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Can you drink tap water in Sweden?

Why Swedish tap water is safe, when a municipality asks you to boil it and why hot tap water is not for drinking.

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Short answer

Yes, you can drink cold tap water in Sweden, which Svenskt Vatten calls the country's most controlled foodstuff. Swedish rules require drinking water to be healthy and clean. If there is a suspicion of germs, your municipality can recommend that you boil the water before you drink it or cook with it.

Planning and entry to Sweden Illustration of a water bottle, a luggage locker, a toilet sign and a clock

Why

  1. According to Svenskt Vatten, drinking water is the country's most controlled foodstuff, and it is available around the clock straight from the tap.
  2. According to Livsmedelsverket (the Swedish Food Agency), the general requirement is that drinking water must be healthy and clean.
  3. According to Livsmedelsverket, your municipality recommends boiling when there is a suspicion that tap water contains bacteria, viruses or parasites.

Details

Water quality is checked regularly: for example, Gothenburg monitors it at seven stations along the Göta älv. Stockholm Vatten och Avfall calls tap water the cheapest and most environmentally friendly choice. For trip basics see planning and entry to Sweden, and for costs see is Sweden expensive to visit.

Tip

Use the cold tap for drinking and cooking, and run it until the water is cold and clear if it has stood in the pipes, as Gothenburg advises.

What may differ

Hot tap water is a different matter: Svenskt Vatten advises never to drink it straight from the tap. A boil advisory can apply locally, and in hot summers Gothenburg says the water temperature can exceed the 20 °C limit, so chill it in a jug.

Common misconception

Bottled water is safer than tap water in Sweden.

What actually happens

According to Stockholm Vatten och Avfall, tap water is the better choice and has very high quality, and there is no reason for extra treatment of municipal water.

People also ask

  • Is tap water safe to drink in Sweden?
  • Can I drink tap water in Sweden?
  • Is Swedish tap water drinkable?

Sources

Information checked on 28 October 2026.

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