Paris summer ritual returns with 3 supervised Seine swimming spots

PARIS (AP) — Swimming in the Seine is settling into a new Paris summer ritual as the city on Saturday opened three supervised bathing sites for the second year in a row.

The free swimming areas near City Hall, the Eiffel Tower and in eastern Paris will remain open through the summer, depending on water quality and weather conditions. They are placed under strict lifeguards’ watch and authorities conduct daily water quality testing.

Visitors described swimming in the heart of the French capital as an unforgettable experience.

“It’s amazing to be swimming in the Seine while looking at the Eiffel Tower,” said Stewart Talbot, a tourist from Melbourne, Australia, visiting Paris for a week. “Maybe it’s not as good as the sea in Australia, but it’s better than our rivers.”

Some Parisians also have added swimming in the Seine to their bucket list.

“It’s great because it’s such a mix of people,” Hermine Jegou, 19, said. “I love that everyone can get into the water — grandmothers, children — it’s just really nice.”

Her sister, Joanne Jegou, 21, said she’d do it again. “It’s such a cool experience, especially being out in the sun and cooling off.”

The Seine was a venue for some swimming and triathlon competition during the Paris 2024 Olympics, which accelerated a multibillion-euro cleanup of the river through major sewer upgrades, new rainwater storage infrastructure and other projects designed to reduce pollution.

However, last summer, several swimming days were canceled due to heavy rain, which increases pollution upstream.

At the Grenelle site near the Eiffel Tower, officials prepared for large crowds escaping hot weather in the coming days.

“The maximum capacity here is 200 people,” said Clémence Donazzan, deputy manager of the Grenelle site. There’s a waiting system at the entrance and they will monitor the number of swimmers in real time, “so everyone will eventually have access, even if there’s a short wait.”

Before 2024, swimming in the Seine had been banned for about a century because of poor water quality. Public swimming has been available for years in a canal in northeastern Paris during summer.