Hey and welcome caphill:-) As AjarnAndy states, it's perfectly safe to drink.. it'll be what's used when out ordering a coffee.. frappe;-) You won't have any problem finding bottled water either.. every kiosk on every corner has them! Have fun.. and EnjoY!

It is indeed safe to drink.

Bottled water can be found anywhere indeed.

Remember, natural ( non gas ) bottled water prices are regulated when bought at stalls and their maximum level is:

50c for the small bottle ( 500ml - appx. 17oz )

1 euro for the large bottle ( 1 liter - appx. 34 oz )

Bottled water price is more expensive when served and less expensive in supermarkets in bulk.

Tap water is perfectly safe. Some people do get upset by different mineral content in different countries. And of course bottled water will be different to the bottled water back home.

It is probably best practice to avoid drinking large quantities of water until you are used to it

Yes, it's safe. But whether it's "safe" for your own particular Canadian gut is something no-one can tell you. As you probably are aware, all water contains bacteria, and bacteria with which your intestines are unfamiliar can cause upsets even when you visit countries with safe water. I'm not trying to frighten you, and I always drink Greek tap water when I'm there, just pointing out the fact.

>x It is probably best practice to avoid drinking large quantities of water until you are used to it<

I wouldn't agree with that. Even in winter, it's important not to get dehydrated, so drink as much water as you usually drink: bottled water if you're concerned, is cheaper in Greece than anywhere else that I know of in Europe (see Nick's prices).

Tap water is not drinkable all over Greece all of the time.

Sometimes the tap water in my island house tastes terrible and cannot be used even for tea/coffee/cooking.

I honestly don't know of a single person who drinks the tap water in Greece. The supermarket delivers bottled water 6x 1.5 litres for for about 1.7 euros.

In athens the water tastes better, buy I still drink bottled water. In the UK I would never buy bottled water.

LOL! Alabastron - you misunderstood me. I could only post a short message at my earlier post as was on a mobile with iffy connection. I was not implying don't drink! I should have qualified it with - drink Mythos or juice or other bottled soft drinks!! And of course ouzo is very good for iffy tummies!

Dehydration perhaps not so risky at this time of year, but in high summer in Athens I personally would quench my thirst with a variety of available drinks to spread the possibility of something not agreeing with me.

OK tsipouro, but Mythos and ouzo are alcoholic (at least they're alcoholic as far as I recall) and therefore dehydrating. The more of them you drink, the more water you need to drink to replace the fluids you lose through drinking them. Do be careful in summer, and don't rely on alcohol, or tea or coffee for hydration. Water is what's needed (not fizzy drinks).

Bob, I'm sure you know more of Greece than I do, but in the five or six places I've been (including Athens) the water has been drinkable. In south Crete it's salty - but drinkable.

Hi Caphill, I've been visiting Greece for 25 years and have always drunk the tap water both in my accommodation and the water provided in cafes and restaurants. I've never had a problem.

As others have said, any water that's different from what you're used to (tap or bottled) may contain a different mix of minerals etc that could cause you a mild tummy problem if you are very sensitive to that kind of thing.

HOWEVER, if you are worried about real health issues such as you would encounter with tap water in places like India or Egypt, where you can pick up serious illnesses and get very sick even by cleaning your teeth in tap water - do not worry! Greek water is perfectly safe.

Athens has the most bacteria free water in the world ,in fact it is so heavily fluoridated that your teeth will whiten..:) so it is absolutely safe to drink,it might taste a bit funny though if you are not used to it,I also live in Berlin which has great tasting water and every time I come to Athens the water tastes a bit metallic (still MUCH better than London water).

Also many people think that bottled water is safer than tap water in Greece but they are wrong cause the storage conditions aren't always ideal ,you can see it by yourself when you walk the streets and see in front of the mini markets in the islands stacks of PLASTIC bottles wrapped in PLASTIC sheets ....BOILING under the hot sun at 40+ degrees Celcius,.....:):)

Stiil the water in almost all the islands (w/ the exception of Crete & Andros) is not drinkable...

The best water is in the mountainous and northern parts of the Country for obvious reasons,best water in the world is in mt. Pelion