While record heat waves have swept across a number of countries and Europeans are looking for ways to escape the high temperatures, Paris authorities are allowing swimming in the Seine for the first time in 100 years.
As part of an innovative decision that has attracted the attention of both locals and foreign travellers, Paris is preparing to open the legendary Seine River to public swimming for the first time in more than a century.
Starting on Saturday, Parisians and tourists will be able to take a dip in the historic river, marking a bold new chapter in the city’s environmental and recreational landscape. This important step forward is the result of years of intensive efforts to clean up the Seine, a project in which more than €1.1 billion has been invested since 2016. Thanks to the successful hosting of the 2024 Olympic Games swimming competition in Paris, the river’s waters are now considered safe for swimming, and the city is ready to transform this symbol of urban pollution into a vibrant open-air swimming pool.
In the summer of 2025, three designated swimming areas will be created along the Seine, each carefully designed to accommodate swimmers while preserving the natural beauty of the river.
Everyone will be able to swim at the Bras-Marine naval base, in the historic centre of the city, as well as in the Grenelle and Bercy districts. The water quality will be checked daily. The beaches will be closed during rainfall.
Marc Peignon, a resident of Paris, said: “I think the water is already clean enough to swim in. After all, it was thoroughly tested and cleaned during the Olympics. Professional swimmers have already swum in it. As far as I know, none of them got sick afterwards.”
This initiative is not only aimed at improving the quality of life for residents, but also contributes to the fight against climate change by adapting urban spaces to higher temperatures.
