In general, it is very rare to get free water in Germany from restaurants, and cafes. We need more water during summer because of high temperatures, and body dehydration. But every time when we have food or coffee, we have to pay also for the water.
Refill water for free – Refill Deutschland
Refill Deutschland is an initiative in Germany to provide free drinking water from the tap to the people. As of 27 July 2022, there are 6140 refill stations and drinking fountains in Germany. You can find the places on their official website.
Finding the refill station
You can easily identify the places where you can fill the water for free. Shops with the refill sticker (as shown below) on the window or the door allow you to fill the tap water for free of charge in the bottle or vessel which you bring with you.
Is tap water in Germany good to drink?
Yes, there are many people in Germany who drinks tap water. I myself drinks also the water from the tap. The water is good in most of the cities. However, in some cities, the limestone (calcium deposit) will be pretty high. So know your health condition before trying it.
You can read more information about drinking tap water from the Umweltbundesamt (UBA) website.
Advantages of refilling
You can reduce/avoid plastic waste by filling up the water bottle.
How to filter the water during vacation or a trip?
It is quite easy to have a water bottle with a filter. This will help you to refill water from everywhere you get it. You can save money by buying water bottles and also reduce the efforts to carry them. Here are some of the water bottles with filters.
Other places to get free drinking water
dm-drogerie markt
Apart from this, it is also possible to drink water for free in dm-drogerie markt. It is mostly available in all the branches throughout the year. However, it is not advisable to refill your bottle.
Drinking water fountain
You can also find the drinking water fountain in some cities. Make sure that the water is good to drink. In general, you can look at the information near the fountain. If it is mentioned as “Trinkwasser”, then the water can be used for drinking. If it is mentioned as “Kein Trinkwasser”, then the water is not suitable for drinking.
You can find the details about the drinking water fountains on this website.
Apart from this website, you can also get the information from the particular city website. Here is an example.
Note
The above links may not have all the water sources. If you know something in your region, feel free to update it on the website. It will be helpful for others.
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2 comments
I have just been inter Railing in Germany and not a single train station or station shop would re fill our water bottles. Also it is impossible to re fill water bottles in trains. Very dissapointing.
Yes, unfortunately it is not possible in trains or train stations.