Can You Drink Tap Water in Reykjavik?

Reykjavik’s tap water is not merely safe — it is by many measures the finest municipal drinking water in the world, and Iceland is unique among developed nations in having a water supply that requires essentially no treatment before it is safe to drink. Water supply for Reykjavik and the wider Capital Region is managed by Reykjavik Energy (OR — Orkuveita Reykjavíkur), which draws exclusively from cold groundwater springs at Grafarholt, Árbær, Ellidhavatn, and other collection points on the Reykjavik peninsula. These springs are fed by glacial meltwater and rainwater that has percolated through Iceland’s volcanic lava rock geology over decades to centuries, undergoing natural filtration of extraordinary effectiveness through the porous basalt and lava formations that underlie the entire island.

What makes Reykjavik’s water exceptional is not just its safety but its treatment — or rather, the absence of it. Unlike virtually every other major city water supply in the world, Reykjavik’s tap water is distributed to consumers with no chemical treatment of any kind. No chlorination. No fluoridation. No coagulation or flocculation. No ozone treatment. The water is pumped from its lava-filtered glacial source directly into the distribution network, with only UV sterilisation applied at some collection points as a precautionary measure — not because the water contains any biological contamination, but as a regulatory standard given the volume distributed. The result is water of extraordinary natural purity: typically 100–150 mg/L total dissolved solids, extremely soft, absolutely crystal clear, and with a taste that independent international tasting panels have repeatedly rated as among the finest available anywhere on Earth.

The water is consistent throughout all of Reykjavik’s neighbourhoods — from the historic old town around Hallgrímskirkja church and the Harpa Concert Hall on the harbour, through the Laugardalur valley with its geothermal swimming pools, to the residential western suburbs and the Keflavik Airport road corridor. Hotels throughout the city — from budget guesthouses near the Reykjavik bus terminal to five-star properties along the Faxaflói bay waterfront — all have the same extraordinary tap water. Many Reykjavik hotels actively promote their tap water quality as a selling point, providing guests with glass carafes and explicitly encouraging them not to purchase bottled water during their stay.

There is one characteristic of Reykjavik’s hot water tap that surprises some visitors: the hot water smells of sulphur. This is because Reykjavik’s hot water supply is geothermally heated from volcanic underground sources and carries naturally occurring hydrogen sulphide gas — a completely harmless compound responsible for the distinctive rotten egg smell of geothermal areas. The cold tap, which is the glacial groundwater source described above, has absolutely no sulphur smell and is the water for drinking. Running only the cold tap produces the extraordinary drinking water Iceland is known for. The sulphurous hot water is used for heating, showering, and bathing but should not be drunk.

For visitors on day trips from Reykjavik to the Golden Circle (Geysir, Gullfoss, Þing vellir), the South Coast (Seljalandsfoss, Skógafoss waterfalls), or the Snfællsnes Peninsula, tap water is equally safe throughout Iceland from any municipal or building tap. Hikers on the Laugavegur trail, glacier walkers on Vatnajökull, and adventurers throughout the Icelandic interior can drink from natural streams and glacial rivers — the water is clean throughout Iceland’s pristine wilderness. This applies specifically to fast-flowing cold mountain streams and glacial meltwater — not to geothermal pools, hot springs, or stagnant water. Carry a reusable bottle and drink freely throughout Iceland.