Free water in Europe. Drinking water fountains are returning the favor

Free drinking water is no longer just a convenience for the thrifty. In popular tourist cities, it is becoming part of health, tourism and waste policies. As temperatures rise and historic centers struggle with an excess of plastic bottles, public fountains are gaining importance. They are no longer just an ornament of the square, but are becoming an infrastructure of first necessity.

Tourist with an empty bottle

The holiday season and the increasingly frequent waves of high temperatures are a practical test for cities. That’s when it’s best to be prepared not only for the tourist with a camera, but also the one with an empty bottle. There is a need for drinking water fountains, bidon refilling points, maps, apps and clear announcements that water is free.

This is not just a matter of convenience. Drinking water for tourists reduces the risk of dehydration during sightseeing, reduces the use of disposable bottles and relieves the burden on the waste collection system. In crowded centers, where every additional means of transportation and every overflowing garbage can matter, public drinking water points become as practical as benches, toilets or overhead shade.

Free water in Europe as the new standard?

Drinking water fountains are not a new invention in Europe. They have existed in many cities for decades and sometimes centuries. However, the way they are perceived today is changing. They used to be primarily part of municipal infrastructure. Today they are making a comeback as part of zero waste, climate and tourism policies.

In practice, this means that a public fountain is no longer just an ornament of the square. It is a simple tool to fill a bottle, reduce waste and show that water from the city’s system is part of everyday public service.

Where to fill a bottle when traveling?

The novelty of recent years is not so much the mere presence of fountains, but the way to find them. Tourists no longer have to rely solely on chance. Increasingly, he can use either a map or an app that shows the nearest point for filling up a bidon.

An example of such a tool is Watrify. The platform contains a database of more than 250,000 public fountains, springs, distributors and filling points in almost all of Europe. It can be used either in a browser or in an app, searching for sites of interest near your current location. Watrify is based on official data and community submissions, and points can be filtered by source type. Its premise is simple: fill a bottle instead of buying another one.

Similar solutions are emerging locally. In Paris, there is the Je Choisis l’Eau de Paris app, which leads to the nearest free water point. It is complemented by the Ici program , je choisis l’eau de Paris – a network of locations, stores and service points where tap water bottles can be filled for free.

In Barcelona, a similar function is performed by the Fonts BCN app, which shows the locations of the city’s drinking water fountains and helps map the route to them. In Venice, on the other hand, an important role is played by Veritas, the local water and municipal services operator, which provides a map of public fountains in the city and on the islands.

We write more extensively about how these cities are developing public access to drinking water and building confidence in tap water in the article: Is it okay to drink tap water in Europe? Paris, Rome, Venice and Barcelona under the magnifying glass .

In London, a program in partnership between the mayor of the city and Thames Water has led to the installation of more than 100 fountains in busy and easily accessible locations – at subway stations, in parks or on popular pedestrian routes. An important complement is Refill London, a network of approx. 5,000. places, including cafes, stores and service outlets where you can refill your bottle for free.

A similar trend can be seen in Berlin, where the network of public fountains has grown rapidly in recent years. Berliner Wasserbetriebe reports that there are more than 238 drinking water points in the city, directly connected to the water supply and regularly inspected. The operator clearly distinguishes them from decorative fountains, which is important for tourists: not all of them can be drunk from. You can check the locations of the points on the operator’s interactive map. There is also information about the location and time of operation.

Vienna, on the other hand, has taken an even different approach – as one of preparing for the heat. The city manages approx. 1,800. drinking water fountains and 55 monumental and memorial fountains. The water points are located in parks, at playgrounds and at markets, among others, and their locations can be checked on the city plan of Vienna. The fountains are run seasonally – after winter the installations are cleaned and flushed.

From April to September, the network is supplemented by 75 Brunnhilde mobile fountains, set up in high-traffic areas, including the Rathausplatz, Mariahilfer Straße and during outdoor events. Some of the fountains also offer water misting, so they serve a dual function: hydrating and cooling to help survive high temperatures.

Amsterdam completes the picture with a simple, very practical solution. Waternet, the city’s water-supply operator, says there are more than 500 public taps with free drinking water, available around the clock. They can be found in the Vondelpark, the Museum Quarter and many other parts of the city, among others, and the nearest point can be checked on the operator’s map.

New trend – maps and apps to serve travelers

What used to depend on luck or prior knowledge is no longer so today. Apps and interactive maps allow you to find the nearest place to fill up your bottle in seconds.

As a result, public drinking water points and fountains in Europe have become a practical support for sustainable travel: they reduce reliance on disposable bottles, make it easier to function in hot weather, and show that free water can be part of a city’s well-designed infrastructure.