Water in Europe

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lorrpb
lorrpb Posts: 11,464 Member
edited June 2017 in Food and Nutrition
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?
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Replies

  • kommodevaran
    kommodevaran Posts: 17,890 Member
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    It's horrendous, but it's a way to make money.
  • ValkyrieOnline
    ValkyrieOnline Posts: 160 Member
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    Wow!! That is crazy! I hope to see someone from there explain why! Jeez, well I hope you had a good time there, other than being dehydrated!
  • rainbowbow
    rainbowbow Posts: 7,490 Member
    edited June 2017
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    I live in Copenhagen and it's not uncommon at all whatsoever. You want water? You better pay. You want extra condiments or bread with your meal? It costs money. And by money, i mean it's usually not worth it.

    FriskVand_RAISFOTO_3570-1-20170118-587f3247f1fbe.jpg

    I love this image because it's just so "nordic-ey" looking. Anyways, if you want water you need to say still or sparking. Still will come from the tap (like the above) and is usually 45kr per bottle. If you order a soda, it's also about 45kr per each and every glass you get.

    That's just about $6.92 in USD for one liter of water for the table or one glass of soda.


    EDIT: To put the rest in perspective though, It's also about $10 usd for a grande latte from starbucks. It's also about $2 for each and every packet of ketchup you get at fastfood places like mcdonald's and the like (and they also don't have free refills).
  • peleroja
    peleroja Posts: 3,979 Member
    edited June 2017
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    Some countries are just weird about tap water too. When I lived in Spain, literally no one I knew drank the stuff (at home or out) even though it was 100% fine to do so in our area. So in restaurants, it's pretty much always bottled and so it's pretty much always something you pay for.

    It's just a cultural thing in some areas. I was told by a few more "traditional" acquaintances there that guzzling water during a meal is looked at as a bit gauche for whatever reason, so that's part of it too. Hard to adjust to as a Canadian who is both used to free-flowing tap water at restaurants and not accustomed to the heat and humidity, but when in, um, Rome...
  • amysteri
    amysteri Posts: 197 Member
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    You're in a different country. That's what it's called. :p
    And besides, maybe drinking water there is expensive, or not as widely available and sourced the same way it is in the U.S. or any other country that serves free water.
  • lorrpb
    lorrpb Posts: 11,464 Member
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    Sometimes there's a reason or history for different customs, something more enlightening than "we can make more money that way."
  • lorrpb
    lorrpb Posts: 11,464 Member
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    AngelaOStrong wrote: »
    Wow!! That is crazy! I hope to see someone from there explain why! Jeez, well I hope you had a good time there, other than being dehydrated!

    Oh yes,we had an awesome amazing trip!!
  • pennygm72
    pennygm72 Posts: 179 Member
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    amysteri wrote: »
    You're in a different country. That's what it's called. :p
    And besides, maybe drinking water there is expensive, or not as widely available and sourced the same way it is in the U.S. or any other country that serves free water.

    Whilst there maybe areas in Europe that have issues with drinking water, Switzerland is not one of them, its all about making money. Having travelled through many European countries ( being a Brit) restaurants will often assume you want bottled water unless you specify otherwise, the same happens in the UK.
  • lorrpb
    lorrpb Posts: 11,464 Member
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    The ironic thing is that they have open fountains all over town that look like a livestock trough with running water, and the water is perfectly safe to drink! That took awhile to get used to too, but they were really cute.
  • lululapagaille
    lululapagaille Posts: 84 Member
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    In France tap water is free in restaurants and cafés which is great because I drink loads of water :)
    In the UK too, and in Rome there are drinkable water fountains all over the city.
    OP, are you American ? Last summer on vacation, in California, tap water was free, whereas they wouldn't give us free tap water in Texas !!
  • yayamom3
    yayamom3 Posts: 939 Member
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    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.
  • lorrpb
    lorrpb Posts: 11,464 Member
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    lululapagaille wrote: »
    In France tap water is free in restaurants and cafés which is great because I drink loads of water :)
    In the UK too, and in Rome there are drinkable water fountains all over the city.
    OP, are you American ? Last summer on vacation, in California, tap water was free, whereas they wouldn't give us free tap water in Texas !!
    Yes I'm from the US. I've never had a problem getting tap water in Texas or anywhere in us. Some places are more forthcoming with water than others, but it is possible to get it.

  • jesspen91
    jesspen91 Posts: 1,383 Member
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    I feel like Switzerland is one of those places where you pay a lot for everything. It's because wages are high so it's not a big deal for the locals. In the UK you can always get free tap water if you ask although some places will only serve you by the glass. All you can eat places tend to give you the smallest glasses of water to encourage you to buy drinks as that's where they make most of their money.
  • kavahni
    kavahni Posts: 313 Member
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    It's normal.
  • 12stone1
    12stone1 Posts: 8 Member
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    No charge in Ireland and tap water is decent.I drink atleast a litre with every meal.

    Choose your destination...more better
  • nyponbell
    nyponbell Posts: 379 Member
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    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.)

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