My Favorite Paris Water Secret

Paris cuisine is known for many things – most notably wine, cheese and bread – but did you know Paris is also the home of some of the purest public water?

One of the original water fountains in Paris

Get ready for one of my favorite things about Paris – and a big euro saving tip!

The Paris public water system, Eau de Paris, provides some of the best tap water in the world, and was even featured recently in Zak Efron’s documentary series on Netflix, ‘Down to Earth.’

Parisians takes great pride in their water quality, even comparing it to a ‘Grand Cru,’ in reference to the distinction of the most lauded wines in France, in one of my favorite clever advertising campaigns.

An Eau de Paris adventising campaign comparing Paris water with top notch wine

So – while in Paris, no need to purchase bottled water. I recommend traveling with your own water bottles, and refilling as needed throughout the day at one of over a thousand water fountains located throughout the city (if you take one of my guided tours, you’ll know all about how these fountains became so integral to Paris!).

Learning about the history of Paris' water fountains during a Petit Guide Tour!

There are several models of fountain - some are the original forest green cast iron versions that are quite ornate, like in the first image above. The modern versions can either be a fountain on a pedestal, or a small building, often in a park.

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If you get lucky, you’ll even find one of the dozen or so sparkling water fountains! That’s right – free unlimited sparkling water! The button will either say ‘eau pétillante’ or ‘eau gazeuse’ – the two terms for sparkling water in French.

Here is a map showing all the public water fountains in Paris (search for the ‘fontaine pétillante’ symbol for sparkling fountains) : http://www.eaudeparis.fr/nc/carte-des-fontaines/

A map of the sparkling water fountains by Carnets de Weekends

So, next time you're in Paris - don't hesitate to drink the tap water, and maybe you'll even find some refreshing sparkling water to give you a boost during your sightseeing!