Can You Drink the Tap Water in Bergen?

Asking for water in a restaurant

Entirely normal, and nobody will think anything of it. In a country where a sit-down meal costs several times what the same meal costs in southern Europe, tap water is the one line on the table that costs nothing, and it is not a concession — it is simply what is in the taps. Where the expense actually sits.

Carrying a bottle

A refillable bottle is the most useful thing in a Bergen day bag after a waterproof. You are walking between places in a city where it rains on roughly two hundred days a year, and there is no scenario here where you need to buy water. On a three-and-a-half-hour food walk between five venues, it is the difference between being comfortable and quietly rationing. What to wear in Bergen.

The one thing worth knowing

Chlorine is used at a single plant, in small doses and alongside UV, which is why most people notice nothing at all in the taste. When the new plant opens in 2027 that use is due to stop entirely. If you are the sort of traveller who can taste treatment in water, Bergen is not going to be the city where it bothers you.

Three and a half hours between five venues

Thirteen tastings, two of them drinks, ending at Fløirestauranten on Mount Fløyen with the return funicular on the ticket. Wheelchair accessible, capped at eight. Bring a bottle; the walking between stops is short but it adds up.

Frequently asked questions