Here's what bathrooms look like all around the world

Publish date: 2024-01-15

When it comes to traveling somewhere new, you likely look forward to encountering a new language, eating a variety of new foods, and experiencing a completely different environment than what you're used to. One of the things that seem to vary the most are the restrooms.

Restrooms, as US citizens know them, aren’t the norm around the world. Even the very act of sitting on the porcelain throne is not always the norm — 15% of world’s population practice open defecation, which means they go to the bathroom in fields, forests, or other available outdoor space, according to World Toilet.

Knowing what to expect makes all the difference, and it allows you to prepare when you travel somewhere new. Here are some of the differences in bathrooms around the world.

While many public restrooms in the US are free to the public, expect to pay a small fee to pee in Europe.

Expect toilets, like this one in London, to cost money to use. Shutterstock

Many countries in continental Europe, including Germany, Sweden, and France, charge visitors to use the facilities. The cost is small — €1 or less — so it’s always helpful to have some coins on hand. If you’re not required to pay for use, you may still see an attendant inside working and a jar or plate set out for tips.

While this common custom irritates many US travelers, the amount goes towards maintaining the space, keeping it clean, and stocking it up with toilet paper and soap.

“Isn’t it really worth a few coins, considering the cost of water, maintenance, and cleanliness?” Rick Steves, travel writer and author told NBC News.

Squat toilets, which travelers often expect in Asian countries like Singapore, Thailand, or Taiwan, are more common than you’d think.

Squat toilets are popular — here's one in Thailand. Shutterstock

Before the throne-like, flush toilets which became popular in the 19th century, people used outhouses, chamber pots, or simply holes in the ground. While most people associate squat toilets with countries in Asia, but you’ll also find them in sub-Saharan countries like Kenya or Tanzania, and even certain parts of Europe like Russia or the Balkans.

Squat toilets themselves can have some variations, but the sentiment is the same: there’s a hole in the ground and a place to rest your feet on either side. They’re sometimes made of porcelain or metal, and you’ll either have the option to flush or there will be a bucket of water and a cup nearby to clean up the area once you’re done.

Western-style toilets are appearing more frequently in larger Asian cities, though, due to a “toilet revolution.” Since 2015, China spent $3 billion renovating 68,000 public restrooms at popular tourist sites, according to NPR. You can also expect to see squat toilets in Tokyo swapped out for high-tech ones by the 2020 Olympics, reported the South China Morning Post.

Bidets are popular in Italy, Portugal, Japan, Argentina, and Venezuela.

In Thailand, there is often a separate spray hose next to the toilet. Shutterstock

According to The Atlantic, the bidet was invented in France in the 1600s and is used for cleaning the body after going to the bathroom. You’ll find these in places like Italy and Portugal, Japan, Argentina, and Venezuela.

While the bidet never really caught on in the US, it’s believed they’re less wasteful and more sanitary than using toilet paper.

"Think about using dry toilet paper. You're leaving a residue of stool and bacteria, whereas if you're using a bidet, you’re washing that away," Phillip J. Buffington, M.D., the chief medical officer of the Urology Group in Cincinnati, told SELF.

Traditionally, the fixture is separate from the toilet as a small toilet-looking basin with water controls, although it may be a separate sprayer and hose right by the toilet — dubbed a “bum gun” in Thailand. If you’re lucky, you may also find them as an addition to the toilet like with some of Japan’s elaborate loos.

Expect high-tech toilets in China and Tokyo.

A toilet in a Japanese airport has a bidet, heated seat, and a toilet roll for wiping smartphones. Toru Hanai/Reuters

Street toilets are making a comeback in Paris, Montreal, and San Francisco.

They even have a sink to wash your hands. Shutterstock

A far cry from the pissoirs of Paris, street bathrooms are getting a new name. Sanisettes, the gray bathrooms on the sidewalk complete with running water to wash your hands afterward, have replaced all but one of those free-standing, public toilets in Paris.

The trend is catching on in other cities, too, offering a convenient and clean pit stop for anyone on the go, as well as the homeless population who have no place of their own to use the bathroom. Some, like the ones in Montreal, are self-cleaning. Others, like the ones coming to San Francisco, have a sleek and modern design.

Don't throw toilet paper down the drain in South America and Eastern Europe.

Some countries require you toss your toilet paper in the trash. Darren Foreman / Flickr

You may also notice a trash can in the bathroom, which isn’t intended just for feminine hygiene products and trash — used toilet paper goes here as well.

“I have to admit that I'd imagined that in most countries in the world, putting toilet paper down the toilet was the accepted method of disposal,” explained Matt Kitson, creator of Where Do I Put the Paper?

Because the sewage system can easily get blocked in places like South America and Eastern Europe, bathrooms will often have signs indicating whether you should toss the t.p. in the toilet or the trash.

Carry your own toilet paper in China.

A woman carries toilet paper rolls. Reuters/Carlos Garcia Rawlins

When you sit down to go to a bathroom in the US and there’s no toilet paper, it feels like an enormous inconvenience. But in some countries, including China, it’s not customary for bathrooms to provide any, so locals and travelers alike always carry some on them.