Safely Drinking the Tap Water in Venice - An American in Rome (2024)

Venice is surrounded by water, which changes with the tides as the lagoon ebbs and flows. As romantic as the lagoon views are, the canals are also filled with motorboats and gondolas a-plenty, so it can be normal to wonder if it is safe to drink the tap water in Venice. Don’t worry – yes, of course. You can drink the water in Venice and save yourself the expense and waste of bottled water.

Venice’s tap water is pumped in from the Italian mainland so you don’t have to worry about anything questionable in the water that is floating under the city. That lagoon water is not coming out of the tap.

Another thing to keep in mind, Italy is a part of the European Union. In addition to its own high national standards, Italy abides by the EU wide standards for healthy water.

I completely understand the hesitation of being in a new place and not trusting the water, but drinking the tap water in Venice is healthy and a great way to cut down on the amount of plastic that is thrown away in the city. You can safely drink the water from the sink in your hotel or apartment.

If you prefer, there are also public fountains that flow continuously. Not only are they beautiful, but they are also useful. The cold water is ideal for refilling water bottles. I always travel with my reusable stainless steel bottle because it is easy to clean, saves me money, and means fewer runs into stores and minimarts for single-use water bottles.

One exception you will notice, it is not really a thing to ask for tap water when out in restaurants. In this case, water (hopefully in a glass bottle) is a part of the overall experience and one of the things you order. It shouldn’t be more than €2 a liter at the table and can be requested either as naturale (still) or frizzante (sparkling). It is so common to order bottled water that it should be factored into your dining out budget.

Asking for tap water when eating out is a bit of a faux pas in Italy, but otherwise, feel free to drink all the water in Venice!

Off to keep exploring? Here’s more on drinking the water in Rome, too.