Fountain water in Bern: can you drink it?

In short

Bern's city fountains are connected to the same pipe network as people's homes. Energie Wasser Bern (ewb), the city's water utility, looks after them on behalf of the city and writes that in Bern you can drink from the fountains “without hesitation”. According to ewb, drinking water also flows from the 36 fountains in the city centre, including the famous figure fountains of the Old Town such as the Anna-Seiler-Brunnen.

Where the water comes from

Bern's drinking water is supplied by the Wasserverbund Region Bern (the regional water association). It is groundwater, mainly from the Emmental and the Aare valley. According to ewb it does not need to be treated. The water association nevertheless disinfects it with UV light as a precaution. According to ewb, the water in the city of Bern is medium hard to fairly hard, so it contains quite a lot of lime.

How often it is tested

• The city laboratory (Stadtlabor Bern) tests water samples every working day.
• The fountains that are in operation are cleaned every week, without chemicals, using pressure washers and brushes.
• The water association publishes the results of its samples on its website.

What does “Kein Trinkwasser” mean?

A fountain carries this sign when nobody can guarantee that its water is always clean. This mainly concerns fountains fed by spring water, for example in the woods. A well-known example is the Glasbrunnen in the Bremgartenwald forest: it belongs to the Burgergemeinde, it is fed by a spring, and after rain the city laboratory repeatedly found faecal bacteria there.

Bern's cantonal chemist put it this way on Swiss radio SRF: even when the water is clear, that says nothing about its microbiological quality. So the sign always applies, even if the water looks fresh.

Finding a drinking fountain nearby

The app Bern Trinkwasser shows the fountains on a map and the walking route to the nearest one with drinking water. Green dots are recorded as drinking water in OpenStreetMap. How the app works is explained in the article Free drinking water in Bern. The City of Bern also has a heat map (Hitzeplan) that shows all fountains with drinking water.

Tips for when you are out

• Bring your own bottle. The City of Bern is a “Blue Community” and promotes tap water instead of water in plastic bottles.
• The sign on the fountain always comes first, even before the app.
• On hot days the article Cool and warm in Bern helps with shady and cool places.

Sources: ewb, water supply (German); ewb, customer magazine “direkt” 3/2018 (PDF, German); Wasserverbund Region Bern, water treatment and water quality; Plattform J, 7 May 2024 (Glasbrunnen); SRF Espresso, 19 July 2021; City of Bern, heatwave, 30 June 2025. Read on 24 October 2026.