Food and Beverage – Intelligent Travel Blog

“The City of Love”, Paris, is an all-time favorite destination among tourists. Everyone must have dreamed to have a selfie under the Eiffel Tower or marvel over the best cuisine that French chefs has to offer. I for one, have not only dreamed to visit the “City of Lights”, but I dreamed to live there. Why do I dreamed of living in Paris? Well for one, the quality of living in Paris is impressive as its tourist spots. Take it from Ernest Hemingway who even quoted, “If you are lucky enough to have lived in Paris as a young man, then wherever you go for the rest of your life, it stays with you, for Paris is a moveable feast.” From their amazing art, sumptuous cuisine, welcoming community and high-quality drinking tap water. Yes, their tap water is definitely safe to drink. Who would not want to live there? Parisian Drinking Water Observes Strict Standards Paris boasts its high-quality drinking tap water. Unlike other third world countries who struggle from the inadequate clean and safe drinking water supply, Paris is the opposite. The French government ensures that their drinking water all around the city observes the most strict standard possible. According to Paris’ water authority, Eau de Paris, they always measure the water’s safe levels in line with the recommended standards from the World Health Organization (WHO). From the data presented from 2016 to 2019, the city has maintained its average threshold record which was between 0 and 1.22 Becquerel per liter (derived unit of radioactivity). From thelocal.fr past article published last July 2019, somebody has spread rumors from Twitter that the drinking water of the city contains Tritium, as described by Google, it is a beta-emitting radioactive isotope of hydrogen that can be present in water supplies. If ingested, it can be very harmful to the body. It has alarmed not only the french community but also the tourists. However, the authorities shut the rumors by presenting a report from the public health assistance, l’Assistnace publique des hopitaux de Paris, that they did not receive any complaints relating to water contamination and that they have always complied in strict standards. Access to Drinking Tap Water in Paris Though the tap water is safe anywhere in the city here are the accessible locations where you can get good tap water as a tourist FOR FREE: The hotel or b&b you are staying in. When I was there for a trip in 2019, the hotel confirmed that the running water from the rooms are safe to drink. We used it for refilling our water bottles throughout the whole trip and even used it for making coffee and tea. It was very helpful for us because we can easily access clean water instead of buying water bottles for 3-5 euro. That really saved us a lot from our budget. When you dine in restaurants or cafes. As a budget traveler, I only splurge one good drink to order for a day, like getting a good latte macchiato for breakfast or an amazing glass of Muscato for dinner. Some mistakes tourists do is not asking if they have free tap water to offer or just another bottled water. I never get water unless if I need to. In some European countries like Germany and Belgium, they charge for the water. They just don’t hand free tap water. In Paris or France in general, you can always ask for a glass of tap water for free. On the street sides of Paris, there’s a fountain everywhere. According to francetraveltips.com, there are a thousand of water fountains around the city itself and over a 100 are at Wallace Fountains (I highly recommend this place to check out as well). They provide free clean water to any passersby throughout the year. Famous attractions, for example like Paris Disneyland, there are tons of water fountains that are also very safe to drink. All you need to bring is a big size of the water bottle to carry with you. Imagine buying a 5 euro water bottle in one of the restaurants or shops, that’s a total rip off and not even enough throughout the day! What if you are too O.C. to drink tap water? People are different in so many ways. For some, tap water may work for their body but for another, it might not be. No matter how clean the tap water is, if you react negatively to tap drinking water or if you have a stomach sensitivity history, then you should be more extra careful. Just because it says it's clean and safe, it might not just be for everybody, Here’s a tip for easy purifying your drinking water from the tap when traveling: Whenever I book for a hotel, I always check if the property has a working electric kettle. This very simple hotel amenity is such a trip saver especially if you don’t have a certain source of clean and safe drinking water. What I do is just simply boil it for at least 10 minutes to make sure that whatever possible contaminants are there will be totally gone. I let it sit to cool for 30 minutes and I transfer it in my water bottle then voila! Clean and safe drinking water. If there’s a fridge in your hotel room, then the better, you can store it for later use. Boiling your water is an effective way of purifying your water. It has long been proven to be effective especially when you are outdoors or in a situation where clean water is unavailable. Bring a water filter bottle. You can always order them on Amazon or in any online shop at any time. I got mine from Amazon and I had to say, this is very efficient and easy to use. I actually find this more fast and effective than boiling my water. When you boil your water, it takes a lot of time. You need to wait for it to boil and another waiting game again to cool it down before you can actually drink it. The filter makes it easier for you, you just pour in the tap water straight to the pitcher and the filter inside will effectively clean and purify your water. Very fast and easy! Another tip I’ve heard from a co-traveler was the iodine solution or crystals. I personally have not tried it but this is how it works: all you need to do is drop the tablet or crystals in the water and shake it well. Make sure that you are shaking the bottle in an upside-down motion. After pouring, you have to wait approximately 30 minutes to have the solution work on its own by killing any material that is in your tap water. Before using this solution, make sure to check the label for its ingredients that you might be allergic to. Please also note that this solution is not safe for pregnant women. People who have tried this claim that the water has after taste after treating it. Parisian Water is a MUST TRY As a traveler, I highly recommend that you try the water fountains all around the city. It has a sweet and refreshing taste that I have not experienced before. At first, I was skeptical about doing it, but as I have seen other tourists who were also drinking it straight from their hands, I knew I have to give it a go. I’m happy because I liked it and did not regret it at all. I did not experience any stomach illness like diarrhea or vomiting, I was perfectly okay. I did not even bother boiling the water or using my water purifier AT ALL! It saved us a lot of time and money of course from buying bottled waters at a hefty price. I can honestly say that it is safe to drink the tap water in Paris, for real! I believe you should try it, too, on your visit to Paris.