Can You Drink Tap Water in Montreal?

This is one of those questions people don’t usually ask until they actually arrive. You walk into an apartment, a hotel, or an Airbnb, you see the tap, and you hesitate for a second. Can you drink tap water in Montreal, or should you go buy bottled water first?

The honest, everyday answer is yes — people here drink tap water all the time.

In Montreal, tap water isn’t something treated with suspicion. Locals fill their glasses straight from the sink without thinking about it. They carry refillable bottles, drink tap water at work, and expect it in restaurants. If you sit down at a café and ask for water, you’ll almost always get tap water unless you specifically request bottled.

So if you’re wondering can you drink the tap water in Montreal, you can — and you’ll see pretty quickly that almost everyone does.

That includes visitors. Can you drink tap water in Montreal Canada as a tourist? Yes. There’s no difference between what residents drink and what visitors drink. Same water, same system, same standards. You don’t need to “adjust” or take special precautions just because you’re new to the city.

Montreal’s water mainly comes from the St. Lawrence River. Before it reaches your tap, it’s treated and monitored according to Canadian and Quebec regulations. That part happens quietly in the background, so most people don’t think about it. What matters in daily life is that the water is considered potable and safe, whether you’re brushing your teeth, making coffee, or filling a glass at midnight.

You might notice something, though. Sometimes the water has a faint chlorine smell or taste. This catches people off guard if they’re not used to it. It’s normal, and it’s part of how the water stays safe as it moves through a large city’s pipe system. A lot of people here deal with it casually — letting the water sit for a minute, keeping a jug in the fridge, or using a simple filter because they prefer the taste. It’s more about comfort than safety.

If you’re staying in an older building, you may hear someone mention letting the tap run for a short time in the morning. That’s a common habit, especially in places with older plumbing. It helps flush out water that’s been sitting in the pipes overnight. It’s not a warning sign, just something people do out of routine.

Very occasionally, the city issues a boil-water advisory, usually after maintenance or a localized issue. When that happens, residents are clearly informed, and it’s temporary. Outside of those situations, boiling water isn’t part of normal life here.

So, coming back to the original question — can you drink tap water in Montreal? Yes, without overthinking it. It’s clean, regulated, and trusted by the people who live here. For most newcomers, bottled water quickly becomes something they stop buying, and tap water just becomes another normal part of being in the city.