Where in Paris you can swim the Seine this summer
In recent years the city of Paris has been engaged in a massive clean-up project aimed at making the Seine safe to swim in. Last year's Olympic and Paralympic Games saw open-water swimming races held in the river in the heart of the city - but the end goal was always to make swimming available to everyone.
This will finally happen in July, when for the first time in more than 100 years, the Seine will be open to the public for swimming.
You can listen to the team at The Local discuss the swimming situation in the latest episode of the Talking France podcast - download
here
or listen on the link below
The finishing touches are being put to three supervised swimming areas at Bras Marie, Bercy, and Grenelle that will allow hundreds of people to dive into the river, a century after taking an al fresco dip was banned for health reasons.
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They are scheduled to open, conditions permitting, on Saturday, July 5th.
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Paris makes clean water bet for River Seine bathers
Because the Seine is a busy commercial river, swimming will only be permitted in the designated areas.
Bras Marie
- near the pont de Sully, overlooking the Île Saint-Louis, right in the heart of the capital, up to 150 people can get in the water at the same time – while lockers, outdoor seating, showers and a first aid station are all on hand.
The area is handily close to the Paris Plages summer-time city 'beaches' and will be open from 8am to 11.30am Monday to Saturday and 8am to 5.30pm on Sundays.
Bercy
- In the 12th arrondissement, the Bercy site – opposite Bibliothèque nationale de France and on either side of the Simone de Beauvoir footbridge, near Parc de Bercy – has two designated swimming areas, and all the necessary amenities, and will be open from 11am to 9pm daily.
Grenelle
- Opposite the Île aux Cygnes and a stone's throw from the Eiffel Tower, the Grenelle area, in the 15th arrondissement offers secure swimming for families – the water is at a depth of 40cm to 60cm, while a nearby water sports centre offers free kayaking.
Opening hours are 10am to 5.30pm Monday to Friday; 10am to 4.45pm Saturday; and 10am to 12noon, 12.30pm to 2.15pm, and 2.45pm to 5.30pm on Sundays.
Safety
Swimming at all sites will be supervised by lifeguards, and people who are not judged to be strong enough swimmers may be asked to leave the water.
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Water and weather conditions will be monitored continuously, and decisions taken daily whether to open the three river sites. If last year's Games are anything to go by, the period immediately after heavy rain is most likely to have unsafe water quality, in which case the pools will temporarily close.
Visitors will be informed on arrival, or by logging on to the city's website
Paris.fr
.
River traffic in the parts of the river close to the swim suits will be limited during opening hours, although popular boat services like the Bateaux Mouches and the Seine river cruises will continue to run as normal throughout the summer.
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