Paris opens river Seine for public swimming for first time since 1923
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People swimming in the Seine river with the Eiffel Tower in the background at the Grenelle site. It was opened to swimmers, marking the first public bathing session in the capital's historic waterway in Paris on July 5, 2025..
PHOTO: REUTERS
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PARIS – Parisians rushed for a dip in the Seine on July 5, as the authorities opened the river to public swimming for the first time since 1923, after an extensive clean-up operation spurred by it being used as a venue for the 2024 Olympic Games.
A 95-year-old Parisian was among the first to take the plunge at a newly opened swim zone in the city’s east.
“I’m so happy! I’ve dreamed of swimming in the Seine for years,” said Ingrid, who declined to give her last name, as she stepped carefully into the warm water wearing a turquoise blue swimsuit.
Three sites along the banks of the Seine in the city will be able to welcome over 1,000 swimmers daily until Aug 31, local officials said, to the delight of Parisians and visitors who were among the first to take the plunge.
“Really nice, I’m impressed, surprised,” said 24-year-old Victoria Cnop, a Brazilian who lives in Paris. “I never imagined being in the water close to the Eiffel Tower.”
“The water is clean, it’s warm, it’s clear. There is a bit of algae, but that’s normal,” said 51-year-old Karine. “Come here everybody, it’s great!”
Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo looked on as people of all ages arrived for the 8am opening of the Bras Marie swimming zone, snapping on swim caps and goggles as they prepared to dive in and celebrate the long-awaited return of bathing in the Seine.
“It’s a childhood dream to have people swimming in the Seine,” she said at the swim zone in the city’s historic centre near Ile Saint-Louis.
“Look at how happy everyone is,” Ms Hidalgo said with a smile.
However, rainfall on July 6 temporarily shut down the three swimming sites, according to the city hall website.
Red flags at those sites warned would-be bathers that the Seine was off-limits due to water quality issues caused by the wet weather.
On rainy days, the mid-19th-century Parisian sewerage system often overflows, causing rain and waste water to pour into the river.
To mitigate the risk, city officials said that the Seine would be assessed daily for the presence of the faecal bacteria escherichia coli (E. coli) and enterococci.
Another site along the Canal St-Martin in eastern Paris was set to welcome its first swimmers on July 6, but remained closed because of the rain, which “compromises water quality”, said the local town hall on X.
The seasonal opening of the Seine for swimming is seen as a key legacy of the Summer Olympics, when open-water swimmers and triathletes competed in its waters, which were specially cleaned for the event.
Ahead of the Games, the authorities invested approximately €1.4 billion (S$2.1 billion) in improving the Seine’s water quality.
Record rainfall during the Games led to the cancellation of six of the 11 competitions held on the river. REUTERS, AFP
