Water in Europe

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  • lorrpb
    lorrpb Posts: 11,464 Member
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    nyponbell wrote: »
    Being from Sweden where the tap water is not only free but perfectly fine to drink, I have something of an aversion to buying water - at a restaurant or from a grocery store. I do have to at times, because I usually travel in the warmer months and I get dehydrated, but often I just get the one bottle that I then use to refill whenever I find water (I have mostly travelled in places where the water is fine to drink and if it's not there's a sign).

    I have no idea why water costs money in so many restaurants. It's one thing if you want the sparkling (which shouldn't cost money anyway, if the place would just get some kind of soda streamer) but just plain water? I dislike it, but it's a money thing. The worst part is when the cost of regular tap water isn't even listed in the menu (so you think it might be free) but shows up on your bill!

    Also one of the reasons when, if I go out to a café and want something hot to drink, I don't order tea (even though I LOVE tea) but instead hot chocolate (I don't drink coffee), as I don't feel like paying about the same amount for a small bag of tea that costs pennies and just some tap water heated up. (Unless it's a special kind of tea place, but most cafés are not.)

    Agree with you! I never buy bottled water I do but tea but it annoys the heck out of me to pays several $ for a tea bag! I stay away from hot chocolate because of the extra cals, but do love it!
  • Packerjohn
    Packerjohn Posts: 4,855 Member
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    Places I've been in Europe they are pretty stingy with ice for drinks.
  • yarwell
    yarwell Posts: 10,477 Member
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    Packerjohn wrote: »
    Places I've been in Europe they are pretty stingy with ice for drinks.

    cultural differences, in the USA they're pretty stingy with the amount of drink they use to fill the insterstices in the mass of ice they serve.
  • yarwell
    yarwell Posts: 10,477 Member
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    lorrpb wrote: »
    Sometimes there's a reason or history for different customs, something more enlightening than "we can make more money that way."

    indeed, like drinking wine with a meal rather than water.
  • beasquats
    beasquats Posts: 2 Member
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    I live in Switzerland, and it is normal to be charged for water in restaurants. It will however not be tap water, but botteled water. If you ask for tap, it will be free but some restaurants refuse (usually unless you buy other drinks too).
  • Windrunner666
    Windrunner666 Posts: 91 Member
    edited July 2017
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    lorrpb wrote: »
    We just got back from 2 weeks in Switzerland, where NO restaurant served water with the meal. You have to purchase water at 4.50CHF per glass. Keeping hydrated was the biggest challenge of the trip. Some places will sell you a liter bottle. What's the deal with that?

    Well, swiss is the most expensive country in europe, therefore never go to resturants. You pay like 25 € for just the seat, in some resturants. I only drank coffee and ate in the morning,breakfast time when I went there on trip. Still I managed to spend 50 euros in 5 days :/
  • Christine_72
    Christine_72 Posts: 16,049 Member
    edited July 2017
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    yayamom3 wrote: »
    We noticed the same thing in Italy last summer. We always had to order several liters of water in a restaurant, and everyone looked at us like we were crazy. In the home, the only time we saw our cousins drink water was a small (like 8 oz) glass at breakfast. The rest of the day they only drank coffee and wine. We were so dehydrated the entire time, and we still haven't figured out why they all weren't dehydrated.

    I'd be interested in why this is too. I feel like i'm living in a desert and get water retention if i don't drink enough water through the day, coffee and tea just doesn't have the same hydrating effect for me.

    Water is free here in Australia, but you have to ask for it, they don't automatically bring it out. It usually comes out in a big jug. We went to a buffet the other week and their new policy is a gold coin donation that goes to a charity for every jug of water, this is the first time I've ever paid for water in a restaurant.

    ETA: Gold coin = $1 or $2 coins.

  • Gisel2015
    Gisel2015 Posts: 4,147 Member
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    I had the same problem in St. Martin (Caribbean island). No tap water served even if you asked for; it had to be bottle water flat or with bubbles. I always ordered a big bottle and took home with me what I didn't drink. My husband and I were in Denmark last year and the water was also bottled. When we travel away from the USA we need to realized that what we take for granted in here, it cost money in other parts of the world.

    Even in California with the drought that we had for several years water was served only on request, but there were always free refills. The same for ice tea, coffee or sodas served in the restaurants.

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