Tap water in Prague is of very high quality and it is completely safe to drink. You don’t need to worry about getting sick from tap water in Prague at all. In general, the quality of tap water in the entire Czech Republic is at a very high level, it is healthy, clean and its quality is monitored by the law no. 252/2004 Sb. and it has a lot limits for various chemical substances nad minerals to be healthy. The quality of drinking water in Prague is monitored and tested frequently by company Pražské Vodárny a Kanalizace s.r.o. (PVK), which is majority owned by french group Veolia.
Prague’s tap water is tasty, soft to medium-hard, very clean and has a very very slight taste of chlorine (which is perfectly fine, it prevents bacteria in the water). If you are sensitive to water changes and its taste, it is possible to buy bottled water, but in most cases (99+ %) it is not necessary. Prague tap water is likely to be delicious and will not cause you any health problems. Every Czech drinks tap water daily.
If you prefer to use refillable water bottle, be sure to bring it with you to Prague. You can fill up your water at your hotel or stay in the morning and then during the day at restaurants or public drinking fountains located throughout the centre of Prague. The quality of the water in the public drinking fountains is identical to that of Prague’s household and hotels taps.
Some water on some places might not be drinkable. This is typically marked with a sign around the water source or above the tap – for example water in attraction fountains (the ones in parks, where you throw a coin for luck), water taps for gardening and watering flowers might not be drinkable. The mark for non-potable or non-drinkable water usually looks like a black tap mark with a red cross around it.
Independent water quality measurements and rankings
Water quality is rated by 2 independent worldwide rankings – EPI and WQI (WQi uses EPI too). Czech tap water is at the top in both of the rankings.
Drinking water in Prague (and the entire Czech Republic) is ranked 30th among all countries in the world in the EPI 2022 ranking.
In the WQI 2024 ranking, drinking water in Prague (and the Czech Republic as a whole) ranked 34th.
Both rankings show that the quality of drinking water in Prague is slightly worse than in Western countries (USA, UK, Canada, Germany, France, etc.). But it is among the most quality drinking water in Central Europe and is significantly better than in the rest of the world – especially Eastern Europe, Asia, South America, and Africa.
In general, you don’t have to worry about getting stomach problems or other illnesses from drinking tap water in Prague. The water in Prague is really high quality. It is guaranteed by the Pražské vodárny a kanalizace s.r.o. (PVK), a company minority-owned by the city of Prague. It carries out 15,000 water quality analyses throughout Prague every year. PVK company has employees who travel throughout the city collecting water samples from public places and institutions. They sometimes visit even private businesses in Prague to collect water, as well as households, so the water samples are taken from variety of places. Over 100 different chemical, sensory, physical, microbiological and biological quality parameters are determined as part of the drinking water quality control in lab. Drinking water is treated physically, chemically and biologically – for example with ozone and chlorine. Water quality is monitored both laboratory and online using monitoring sensors. More information on tap water quality can be found on the PVK website (mostly in Czech, so please use a translator like Deepl or Google Translate).
Water is supplied to Prague by various pipelines from 3 different directions. Depending on where you stay in Prague, your tap water may have slightly different qualitative or sensory characteristics – for example, it may taste slightly different in the south and north parts of Prague.
In this video they checked 3 water samples from different parts of Prague – on the map below as 1. the orange and pink; 2. blue; and 3. red map areas. Tap water from the orange and pink map areas is the most delicious by the simple test. It is the center of the city and the north of Prague. Vast majority of tourists stay in the city center – the orange map area.
You can also compare the quality of the drinking water in Prague by checking the Water quality map. Just click on the map where you plan to drink tap water and the app will show you current important tap water quality indicators. It’s difficult to read the data properly, but I’m leaving it available for nerds and water experts 🙂
My own water quality rating
I have lived in Prague for over 20 years and have been drinking mostly tap water all that time. I don’t smell chlorine in the water, the water tastes very good and I like it very much. I have a reusable water bottle which I always fill up and then carry with me to work, for a walk around the city, or for run or hike.
I mostly travel around Western and Southern Europe (Germany, UK, Italy, Croatia, Slovakia, France, Switzerland, etc.). Comparing the quality of tap water in these countries and in the Czech Republic, or Prague, I find that the taste and quality is very similar and I rarely notice a significant difference. Except perhaps Italian tap water, which is harder, and I can recognize the difference very well.
Prague’s drinking water is chlorinated. It’s the most common way to clean the water of bacteria. Even though there is a small amount of chlorine in the water, very few people might be able to feel it in mouth or smell it. This is completely normal. If you find the smell of chlorine in the water unpleasant for you, then let the water sit for a few minutes after filling the glass and the chlorine will dissipate. Alternatively, you can use a water filter jug – for example, a Brita brand, which will remove most of the chlorine from the water.
You can fill a glass with water even at the sink in the toilet or in the bathroom. These are connected to the same pipes and provide water of the same quality as other tap water sources.
Bottled water in shops
You can also buy bottled water in Prague. But beware of its quality and read carefully what kind of water you’re buying.
Types of bottled water in the shops:
- Table water – the cheapest water in PET bottle is often just filled from the tap in factory. The quality of table water is similar to the tap water, but don’t have to meet same requirements and typically don’t inform about water quality, source and ingredients.
- Mineral water – Czech mineral water is usually bottled from groundwater and contains a higher proportion of minerals – for example Mattoni, Magnesia, Rajec, etc. It usually tastes better than tap water and is full of minerals important in sweaty hot weather. You probably know some foreign brands of mineral waters – Evian, San Pellegrino, etc.
- Baby water – water suitable for babies and infants, which must meet the highest quality limits. Typically, the packaging typically says “KOJENECKÁ” (infant) with the picture of infant. Buy this when you need the most pure water possible.
Prices of bottled water in supermarkets in Prague:
| Amount | Price | |
| Basic water | 1.5 liter | 10-20 CZK / 0.3 to 0.8 EUR |
| Czech mineral water (Magnesia, Mattoni, Rajec, Poděbradka, Dobrá voda, Natura) | 1.5 liter | 15-25 CZK / 0.5 to 1 EUR |
| Branded “premium” water (Evian, Perrier, Vittel) | 1 liter | 60 CZK / about 2.2 EUR |
| Baby water | 1.5 liter | 15-25 CZK / 0.5 to 1 EUR |
Don’t buy bottled water in city center from small food stores. It is typically overpriced and a liter of water can cost more then 4 EUR per 0.5 l bottle, or 8 EUR per liter.
Water in restaurants in Prague
In a restaurant, as a tourist, you will probably get offered mineral water straight away. It is kinda “tourist trap” when someone asks you “Sparkling or still?” – both choices mean bottled mineral water, usually more expensive than tap water. Restaurants earn more on bottled water than tap water. But, you can often find cheaper tap water on the menu, or ask the waiter about tap water. Restaurants sometimes offer filtered tap water, sometimes just plain water from the tap. Both come in a ussually one-litre carafe for everyone at the table. The water in the carafe is often served with lemon, lime, mint or ice. Some restaurants right on Old Town Square or Wenceslas Square or in the Old Town may not offer tap water at all.
Example of the price of water at Terasa u Prince restaurant:
| Amount | Price | |
| Soda | 0,2 l | 80 CZK / 3,2 EUR |
| Romerquelle natural / sparkling | 0,33 l | 80 CZK / 3,2 EUR |
| Romerquelle natural sparkling | 0,75 l | 175 CZK / 7 EUR |
| Water carafe „Princ“ | 1 l | 99 CZK / 4 EUR |
More information:
Outside of Prague, you may rarely encounter water that is from a tap but comes from a well not the pipes. The well is usually on the property. Sometimes you can meet this in chalets and cottages in the mountains, sometimes in houses in smaller towns. The quality of water from wells might or might not be controlled by the owner of the well or property. So it is best to ask the owner about the source and quality of water in recreational facilities, huts and cottages outside of Prague and in the mountains.
Occasionally, there may be minor fluctuations in water quality – for example, during water supply or line repairs or technological repairs at a water treatment plant. This is rare and temporary situation.