After the success of the swimming spots in the River Seine last year, Paris authorities have confirmed that the open-water swimming areas will return in the summer of 2026.
They attracted more than 75,000 swimmers and were one of the most visible legacies of the Paris Olympics – and now it has been confirmed that swimming spots will open again in the Seine this summer.
Once again, there will be three areas within central Paris where the river is open for swimming. Two of them – Bercy in the 12th arrondissement and Bras de Grenelle opposite the Eiffel Tower – will be in the same sites as last year.
The third has moved slightly – the Bras Marie site will now be downriver next to the Pont Louis Philippe in the 4th arrondissement.
Although the precise opening dates have not been confirmed, the swimming spots will open alongside the Paris plages in July and August.
Once again, swimming will be free and there is no need to book in advance, although each sites do have limits for the numbers of swimmers allowed, so people may have to wait if the site is full.
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The opening of the roped-off swimming areas in the river in 2025 – the first time for more than 100 years that the river was open to the public for swimming – marked the culmination of an enormous clean-up operation that allowed the Paris Olympics to stage triathlon events in the river in 2024.
Over the course of last summer more than 75,000 swimmers used the three sites – each site is tested daily and opens only if the water quality is high enough for safe swimming. Last year saw several days of closure following heavy rain.
The swimming spots also form part of the legacy of Paris’ former mayor Anne Hidalgo, and following the election of her Parti Socialiste colleague Emmanuel Grégoire as the new mayor, Paris city hall confirmed that the event will go ahead in 2026.
Two swimming spots in the Paris canals – at Bassin de la Villette and Canal Saint-Martin – will also open again this year, and there are several temporary free pools planned for sites in the Paris suburbs. In total, the city is providing 11 free swimming spots this year.
