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Paris Opens Seine to Public Swimming After Century-Long Ban

Three supervised swim zones offer daily water testing after a €1.4 billion cleanup ahead of last year’s Paris Olympics

A view of one of the three Seine swimming pools, Thursday, July 3, 2025 which will open during the 'Paris Plages' event from July 5 to Aug. 31 in Paris. (AP Photo/Aurelien Morissard)
France recorded its second-warmest June since records began in 1900
Image
A person swims in the River Seine at the Bras Marie site, opened to swimmers marking the first public bathing session in the capital's historic waterway, in Paris, France, July 5, 2025. REUTERS/Abdul Saboor

Overview

  • The Seine has reopened to swimmers at three sites near Notre Dame, the Eiffel Tower and eastern Paris following a ban since 1923.
  • Each zone features lifeguard-supervised sessions, mandatory swim assessments and fines for venturing outside designated areas.
  • Paris authorities perform daily bacteriological tests and display colored flags to indicate compliance with European water quality standards.
  • The opening caps a €1.4 billion effort to install disinfection units, a storage basin and mandatory wastewater hookups for houseboats and upstream homes.
  • Fluidion tests and resident feedback highlight ongoing variability in bacterial levels despite official assurances of safety.