The places tap water tastes so good you don’t need to buy the polluting bottled kind

Water from the tap so good you don’t need to buy plastic bottles of the stuff? It does exist, travel insurer’s survey of social media finds

Reading Time:1 minute

A medical travel insurer analysed Reddit reviews to come up with a list of countries and cities with the tastiest tap water.

Published: 6:15pm, 15 Mar 2025

British Columbia and New York City have North America’s best-tasting tap water, while Switzerland, Norway and Scotland have the “tastiest tap water” in Europe – that’s according to medical travel insurer AllClear’s analysis of hundreds of reviews posted on internet forum Reddit.

Austria was next best in Europe, the insurance company said, with Australia, New Zealand and Chilean Patagonia getting “honourable mentions” from Reddit.

“Vienna is specifically highlighted for its high-quality hydration, while Swiss cities like Geneva, Lausanne and Zurich consistently impress travellers with their exceptional tasting tap water too,” AllClear said, summing up the Reddit reviews. Rome, Portland, Seattle and Melbourne were among the other cities also praised for having tasty tap water.

The Geiranger Fjord is a Unesco World Heritage site in Norway. The country is one of several described by Reddit users as having the tastiest tap water in Europe.

AllClear said that going on holiday in regions where the tap water is tasty allows travellers to forgo purchases of bottled water.

This not only reduces pollution and plastic waste; in recent years plastic has been shown to pollute the human body as it breaks down into tiny micro- or nano-sized particles that seep into blood vessels and the brain and can pass from expectant mother to baby in the womb.

According to official data collated by the World Health Organization, as of 2022, almost 30 per cent of the world’s people did not have regular or convenient access to clean and safe drinking water.