They keep their water clean with careful German engineering! It’s a very careful culture.

       
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  • Avatar
    Frank

    I stayed in the Stuttgart area (Germany) for four months in 2015 and now again in 2019. I drink the tap water in my hotel room now and the tap water in my appartment in 2015 – both tastes/tasted great!

    I am not cheap by any means, but I am practical. I’ve eaten in my hotel restaurant twice now and was charged €5.00 for a drink when my meal is only €14.50. One time was container of bubbly water they get out of their fountain and the other time a glass of bubbly apple juice – which tastes great if you never had it. The Lift brand tastes the best to me.

    Last night in my hotel restaurant I decided to ask for the same water I drink every day three stories up in my room. The waiter was shocked and said it was not good to drink. He just stood there and looked at me so I said I would take some bubbly water (wasser mit gas) – at €5.00.

    I think next time, I will just ask for tap water and if they scoff, I won’t have anything. It may be factual that Germans think the water is not good to drink and they think they are polite by not bringing it to you, but to me as an American, them not allowing me to order it feels like it is about the €€€.

    Viva la tap wasser!!!!

     
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    • Brent Van Arsdell
      Brent Van Arsdell

      Try to be nice and consider it a gratuity. If the culture was 100% the same as mine it wouldn’t be nearly as interesting.

       
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    Barbara

    You can drink tap water in Germany and it is safe. It’s just not cool! If you offer that to a guest it is like an insult! Restaurants would like to do business but tap water doesn’t provide for that:-))I am German by the way.

     
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    Ann

    Hi all, so interested to read all your comments, it’s hard to know what water is really safe and won’t have long term effects, so many compounds and metals, however minute the TDS is, it’s quite a cocktail to behold. Let’s stay safe. How about drinking the purest , from all my research distilled separates the contaminants from the water. Stay hydrated and healthy

     
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    bella

    Hello, I’m from Germany and I’ve been drinking tab water my whole life. Especially in Northern Germany the water still comes from an ice age source. It’s very health and clean since it’s filtered trough many different mineral layers of the ground.

     
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    • Brent Van Arsdell
      Brent Van Arsdell

      Ahh, you are making me want to be there right now!

       
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    Phaedro

    No tap water, huh? Ooooffffff… What an unbearable stiff bunch.

     
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    • Brent Van Arsdell
      Brent Van Arsdell

      Nahh, you’ll really like the Germans. Just don’t offer your German house guests tap water.

       
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    Boi

    I don’t know the actual values, but by now probably 90% of the water I consumed in my life comes from a tap. We don’t even buy bottled water, as the tap water tastes pretty good in my opinion. There’s no taste of chloride, but also no moldy taste. It’s just like bottled water, but also, you don’t have to buy plastic or glass bottles, which I’m happy to avoid (especially plastic). I would strongly recommend that you try it, as the taste varies from house to house. As to Germans being offended if you offer them tap water, well that depends on the person. I know plenty of people that drink tap water. And I personally would definetly not be offended, but I’m not easily offended anyway.
    Don’t buy plastic bottles when you don’t have to!

     
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  • Avatar
    Aaron^^

    90% of the water i drink is tap water, so it felt kinda weird reading all of this honestly😂

     
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    Alice

    I wish I would have read this years ago. My husband and I took our four kids to Germany in 2014. My husband and 3 boys are all over six feet tall. It was expensive to feed a family of six in Germany. When we were in a restaurant I kept trying to explain to the waiter that we just wanted regular water not bottled water. We were still brought bottled water. This was not cheap in a restaurant in Germany. In fact in the restaurants we ate in the bottled water was more expensive than beer. I could never understand this. Our trip was amazing but I was often thirsty in Germany. We are going to Switzerland soon and all the sculptured fountains there in the cities have healthy water you can fill your water bottle with. The water comes from the mountains and is supposed to be cold and good. I am looking forward to tasting this water.

     
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    Kari

    I lived in Germany for 1 year. The family I lived with only drank bottled water. They had it delivered from the drink market. I tried ordering water at a restaurant and received mineral water. I said I wanted still water and the waiter couldn’t understand what I meant. I had to sign language turning on the faucet. He finally understood, but thought I was crazy!!! I was on a budget and could not afford to pay for sparkling water every time I went to a restaurant. I then learned to started saying I wanted free water in restaurants and they understood.

     
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    Moses

    I am from Africa where we still have challenges with the quality of water in most places. I am in presently in Berlin just for a week’s conference. I have been offered glass bottled water which I have almost finished and I feel a bit lazy going out to look for some so I was wondering if I could just take a glass of the tap water. Hence my search for information on the net to take a decision.

    Great discussions and good education on the issue but honestly I will be really really surprised that Germans do not drink tap water because of water quality issues considering that in almost everything, Germany has been closely associated with quality for ages .

    However, I was expecting some information from verifiable sources, like the German water utility or the private service providers, if not public, to be shared on the results of the referenced tests performed on the German tap water versus the bottled filtered/mineral waters to authenticate the position that the tap water in Germany is really safe to drink. I believe that information will ally the fears of all who have apprehensions about the safety of the tap water in Germany particularly when you the native Germans yourselves are not patronizing it. The saying goes that “if you go to Rome, you do what the Romans do” so this could one of the reasons why most foreigners like me may find it a bit difficult to accept the fact that the tap water is safe and yet your own people are not drinking it.

    On a lighter note, I had always thought that Germans generally do not like to drink water because of their preference for beer. Am I wrong?

     
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    Cari

    I just don’t get it. I mean, maybe it’s the prevalence of restaurants who want to charge you for fancy water, or maybe it’s people being addicted (as I used to be!) to fizzy water?

    My guess is it’s a holdover from post WWII times when there was pollution from war or not so much control over the water system and quality as there is now? Anyway, it’s totally confusing to me.

    I have well water right out of a spring at home, so the fairly hard water in Berlin doesn’t bug me at all. It tastes just fine, especially when chilled.

     
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    AFN

    I have been in Germany many for the best part of 2 months now and have not seen anyone drinking tap water.

    I went out to a fairly basic Chinese restaurant and they also would not offer me tap water. Despite the fact that I ordered a meal and a beer, they insisted I had to buy bottle water. I just chalked it down to the restaurant owners trying to get more money from customers.

     
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    Donald Lloyd Marshall

    I am having trouble finding that Germany uses “Mineral Water” in making Coca-Cola.
    In Germany, “PURE WATER” is NOT considered to be a “SAFE” drinkning liqiud; In GERMANY the PURE WATER must be “MINERAL WATER” in order for the water to be considered to be a SAFE drinking liquid.
    .
    The files on SAFE WATER in GERMANY are a cluttered problem, while the “pure water” copyright for beer, cola and other foods and drinking liquids becomes settled.
    .
    The Reinheitsgebot, or “German Purity Law” as many call it, literally translates to “purity law” or “cleanliness law”. The Reinheitsgebot states beer is to be made with [1] water, [2] hops and [3] barley. NOTE: Only MINERAL WATER is considered to be Safe WATER (purely SAFE water) in Germany.
    In Germany water is un-reliable and is referred to as “Tap Water.” Germany and Mexico do NOT consider Tap Water to be SAFE. Germany only used “mineral water” for SAFE human consumption.
    .
    WATER must be made “pure.” However the water flows in Michigan, the water must be made PURE (distilled). Medical sources claimed they could make “PURE WATER. Therefore STROH felt it to be SAFE to use PURE WATER, instead of Mineral Water. STROH’s beer became rapidly popular, because the PURE WATER BEER was less HEAVY and did not bloat your stomach.
    .
    The United States of America claim that “pure water” beer was first made and used in American beers. German beers use “MINERAL WATER.” Water in Germany was NOT considered to be SAFE, and pure “mineral water” was used as a pure ingredient of beer: German beer is: “Mineral Water,” Hops and Barley.
    .
    [1] The Mineral water make German beers heavier than American beers, [2] the German beer magnifies objects as seen upon looking through the clarity of the mineral beers (pilsners) and [3] the head of German beers are smoother (creamier).”
    .
    Miller Brewing (Trenton, Ohio does house Stroh’s Beer today [2020 circa]) went to Kirn, Germany to verify the brewing legacy of the Stroh’s Family. That would be possible for Miller to do, since: The many families who lived in KIRN, Germany were close in brewing the beer for KIRN, GERMANY. The STROH’s family is recognized as one of the many families of KIRN, Germany who brewed KIRN’s beer; No one family held the copyright. The beer was considered to be the beer of the Kirners’ (Kirners’ means; the people of Kirn, Germany). The STROH’s family came to the United States of America (completely independent of KIRN, Germany), and changed the beers formula to “PURE WATER,” year 1775 circa. [NOTE] Germany used mineral water. Stroh became a citizen of the U.S.A. who’s family is from Kirn, Germany, where the family of Stroh did help to brew the beer of Kirn, Germany (beer of the Kirners’ / the families in each city in Germany brewed their own fresh beer, independently of the next city [in Germany]);
    As an American, Stroh first brewed the first successful PURE WATER BEERS. Stroh had a legacy of beer brewing, back to KIRN, GERMANY; and Stroh placed the KIRN, GERMANY LION on the Stroh’s Beer labels (The KIRN CASTLE, in Kirn, Germany had / has a LION CREST associated with the “heraldry” of Kirn , Germany; The LION’s Crest is used by the many families of Kirn, Germany.

     
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    Meric

    I live in Germany and drink tap water all the time. Most of the people who drink bottled water (mostly in glass) do so because they like sparkling water. Me and my husband used to buy sparkling bottled water because of that reason however, now Sodastream and all those other products are becoming very common so we just use tap water and carbonate it. I would ask if I’m offering someone tap water if they’re okay with it since it’s common curtesy but none of my friends and family said it’s a problem till now and they all drink tap water when offered. They also put tap water on the table when we visit. It is true you won’t get tap in restaurants thought and I never tried asking for tap water till now so I don’t know how they would react. However, at clubs and bar when I ask, I get free tap water.

     
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    Debbie

    In the 80’s when I visited relatives in the Rheingau, I would always sneak some tap water when I was very thirsty. I had to sneak it because my Tante would freak out about drinking tap water…she said it was bad for you. I thought it tasted way better than the water I drank in Central Texas…it was cold and refreshing! When I asked some younger Germans about drinking the tap water, they agreed that believing the water was bad was a leftover sentiment of the war.

     
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    Mike Robinson

    I’ve been traveling the world for years now. Wherever I go, I wonder what the test results are for the tap water: heavy metal concentrations, bacteria, volatile organic compounds and so on. I know that there are labs that can do those tests, and many if not most municipal water supplies around the world probably test their water. I can never find such test results. Why? Do cities want to hide this information, or is it because no one ever asks, so cities don’t bother to publish test results? Countries around the world should issue regulations requiring city water departments to post a full panel of test results every six months.
    The web sites with “information” about water potability are actually opinion polls, with anecdotes and people talking about how they feel.

     
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    Karishma

    I just moved to Berlin. All the information above was extremely helpful. I have decided to go for tap water for now. :)

     
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    Leonid

    I can’t find any information about tap water in Germany and Switzerland. They don’t supply this information, just words that wter is good quality. How we can consider that water is good, if there is not information even about tap water pH.
    In London water from pH6.5 till 9.5, in New York pH 7.2, officially in New Zealand water pH 6-7. I checked myself tap water in Auckland, New Zealand and got pH 7.8. And this is far away from good clean water with pH 4-6.
    Quite strange that this information is hidden from general public.

     
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