Swiss tap water – can I order free tap water in a restaurant?
Ian_pooley started the thread asking whether restaurants in Switzerland still serve free tap water as he had experienced on previous trips. He noted that on his last visit, a restaurant in Interlaken refused to serve him tap water. Travelers shared that while many restaurants used to provide it for free, this has become less common and some now charge for it.
- Be prepared for some restaurants to charge for tap water; the typical charge is around 2-3 CHF per person.
- It's a good idea to specify whether you want 'Hahnenwasser' (tap water) or bottled water when ordering.
- Enjoying a drink with water is fine, but whether you get free tap water depends on the restaurant’s policy.
AI-generated summary-
Do restaurants serve free tap water? I was in Switzerland about 6 years ago & always got free tap water, however I was there a couple of years ago & in one restaurant in Interlaken was refused. If they charged a reasonable price for bottled water instead of the exorbitant prices I wouldn’t mind paying it.
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Hi Ian_pooley,
Yes, that used to be the case. Tap water was provided free of charge at majority of restaurants but these days, more and more restaurants are choosing not to serve tap water or they will charge for tap water if bottled water is not ordered. I have found the price hovers around 2-3 chf per person.
Kind regards,
Yolanda
What about if you order some wine? We like a glass or two of wine, but well interspersed with tap water. I have never been anywhere where we had to pay for the water before.
Hi DebH,
It’s entirely at the restaurant’s discretion. As mentioned, it used to be very common that tap water was provided free of charge and there are still restaurants that do offer tap water free of charge but it has become less common. (This is regardless if you are ordering wine or not).
Kind regards,
Yolanda
Hi Ian_pooley,
As mentioned above, it depends entirely on the particular eatery. In my two week trips there (last Sept and Sept 2018), I found this to be true. Some do, some don’t. Also, a lot of places will ask if you want ‘mineral’ water or ‘tap’ water. I don’t remember the exact word they used for ‘tap ‘ though. (It may have been ‘regular’ t’s not coming to me now) but many will ask. I just usually had a beer, unless at breakfast, where most if not all will offer a pitcher somewhere at the buffet or wherever/however their breakfast spot is set up. So basically it will be a hit or miss for you. Either way, have a great trip and enjoy the scenery.
Regards,
Danielsan
Hi Danielsan,
You probably heard “Hahnenwasser” or possibly “Leitungswasser”. “Hahnenwasser” is widely used in Switzerland for tap water. “Leitungswasser” being less common, even though it is still correct german. It would still be understood for tap water.
Kind regards,
Yolanda
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