Can I Drink Tap Water in Taipei?

Taipei Water Department publishes detailed English-language information on tap-water quality and treatment. Its materials report a 99.7% pass rate for water quality items in the service area and describe multiple purification plants plus a large distribution network. Taipei also publishes quality-comparison and inspection pages, supporting a generally safe tap-water assessment for travelers, with minor caveats for older building plumbing or private storage tanks.

Taipei has a comparatively transparent municipal water system for a major Asian city. The Taipei Water Department (TWD) publishes English-language pages describing water treatment, quality control, and consumer information. TWD notes a very high pass rate (99.7%) for water quality items in its service area and describes a substantial infrastructure footprint, including multiple purification plants, pumping stations, reservoirs, and an extensive pipe network. TWD also publishes pages on water quality inspection and international comparisons, reinforcing that the city treats tap water as a core public service with regular testing rather than an afterthought. In practice, travelers can generally drink Taipei tap water in hotels and residences, use it for brushing teeth, and accept ice in reputable venues. As in other dense cities, the main caveat is building-specific plumbing or private water tanks, which can affect taste and confidence at a particular tap even when the municipal supply is compliant.

Taipei is a low-risk city for tap water when staying in standard hotels and maintained apartments. Travelers can usually drink tap water, brush teeth safely, and use ice in reputable restaurants without problems. If you are staying in an older building with uncertain tank maintenance, using bottled water or a filter for direct drinking is a reasonable comfort precaution, but city-wide water quality is generally strong.