Can they charge you for tap water in Spain?

If you’re from countries such as the UK, Canada or the US you’ll usually be very used to drinking tap water and will often be able to order it in restaurants too, free of charge.

In Spain, however, it’s a little different. If you order water, you will typically be brought bottled water, not tap water.

If you want a glass of tap water, you will have to specify un vaso agua del grifo, otherwise they will just bring you a bottle and charge you for it.

Be aware, in some places you may get strange looks for asking for this because tap water typically isn’t drunk in restaurants or bars in certain places.

That being said, you can still ask for it, and they will have to provide it to you.

There’s nothing wrong with the tap water in Spain, it’s perfectly safe to drink, it just doesn’t always taste that nice.

READ ALSO: Why does tap water taste strange in some parts of Spain?

While Madrid famously has the best tasting tap water in the country, el agua del grifo also reportedly tastes good in Galicia, Castilla y León and La Rioja according to Spanish consumer watchdog OCU. Other places in the centre or northern parts of the country have perfectly fine tasting tap water too.

It’s along the Mediterranean coast and in parts of the south, as well as the Balearic Islands where the tap water doesn’t taste very nice. In Catalonia, Valencia and Murcia the water is very hard and has a lot of mineral content, as well as chlorine taste.

In Andalusia and the islands tap water can have a slightly salty taste as a lot of it comes from desalinisation plants.

These are the areas where you may get strange looks asking for tap water and the locals may even convince you otherwise.

Can they charge you for tap water in Spain?

If you want tap water though, bars and restaurants have to provide it to you for free.

Asking for tap water in Spain became a right back in 2022. The law now states that hospitality establishments must "always offer consumers, clients or users of their services the possibility of consuming unbottled water free of charge and in addition to the establishment's offering”.

This also means that it is illegal to add indirect charges such as a service fee, a glass fee, or an ice fee - it must all be free.

However - and this is important - they are only obliged to do this if you’re consuming food or drink on the premises.

Therefore, you can't just go into a bar or restaurant and ask for tap water for free and then walk out again.

This doesn’t mean that many places won’t just give you tap water if you ask, but they’re not obliged to by law.

They would be within their rights to refuse to give it to you and offer to sell you a bottle of water instead.

You'd be better off ordering a coffee and ask for a glass of water with it, they may well pour it from a bottle of mineral water for you.

This is all part of Law 7/2022 on Waste and Contaminated Soils for a Circular Economy.

One of the major priorities of the law is reducing the consumption of single-use plastic bottles and decreasing the carbon footprint associated with transporting bottled water.

So, next time you're in a bar or restaurant in Spain and don't want to have to pay for bottled water, try asking for tap water and judge for yourself how it tastes. Or just get a bottle of mineral water (it should cost between €1 and €2 in most places).

READ ALSO: Can you use a bar or restaurant’s toilet in Spain if you’re not a customer?