Where do I fill up my water bottle in Spain?

 Where to fill up your water bottle in Spain

Spain has public drinking water fountains all over. This is what they look like:

Public Drinking Fountain next to the famous Neptune Fountain in downtown Madrid

Plaza de Olavide drinking fountain in Madrid next to the playground

 

Would I drink out of these public drinking fountains?

Um. Well. If I were really really thirsty. Like about to pass out from heat stroke and there were absolutely no other water options. I would be grateful that the water fountain existed and drink from it. no problemo.

BUT, under normal circumstances, no. I would not choose to drink or fill my water bottle from a public water fountain in Spain. 

Let me tell you a story: I sat at the McDonalds in La Latina, watching the public water fountain* across the Plaza de La Cebada. 

Public drinking fountain in Plaza de la Cebada, Madrid

Many, many people stopped at the fountain. Which is great. The fountain got a lot of business. But, in the span of about 35 minutes I saw:

-people filling water bottles

-people putting their heads underneath the fountain

-people full on taking a bird bath at the fountain

-people letting their dogs drink from the fountain

-an old man drinking reverently from the fountain and getting his photo taken next to the fountain. I had the impression that maybe he used to live in the neighborhood and frequented the fountain in his youth, which I guess made it the fabled Fountain of Youth. 

This was all during a span of 35 minutes during a busy time of the day (lunch). Yes, people do definitely drink from the public drinking water fountains. I, personally, would rather not. Partly because I am squeamish, but partly beccause I LOVE Spanish spring water!

American tourists are obsessed with hydration and they are basically the only people who carry around clanking metal water bottles in the middle of a spanish city. Which I understand, it's hot, AC is really mid in most places, you need cold water. But I prefer to buy water on the go, or carry around tiny little 33cl bottles of water from home.  1.5 liters of room temp water at the supermarket is like 67 cents for the fancy stuff (Font Vella) and 24 cents for the store brand swamp water.  And often, I spend extravagantly on bottled water when out and about--1 to 2 euros a cold bottle of varying sizes. it's money well spent for me.

If you're looking for a free tap water alternative to the public fountains pictured above, I've seen people ask to fill up their water bottles at bars (they have extremely cold water taps). I also saw a woman fill up her bottle of water at the public bathroom tap at the Prado Museum after asking the cleaning person if it was potable (who replied that yes, it was).** I guess you could do that. But, again. I like drinking my Spanish spring water out of plastic bottles because we all hav eto be high maintenance about something in our lives and also, I dislike carrying around a metal water bottle. I ain't a house plant. I don't need to drink water constantly.

*As a side note, there are a lot of decorative fountains in Spain, but I am talking about actual functional potable water drinking fountains that look like a giant tap. Not the ones with the cupids spitting water.

**To be fair, the Museo del Prado has a small cafeteria with REALLY long lines and no public drinking fountains. Sometimes you get really thirsty. So I understand the impulse. Side note: the Museo Reina Sofia does not allow water bottles to be brought into the museum, even sealed water bottles in your bag. Which sucks because that museum can get REALLY hot and there are no water fountains or even a cafeteria in the museum itself. Boo.