Fresh water is hard to come by in many countries, opting for locals to rely on bottled water as their main source of drinking water. Access to fresh drinking water is a luxury that many people in the world don’t have access to and is a privilege for the select few countries that have access to such a commodity. While it’s best for travelers to exercise caution when consuming tap water in some destinations, tourists can enjoy some of the cleanest drinking water in these following countries.
10 Iceland
Visitors to the Land of Ice and Fire need not worry; Iceland’s water is one of the cleanest around! When traveling to Iceland, visitors can drink water straight from the tap without having to buy wasteful bottled water. Home to thousands of waterfalls, rivers, and a vast amount of glaciers, water is woven into Icelandic culture and history. Travelers may smell (and taste) sulfur for hot water; regardless, this is completely safe drinking water and can be used to brush your teeth and taking long, hot showers.
9 Switzerland
Switzerland’s water mainly comes from underground sources, as well as its pristine lakes (there are over 100 lakes spread across the country). Pair that with the fact that the country follows strict guidelines when it comes to water quality, it’s no wonder Switzerland is regarded as having some of the most potable water in the world. In fact, tap water is regarded as better (and definitely cheaper) than its wasteful, bottled counterpart!
8 Canada
It’s been said that Canada has access to some of the world’s cleanest drinking water. While many Canadians from coast to coast enjoy accessible and fresh drinking water, the unacceptable and unfortunate reality is that First Nations’ reserves do not share the same accessibility (which is something that the government should work on—the Great Lakes shared with the US make up 18% of the world’s cleanest freshwater!).
7 New Zealand
New Zealand follows strict guidelines and procedures when it comes to water quality, taking water from dams, rivers, and underground sources. Most of the water in New Zealand is also treated with chlorine, fluoride, and lime (among other compounds) to deliver potable water (that is also beneficial to your teeth)!
6 Sweden
Sweden has around 100,000 lakes they can draw fresh surface water from! Citizens aren’t too fond of bottled water, as it’s seen as a wasteful alternative to its tap water counterpart. Visitors visiting this Nordic country can enjoy drinking water straight from the tap out of their accommodations, no plastic needed. In fact, in 2017, Stockholm was recognized by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) for possessing some of the cleanest and highest quality water in the country.
5 Greenland
Surrounded by massive glaciers and studded with a variety of lakes and flowing rivers, Greenland’s water is known as some of the most pristine around (you can even break off a small chunk of the glacier to add some ice to that H2O). Hikers exploring the trails along Greenland can also refill their reusable bottles from the rivers and lakes they encounter during their walk (as long as this water source is connected to a flowing river). A majority of Greenland’s potable water comes from meltwater in surrounding lakes, while a small percentage of it is derived from treating ocean water, which involves removing the salt content, filtration of contaminants, and chemically treated with UV light or chlorine.
4 Colombia
Colombia’s major cities—Bogotá and Medellin—as well as other large urban centers in the country have access to drinkable tap water, so bottled water is a little out of the ordinary in these areas (and as mentioned countlessly in this article, needlessly wasteful and expensive). In Bogotá, drinking water is collected from surface water within the nearby Bogotá River Basin. However, travelers heading to more rural areas in Colombia should be a little more cautious—it’s best to bring jugs of bottled water or a portable water filter.
3 Germany
Although many German citizens prefer bottled water over their over-the-tap counterparts—whether it’s due to taste preference or a strong belief that mineral water is healthier—Germany’s tap water is still of high quality and very portable (especially in large cities like Munich and Berlin). Water purification is highly regulated in the country, but some visitors may find that the taste of the water varies from city to city, which is primarily rooted in the water’s inherent hardness. Purified hard water may require more chlorination, giving the drinking water a peculiar aftertaste. Regardless, tap water in this European country is still safe, and the government encourages visitors and locals alike to use reusable water bottles instead of buying plastic varieties.
2 Denmark
Denmark’s water is regarded as safe and delicious. Taken from groundwaters underneath the land, the country has over 1,000 wastewater treatment plants to purify water and transform its potability, suitable for households and industries. However, Denmark’s groundwater is naturally clean, so while it does undergo basic treatment in the plants, it’s rarely chlorinated, thus maintaining its organic taste.
1 Singapore
Singapore gets its drinking water from 4 primary sources, which are rainwater catching (also known as water from local catchment), imports, Malaysia’s Johor River, and ocean water. Each source of water undergoes rigorous water treatment to provide locals and visitors safe tap water. However, locals may find that due to water treatment involving chlorine, the taste of tap water may have an undesirable aftertaste that pushes them to buy their bottled water counterparts. Visitors planning on traveling to Singapore can still save some money by opting to drink tap water (which can also be produced by recycling used water)!