Can You Drink the Tap Water in Paris? The 2026 Guide

The short answer: yes, it is safe to drink

The water that comes out of Parisian taps is safe to drink everywhere in the city. There is no health reason to buy bottled water during your stay.

There are only two caveats:

• The internal pipes of some old buildings. The public network is not the issue, but the plumbing in a building constructed before 1948 may still contain lead. The fix is simple: run the cold tap for a while before drinking (details below).
• Hot tap water should not be drunk or used for cooking, as it picks up more metals from contact with the pipes.

For everything else, the wider question of safety in Paris is covered in our guide Is Paris safe?.

Who supplies the water and how it is tested

Since 1 January 2010, Paris's water has been managed by Eau de Paris, a public utility owned by the City. It handles the whole chain: abstraction, treatment, transport, distribution and billing.

According to the City of Paris, more than a million measurements are taken every year to check the drinking-water parameters set by the French Public Health Code. The Île-de-France Regional Health Agency (ARS) carries out its own health checks in parallel, independently of the operator.

The price of water

As of 1 January 2026, a cubic metre costs €4.23 including VAT excluding the standing charge, or about €0.0042 per litre. Eau de Paris calculates that a person who drinks 1.5 litres of tap water a day spends around €2.32 a year. For other ways to save money, see our guide to visiting Paris on a budget.

Where Paris tap water comes from

Parisian water is a blend of two sources, in roughly equal parts:

• Half comes from groundwater, abstracted within a radius of about 150 km around the capital: to the south towards Provins, Sens and Fontainebleau, and to the west towards Verneuil-sur-Avre, in Normandy. It is carried by aqueduct and treated (activated carbon, ultrafiltration) before distribution.
• The other half comes from rivers: the Seine, treated at the Orly plant, and the Marne, treated at the Joinville-le-Pont plant.

The water is then stored in five large reservoirs on the edges of Paris, before being distributed through around 2,000 km of pipes.

The Albian aquifer fountains

Paris also has three fountains fed by artesian wells that draw on the Albian aquifer, some 600 m below ground. This water is low in minerals, soft and unchlorinated. You can fill your bottles there for free:

• Square Lamartine, between avenue Victor-Hugo and avenue Henri-Martin, 75016 Paris
• Square de la Madone, 75018 Paris
• Place Paul-Verlaine, 75013 Paris, on the Butte-aux-Cailles

Chlorine taste and limescale: what you need to know

Chlorine

After treatment, the water receives a small dose of chlorine to keep it clean on its journey through the pipes. Eau de Paris limits this level to 0.1 mg/l at the tap, whereas the WHO health threshold is 5 mg/l.

The tip recommended by Eau de Paris: fill a clean, closed carafe and put it in the fridge for a few hours. The chlorine taste fades and the chilled water is easier to drink.

Limescale

Paris water is moderately hard: its hardness is between 20 and 30 French degrees (°f). This limescale poses no health risk. It leaves white marks on taps, kettles and glasses.

Filter jugs are not needed for health reasons. They are even advised against for babies' bottles, as a poorly maintained filter encourages bacteria to grow.

Drinking fountains: Wallace, sparkling and other models

Eau de Paris runs more than 1,200 drinking fountains across the city, all supplied with the same drinking water as the taps.

Wallace fountains

These are the best known: dark green cast-iron fountains supported by four caryatids, donated to the city by the British philanthropist Richard Wallace. The first was installed in 1872, to a design by the sculptor Charles-Auguste Lebourg. Paris now has more than a hundred of them, around fifty of which are fitted with a misting system, welcome during heatwaves.

Sparkling fountains

Paris was the first city in France to offer free sparkling water in public spaces, with a first fountain in the Jardin de Reuilly in 2010. Eau de Paris lists 17 sparkling fountains; according to the City of Paris, around fifteen were in service in spring 2026, with some temporarily unavailable. The water is chilled before being carbonated. They are open 7 days a week. A few locations:

• Jardin de Reuilly, 153 avenue Daumesnil, 75012 Paris
• 24 rue Marguerite-de-Rochechouart, 75009 Paris
• 18 rue Fernand-Braudel, 75013 Paris
• Parc Montsouris, 75014 Paris (see our page on Parc Montsouris)
• Parc des Buttes-Chaumont, 75019 Paris (see our page on the Buttes-Chaumont)
• Square Séverine, 75020 Paris

Other models

You will also come across minimalist Arceau fountains, around 70 "Mât Source" fountains, standpipe fountains in parks and gardens, and mobile "Totem" fountains set up in summer along the riverbanks and canals.

Fountains closed in winter

From November to March, some of the fountains are turned off: freezing water makes the ground slippery and damages the pipes. Eau de Paris nevertheless keeps a network open all winter, with more than 500 fountains in service during winter 2025-2026, notably for homeless people. By the end of September, all the fountains are normally working.

Finding a fountain

Eau de Paris publishes an interactive map of fountains on its website, showing which ones are open. The fountains are also listed on Google Maps: searching for "fontaine" shows the nearest ones.

Filling your bottle in shops

Since 2022, the "Ici, je choisis l'eau de Paris" network has brought together more than 1,100 shops that fill water bottles for free, with no obligation to buy. Participating shops display a blue sticker in the window. The addresses appear on an online map from Eau de Paris.

To spot free toilets along your route as well, see our guide to public toilets in Paris.

Carafes of water in restaurants and cafés

In restaurants, a carafe of tap water is free. A 1967 regulation on price display provides that the price of a meal includes the cover, meaning notably bread and ordinary water. Simply ask for "une carafe d'eau, s'il vous plaît". Mineral or sparkling water offered by the waiter is charged for and optional.

Since 1 January 2022, the 2020 anti-waste law has also required restaurants and bars to state visibly, on the menu or on a notice, that customers can ask for free drinking water. This right applies to the establishment's customers: someone who is not buying anything cannot demand it.

In cafés, the same display requirement applies, and asking for a glass of water with your drink is common practice. Service charges and tipping are covered in detail in our guide to tipping in France.

At the hotel

The tap water in your room comes from the public network: you can drink it. Bottles from the minibar, on the other hand, are usually charged for.

Babies and pregnant women: the official advice

The public "1000 premiers jours" website, published by the health authorities, states that tap water is suitable for the whole family, including pregnant women. It can also be used to make up babies' bottles, provided you follow a few precautions:

• use cold water only, never hot tap water;
• run the tap for a few seconds if it has not been used recently, and for at least two minutes after a long absence;
• in an old building (pre-1948) where lead pipes are possible, run the water for at least 3 minutes before use;
• do not use water from a filter jug;
• clean the tap spout regularly and descale its nozzle with white vinegar.

If you are unsure about the plumbing in a property, you can use bottled water whose label states that it is suitable for feeding infants. Sparkling waters are not suitable for babies' bottles.

Where to find free water in Paris: summary

Information and prices noted in September 2026. Water price: Eau de Paris tariff as of 1 January 2026.

Further reading

Free water is one of the habits that lighten the cost of a trip. In summer, the fountains and their misters also help you cope with the heat: our guide to Paris in summer brings together more tips for heatwave days. To plan full days without spending, see our selection of free things to do in Paris.