The Seine Used to Be a Toxic Mess. Now It’s the Hottest New Swim Spot in Paris
Officials say the cleanup has cut major sewage overflows into the Seine from 15 a year to around two.
- On Saturday, July 4, 2026, Paris opened three free public swimming spots along the Seine for the second summer in a row, offering relief during an approaching heatwave.
- Parisian bathing evolved from a 17th-century casual practice to a 19th-century social event, though by the 1970s, pollution rendered the Seine effectively biologically dead.
- To enable swimming, the city constructed the Austerlitz basin, a massive concrete cylinder holding 50,000 cubic meters of stormwater to prevent sewer overflows from contaminating the river.
- Daily tests for E. coli determine if swimming is safe using a flag system; last July, the green signal indicating safe water was raised on only 18 of 31 days.
- The Grenelle swimming site will host the European Swimming Championships later this month, marking the first time Paris has held the competition since 1931.
25 Articles
25 Articles
PARIS. A decade ago, taking a dip in the Seine River in Paris was unthinkable. Now there are three places to take a dip – as long as you follow the regulations. “I wish they were open longer, because it would be nice to be able to take a dip next to the Eiffel Tower at sunset,” says 35-year-old Maria Andrade.
Paris suffered a suffocating heat at the end of June during a heat wave that hit much of Europe, raising temperatures to 40 °C.
Want to sting a head? Three bathing sites in the Seine are open from this Saturday, July 4th until August 30th.
Paris reopens this Saturday and until the end of August its three sites in the Seine, a legacy of the Olympic Games. The controlled swimming in the urban river remains the preserve of only a few cities. Urban beaches, framed swimming, surfing or kayaking: tour of the world of refreshing spots.
Taking a dip overlooking the Eiffel Tower is, for these days, one of the favorite pastimes of locals and tourists in Paris. See the pictures.
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