Can you drink tap water in Paris? Tips and tricks to staying hydrated - Tripadvisor (2024)

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By Jerome LeeDec 19, 2022 • 3 minutes read

Yes, tap water in Paris is perfectly safe to drink and is readily available wherever you go, even at public water fountains. As long as taps aren’t labeled eau non potable—meaning “not for drinking” in French—everything else is potable.

In fact, drinking water from the fountains of Paris has been encouraged. The first public fountains in Paris appeared in the 13th century, and the city gradually developed an extensive network of drinkable water points in the city.

Eau de Paris maintains the public water supply in Paris, along with a museum devoted to Paris’ water—the Pavillon de l'Eau. It details the history of Paris’ water supply and even holds temporary exhibitions and children's activities.

With tap water so readily available in Paris, it’s easy to keep yourself hydrated. Here are some tips for your next trip to the city.

1. Bring your own reusable bottle

Paris attracts over 30 million tourists and sells over 8.7 million single-use plastic bottles of water every year, with only half of them recycled. With over 1,200 potable water points across the city, what better way to save the environment, and a few euros, than to bring your own reusable bottle?

On top of that, Eau de Paris launched the Ici, je choisis l’eau de Paris, or “Here, I choose the water of Paris” campaign in 2020, as part of a collective effort to reduce the use of single-use plastics. This campaign allows you to get your bottle filled for free at more than 500 partner establishments, ensuring that you’re never too far from a drink of water.

If you still need help finding a water refill, local mobile apps like FreeTaps show you the locations of all public drinking fountains and restaurants where you can get a free glass of water.

2. Spot Paris’ unique water fountains

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There are many grand water fountains in Paris, and at first glance, look purely decorative. In fact, nearly all of them provide drinkable water, and some of them even sparkling water!

Many of these fountains also carry with them rich history and social significance, one of which is the Wallace Fountains. The Wallace Fountains can be found all across Paris and are made out of cast iron sculptures, painted dark green to blend in with the Parisian streetscape. The fountains were commissioned by Sir Richard Wallace, an affluent Englishman who donated these fountains to bring clean drinking water to Parisians for free.

3. You can get free tap water at all dining establishments

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However, be careful of the way that you ask for water in these establishments. If you ask for l’eau, or d’eau, you are likely to get mineral water, which is chargeable and sometimes expensive. What you want to ask for is une carafe d’eau or un pichet d’eau, which ensures that you get free tap water. Just make sure you’re actually ordering an item on the menu to go with it.

4. Drink water the way the French do

Speaking of water at restaurants, most places usually serve water at room temperature, which means that you’ll need to ask for your water avec glaçons, or with ice, if you want a glass of cold water. There’s also some variation in the way French people ask for their water. Pichet or carafe are the more common terms, but depending on where you are, you might also hear the words pot d’eau or cruche being used—which mean water jug and jug respectively.

French people also sometimes add sirops, or sugary syrups, to their drinks. Flavors like sirop de menthe (mint) or sirop de grenadine are popular, and a large bottle of sirop costs only a few euros in Paris. If you fancy the occasional sweet treat, add some to your sparkling water and you’ve got yourself a refreshing drink.

5. Keep an eye out for brumisateurs

While this isn’t exactly a way to stay hydrated, it’s a great way to cool off during the hot summer months. Across the city and at key points like the Seine, there are permanent brumisateurs installed, which are machines that spray mist to help you keep cool.

It is also planned for half of the city’s Wallace Fountains to be outfitted with small nozzles that eject mist at regular intervals, as an effort to inject new life into the city’s historical structures as part of its climate change strategy. The full rollout is expected to be completed in 2024 when Paris hosts the Olympic Games.

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