Can I drink the tap water in Spain?
Yes, at least for 99.5% of all public tap water is safe to drink and complies with strict international water quality standards.
However it didn’t use to be this way and therefore a lot of Spaniards switched from tap water to bottled water as soon as they could afford it. A lot of myths have been built about tap water causing health issues and diseases. Few if any of these are true today.
Basically, if there’s no warning or restriction made public from the local water company then the water is safe to drink (or at least as safe as bottled water). And if you don’t like the taste get a high quality water filter such as TAPP 1, saving you money, effort and plastic waste.
Tap water in Spain
Before Spain joined the EU in 1986, the country was torn by the after effects of the civil war, dictatorship and subsequent lack of investments in infrastructure including tap water. Some cities like Madrid had excellent tap water but others had limited regulation and sub standard filtration and quality testing.
In the coastal areas such as Barcelona, Valencia, Alicante, Malaga and Cadiz you will therefore hear a lot of people tell you that they don’t recommend drinking the tap water. One of the reasons is that tourists in the 60s to 80s did not drink the tap water and as Spaniards got wealthier they also switched to bottled water.
Between 1986 and 2008 Spain received 21 billion euro in EU funding for water infrastructure. Today they have some of the most advanced public water filtration and waste water management solutions in the world.
The Spanish water providers use chlorine to sterilize tap water (this is common in the rest of Europe and the US, too). For this reason, there can be a certain chemical taste to the water. It is not dangerous, and you usually get used to it after a while. If not, then get a high quality water filter such as TAPP 1 and the problem is solved.
If you live near the coast, you may have higher levels of sediment like fine sand in your tap water. Again, this is not dangerous, just annoying.

The water companies are obliged to provide frequent water quality reports and alert customers if there is any non-compliance. Therefore there is no risk of getting sick from bacteria in water from the tap, from public drinking fountains, at restaurants, etc.
Read a more specific analysis of the tap water in other cities of Spain here: Alicante, Barcelona, Ibiza, Malaga.
Bottled water in Spain
Bottled water consumption in Spain grew from 74m litres in 1965 to over 5,000m in 2016. That’s from about 74m glass bottles to around 6–8 billion plastic bottles in 2016. This has caused big issues in terms of plastic pollution as only about 20% gets recycled and the rest ends up on landfills and incineration plants.
The average Spanish household that buys bottled water spends about €320 per year. With a water filter like TAPP 1 you can save €260.
To date there is no scientific evidence that bottled water (referred to as mineral water by the industry) is healthier or safer to drink than tap water. Therefore the only reason to drink bottled water is taste preference.
Conclusion
You can safely drink the tap water in Spain unless the local water company states otherwise.
If you don’t like the taste of the water or you’re worried about contamination from the pipes then get a high quality water filter such as TAPP 1.
Avoid plastic bottled water if you can, as it’s bad for the planet and generally a waste of money.

