A law of June 8th 1967 stipulates that when you are having a meal, the restaurant has a duty to provide his client a jug a glass of water, along with bread and silverware. On the other hand, if you are ordering a drink or coffee, the restaurateur is not bound to serve additionally a glass of water.
You can get free tap water at all dining establishments
What you want to ask for is une carafe d'eau or un pichet d'eau, which ensures that you get free tap water. Just make sure you're actually ordering an item on the menu to go with it.
Can restaurants charge for filtered tap water? As there's no requirement that free tap water be filtered, restaurants can charge for filtered drinking water. However, if they serve alcohol, they have to provide FREE drinking water, whether that's filtered or unfiltered.
Most European restaurants have paid for water from a bottle or sparkling water, so the costs of buying bottled water are passed on to the customers. Plus, in general, waiters may find it rude to ask for a free drink when dining at their enterprise. After all, they are a business, and they are trying to make a profit.
Here is some good news for you: you can get free tap water from every restaurant in Paris! No need to pay for bottled water. When the waiter or waitress asks for drinks, you can just say “carafe d'eau”.
How to get free water in French restaurants. Ordering bottled water can be pricey, especially in touristy areas. Luckily, there's a way to get water for free in any French restaurant: Instead of asking for de l'eau plate/gazeuse, s'il vous plait, ask for une carafe d'eau. This means “a pitcher of (tap) water”.
Business owners know that the water that comes out of their taps isn't free. So when a customer asks for a glass of tap water, can the business charge for it? Essentially the answer is no – but you could charge them for the service.
If you order a meal, the restaurant has to provide a jug of water free of charge (it's the law). If you only order a coffee or any kind of drink, they don't have to, but it would be extremely shocking to be denied a glass of tap water if you ask for it.
Tipping in French restaurants and cafés is not required
Technically they're right; service is included—a gratuity is not. Regardless, you are not obligated to leave them anything. For a simple beverage, you can round up to the nearest euro or leave 20 to 50 centimes per drink.
What do you say when entering a French restaurant?
Entering a Restaurant. If you already know the menu and even booked a table, this part of the process will be as simple as introducing yourself at the entrance : Bonjour, j'ai une réservation au nom de Jack Bauer. (“Hello, I have a reservation under the name of Jack Bauer.”)
Water bills in France are typically sent out once a year and are based on the historical usage of the property. The water meters are read at least once per year by a representative of your provider to ensure you're not paying too much or too little.
The price of water is increasing everywhere in France for two main reasons. First, the prices of raw materials and energy have seen an unprecedented rise. The electricity bill for Eau de Paris, for example, tripled between 2021 and 2023, going from 7 million euros to 24 million euros.
Why isn't water ever free? Because someone has to fetch it from wherever it is and deliver it to your doorstep, or at least to the town square. And the big thing there to know is that water is heavy - twice as heavy per volume as fuel oil or gasoline (8 pounds per gallon).
Your seat could be used by someone buying rounds of food and drinks, that put profits in their register, and tips for the waitstaff. If you're with friends and they order drinks, I think it's fine if you choose not to order one. If you're there alone, that would be kinda weird to just sit there and order nothing.
In the United Kingdom, tap water is generally considered safe to drink, and it is provided by local water companies. The cost of tap water is included in the overall water and sewage charges that households pay, so in this sense, it is not free, but rather it is paid for through local taxes and utility bills.
The only law that forces businesses to provide free tap water applies to licensed premises. Pubs, bars, cafes, restaurants and nightclubs must provide free tap water if they sell alcohol, under the Licensing Act.
Unmetered: you pay a set amount for your domestic water and sewage service, regardless of how much you use. This is based on the rateable value (RV) of your home. Metered: your domestic water readings are taken from a water meter and you pay for the units of water you use.
In restaurants, tap water is included in the price of a meal so you can ask for this instead of paying for a bottle of mineral water. This has been law since 1967. Bistros and cafes must clearly indicate on the menu or a noticeboard that customers can ask for free water.
And the secret password is . . . une carafe d'eau. That's pronounced “oon carafe (rhymes with giraffe) doh.” See, you don't ask for water. You ask for A CARAFE OF WATER.
Actually it is not a law per se, Euromanic, it comes from the "droit de glanage". It's more of a loophole in the law. But when you order a meal, then tap water has to be free by law in France. It is a law for restaurants - tap water must always be offered with a meal.
