Despite being officially stamped as safe to drink, many older locals will scold you for drinking the tap water - an act which they seem to find uncouth and also can't seem to imagine how it could possibly be healthy. Indeed, antique plumbing in some buildings can affect the water quality, but we've never had any issues ourselves. If you want to play it safe, you'll find that bottled water is widely available and inexpensive...unless you're in a restaurant, that is. Tourists from countries where the right to drink water is a guaranteed freedom may be surprised to find that water is not complimentary in Polish restaurants; in fact it’s downright expensive and comes in a tiny glass that will barely satisfy your thirst. By comparison, beer is a much better value as you get more than twice as much for only a couple złoty more; such is Poland’s ‘drinking problem.’ If you’re still set on drinking water with your meal, be prepared to declare a preference between gazowana (carbonated water) and niegazowana (still water).