Can you drink the water in Greece?

Can you drink the water in Greece? is a fairly common question I come across. It's also a polarized question: many people think you can drink the water, and about the same number think the opposite.

The answer to the question is yes, you can drink the water in Greece. I've basically stopped buying bottled water when I'm in Greece. Partly because it is heavy to carry home to the room, partly because it is bad for the environment with these millions of empty water bottles that are thrown away every year. Unfortunately, there is (almost) no recycling of plastic in Greece. They end up in the rubbish dump, in the sea or in nature. That it is dangerous to drink the water is a myth.

I follow the basic rule: if the tap water tastes good (or at least okay) I drink the tap water, if it doesn't taste good I don't drink it. On some islands there is a lot of salt in the water (like Koufonissi) and then I buy water.

The best water is available for free from community water taps. The picture is from Spili in Crete.

I usually buy one bottle of water when I come to Greece and then fill it up from the tap, or from one of the community water taps/wells that are found in many places. The water in the wells usually tastes much better than what you can buy in a bottle. Feel free to ask the Greeks where the nearest community water tap/well is.

On some islands, and on the mainland, tap water tastes better than bottled water, of which Crete and Ikaria are two good examples.

In short: it is perfectly fine to drink the tap water in Greece.

Read about Greek beverages here »