Why just sip café au lait by the Seine when your clients can take a refreshing dip right in the iconic river?
For the first time in over a century, Paris has thrown open its historic river to both residents and tourists, delivering the ultimate cool-down just as temperatures have blasted past 100 degrees Fahrenheit. "What a joy. What a joy,” said one swimmer on opening day (05JUL), in a review published by the New York Times. “This is Paris. Imagine!”
Swimming has been prohibited in the river since 1923 due to boat traffic and pollution.
Thanks to a €1.4 billion (CAD$2.1 billion) cleanup project accelerated by the 2024 Olympics, three supervised swimming sites along the Seine are now welcoming up to 1,000 swimmers a day, including spots with stunning views of the Eiffel Tower.
The sites are open daily until 31AUG and offer changing rooms, showers, lifeguards, and daily water quality monitoring. Entrance to the swimming sites is also free. Bathing suits are mandatory, but unlike pools, swim caps are not required.
To join in, visitors simply show up at one of the designated swimming sites during operating hours (See below). No advance registration is required. However, popular days — especially during record-breaking heat waves this summer — are expected to bring line-ups, so early arrival or weekday visits are recommended.
It’s also advisable to check the official Paris website, paris.fr, and the daily water quality flag system to ensure conditions are safe for swimming. The city monitors bacteria like E. coli and enterococci daily to guarantee swimmer safety.
After heavy rainfall on 06JUL, for example, a day after the Seine reopened, all three swimming sites were temporarily closed due to contamination risks from sewage overflow, an ongoing challenge with Paris’s historic sewer system.
The three swim spots:
Le bras Marie (Paris Centre): Located at the foot of the Pont de Sully and facing Île Saint-Louis, right next to Paris Plages and its many attractions. No individual changing cabins, so swimmers are encouraged to arrive in their swimwear.
Hours: 8:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. Monday to Saturday, and 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. on Sundays.
Capacity: 150 swimmers at once Age Restrictions: 14+ and at least 1.40 m tall.
Au bras de Grenelle (15th arrondissement): Swim in front of Île aux Cygnes with breathtaking views of the Eiffel Tower. Designed with families in mind, this site features a secure shallow pool (up to two feet deep) and access to kayaks at the on-site nautical base.
Hours: 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Monday to Friday, 10 a.m. to 4:45 p.m. Saturday, and staggered hours on Sunday.
Capacity: 200 people (150 in the swimming area).
Age Restrictions: 14+ for the main swimming area; children 3+ can use the shallow pool with adult supervision (max two children under 6 per adult).
Bercy (12th arrondissement): Situated opposite the Bibliothèque nationale de France under the Simone-de-Beauvoir footbridge, this site offers two pools and is the largest of the three. Changing rooms and secure lockers are available here.
Hours: Daily from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.
Capacity: 700 people (300 in the swimming area).
Age Restrictions: 10 years old, and at least 1.20 m tall.
For travel advisors, this is a cool add-on to tailor itineraries that combine culture, cuisine, and now a splash of local swimming with postcard-perfect views.
