Parisians take a historic plunge into the River Seine after more than a century

Parisians on Saturday jumped into the river Seine —legally—for the first time in more than 100 years, with cries of “woo” and “it is warm!” ringing out across the Seine.

It comes as public swimming was allowed in designated areas of the Seine, including two newly built wooden decks near the Eiffel Tower and the Île Saint-Louis in central Paris.

Before sunrise, a municipal officer skimmed away the last few patches of algae with a fishnet. Soon after, a line of eager Parisians formed, towels in hand, waiting for their chance to jump in.

ADVERTISEMENT Advertisement

Wows and cries of joy echoed across the riverbanks as the first swimmers entered the emerald-green water.

Under the careful supervision of a dozen lifeguards wearing high-visibility vests, each swimmer donned a bright yellow lifebuoy fastened around their waist. The current was weak, just enough to tug gently at their limbs—a reminder that this is still a living, urban river.

People enjoy the water at the Grenelle safe bathing site on the Seine river in Paris, France, Saturday, July 5, 2025, during the opening of the three Seine swimming pools, as – Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.

“It’s so nice to swim in the heart of the city, especially with the high temperatures we’ve been having lately,” said Amine Hocini, a 25-year-old construction worker from Paris.

“I’m surprised because I thought it was going to be cooler, and in fact, it’s much warmer than I thought.”

ADVERTISEMENT Advertisement

The return to swimming follows a 1.4 billion euro cleanup project tied to last year’s Olympics. Officials now say the Seine meets European water quality standards on most days.

Mayor Anne Hidalgo, who already took a dip last year, was there Saturday morning, holding up a transparent bottle filled with river water as a show of confidence. She said, “It’s a childhood dream to make people swim in the Seine.”

Water Quality is ‘exceptional’

Meanwhile, environmental authorities confirmed bacteria levels were well below official thresholds. “The water quality is ‘exceptional,'” said Marc Guillaume, the prefect for the Paris’ Ile-de-France region. “We are monitoring two bacteria, E. coli and enterococci, and for one we are ten times below the thresholds and for the other more than 25 times below,” he said.

Lifeguards watch swimmers at the Bras Marie safe bathing site on the Seine river in Paris, France, Saturday, July 5, 2025, during the opening of the three Seine swimming pools – Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.

From the deck, tourists and morning joggers stopped to watch. Some applauded as swimmers climbed up the steel ladders, grinning and dripping. Others, like François Fournier, remained sceptical.

ADVERTISEMENT Advertisement

“I won’t risk it, quite frankly,” said Fournier, who lives atop the riverbanks and observed the scene from a bridge above. “I’ve seen things you can’t imagine floating in the Seine, so I’ll wait for it to be really squeaky clean.”

Related

Floating debris still bobbed here and there—a stray leaf, a plastic wrapper—but the smell was barely noticeable: no strong sewage odour, just an earthy, river-like scent.

“This is so chic, to swim in the Seine, next to Île Saint-Louis,” said Lucile Woodward, 43, a resident. “There are some apprehensions, of course, any time you go to swim somewhere, but I think this is one of the most tested areas in the whole world now. I don’t think the town hall can allow itself to have any problems.”

ADVERTISEMENT Advertisement

She added with a laugh, “My skin is OK.”

Swimming in the Seine had been illegal since 1923, with a few exceptions, due to pollution and risks posed by river navigation. Taking a dip outside bathing areas is still banned for safety reasons.

PARIS — Cries of “It is warm!” rang out across the Seine on Saturday morning as Parisians jumped into the river — legally — for the first time in more than 100 years.

What You Need To Know Parisians have legally swum in the Seine River for the first time in more than 100 years

On Saturday morning, designated swimming areas near the Eiffel Tower and Île Saint-Louis opened to the public

This follows a $1.5-billion cleanup project tied to last year’s Olympics, ensuring the river meets European water quality standards

Swimmers wore yellow lifebuoys and lifeguards enforced safety measures

Public swimming was allowed in designated areas of the Seine, including two newly built wooden decks near the Eiffel Tower and the Île Saint-Louis in central Paris. Before sunrise, a municipal officer skimmed away the last few patches of algae with a fishnet. Soon after, a line of eager Parisians formed, towels in hand, waiting for their chance to jump in.

Woos and cries of joy echoed across the riverbanks as the first swimmers entered the emerald-green water.

Every swimmer wore a bright yellow lifebuoy tied around their waist, part of strict safety measures enforced by a dozen lifeguards in high-visibility vests. The current was weak, just enough to tug gently at their limbs — a reminder that this is still a living, urban river.

“It’s so nice to swim in the heart of the city, especially with the high temperatures we’ve been having lately,” said Amine Hocini, a 25-year-old construction worker from Paris. “I’m surprised because I thought it was going to be cooler and in fact, it’s much warmer than I thought.”

The return to swimming follows a 1.4 billion euro ($1.5 billion) cleanup project tied to last year’s Olympics. Officials now say the Seine meets European water quality standards on most days. Mayor Anne Hidalgo, who already took a dip last year, was there Saturday morning, holding up a transparent bottle filled with river water as a show of confidence. Environmental authorities confirmed bacteria levels were well below official thresholds.

Swimming in the Seine had been illegal since 1923, with a few exceptions, due to pollution and risks posed by river navigation. Taking a dip outside bathing areas is still banned for safety reasons.

From the deck, tourists and morning joggers stopped to watch. Some applauded as swimmers climbed up the steel ladders, grinning and dripping. Others, like François Fournier, remained skeptical.

“I won’t risk it quite frankly,” said Fournier, who lives atop the riverbanks and observed the scene from a bridge above. “I’ve seen things you can’t imagine floating in the Seine, so I’ll wait for it to be really squeaky clean.”

Floating debris still bobbed here and there — a stray leaf, a plastic wrapper — but the smell was barely noticeable: no strong sewage odor, just an earthy, river-like scent.

“This is so chic, to swim in the Seine, next to Île Saint-Louis,” said Lucile Woodward, 43, a resident. “There are some apprehensions, of course, any time you go to swim somewhere, but I think this is one of the most tested areas in the whole world now. I don’t think the town hall can allow herself to have any problems.”

She added with a laugh: “My skin is OK.”

CNN —

For the first time in over a century, Parisians and tourists will be able to take a refreshing dip in the River Seine. The long-polluted waterway is finally opening up as a summertime swim spot following a 1.4 billion euro ($1.5 billion) cleanup project that made it suitable for Olympic competitions last year.

Three new swimming sites on the Paris riverbank will open on Saturday – one close to Notre Dame Cathedral, another near the Eiffel Tower and a third in eastern Paris.

Swimming in the Seine has been illegal since 1923, with a few exceptions, due to pollution and risks posed by river navigation. Taking a dip outside bathing areas is still banned for safety reasons.

The Seine was one of the stars of the Paris Olympics in 2024, whether as the scene of the ambitious opening ceremony or the triathlon and marathon swimming competitions. That didn’t go without challenging hurdles such as rainfall increasing levels of bacteria, which postponed some competitions.

The city’s authorities have given the green light for the public opening, with water quality results consistently in line with European regulations.

“It’s a symbolic moment when we get our river back,” said sports coach and influencer Lucile Woodward, who will participate in the first amateur open water competition in the Seine on Sunday.

Woodward, who enjoyed a dip alongside Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo just before the start of the Olympic Games, is confident things will go well.

“We’re going to enjoy swimming in it, being there and setting an example,” she said. “Once people will see that in the end there are hundreds of people who have fun and enjoy it, everyone will want to go!”

“For families, going to take a dip with the kids, making little splashes in Paris, it’s extraordinary,” Woodward added.

People swim at the Bras Marie safe bathing site. Thomas Padilla/AP

Olympic athletes competing in the river was a spectacular reward for the cost of the cleanup effort.

In the run-up to the Games, authorities opened new disinfection units and created a huge storage basin meant to prevent as much bacteria-laden wastewater as possible from spilling directly into the Seine when it rains.

Houseboats that previously emptied their sewage directly into the river were required to hook up to municipal sewer systems. Some homes upstream from Paris also saw their wastewater connected to treatment plants instead of the rainwater system flowing directly into the river.

Green flag for swimming

Paris Deputy Mayor Pierre Rabadan said water is tested daily to confirm it’s safe to swim. As on French beaches, different colored flags will inform visitors whether or not they can go in.

“Green means the water quality is good. Red means that it’s not good or that there’s too much current,” he said.

Tests have been in line with European regulations since the beginning of June, with only two exceptions due to rain and boat-related pollution, Rabadan said.

“I can’t make a bet on the numbers of days when we’ll have to close this summer, but water quality seems better than last year,” he added. “We’re in a natural environment… so weather condition variations necessarily have an impact.”

Last year, several athletes became ill after competing in the triathlon and open water races during the Olympics, though in most cases it was not clear if the river was to blame for their sickness.

World Aquatics stressed the conditions met the sport’s accepted thresholds.

“The legacy of these efforts is already evident, with the Seine now open for public swimming – a positive example of how sports can drive long-term community benefits,” the organization said in a statement to The Associated Press.

The opening of the three Seine swimming pools, as part of the ‘Paris Plages’ event, happened on Saturday. Thomas Padilla/AP

Skepticism remains about water quality

Dan Angelescu, founder and CEO of Fluidion, a Paris and Los Angeles-based water monitoring tech company, has routinely and independently tested bacterial levels in the Seine for several years. Despite being in line with current regulations, the official water testing methodology has limitations and undercounts the bacteria, he said.

“What we see is that the water quality in the Seine is highly variable,” Angelescu said. “There are only a few days in a swimming season where I would say water quality is acceptable for swimming.”

“All we can say is that we can raise a hand and say look: the science today does not support the current assessment of water safety used in the rivers around Paris, and we think that there is major risk that is not being captured at all,” he said.

Some Parisians also have shown skepticism toward the idea of swimming in the Seine. The feeling is often reinforced by the water’s murky color, floating litter and multiple tourist boats in some places.

Enys Mahdjoub, a real estate agent, said he would not be afraid of swimming, but rather “a bit disgusted. It’s more the worry of getting dirty than anything else at the moment.”

A dream come true

Until the end of August, swimming sites will be open for free at scheduled times to anyone with a minimum age of 10 or 14 years, depending on the location. Lifeguards will keep a watchful eye on those first dips.

“It’s an opportunity, a dream come true,” said Clea Montanari, a project manager in Paris. “It’d be a dream if the Seine becomes drinkable, that would be the ultimate goal, right? But already swimming in it is really good.”

Swimmers in Paris’ Seine wore lifebuoys under strict safety measures after a major cleanup project, enjoying the warm water despite some skepticism.

www.nbcnews.com

Swimming in the Seine has made a triumphant return, delighting residents and tourists alike. On July 5, 2025, swimmers donned bright yellow lifebuoys as they embraced the revitalized waters of Paris’ iconic river. This revival follows a significant 1.4 billion euro cleanup project, ensuring the Seine meets European water quality standards.

6 Key Takeaways Swimmers wore bright yellow lifebuoys for safety.

Seine’s water quality meets European standards.

Swimming was illegal since 1923 due to pollution.

Tourists and joggers observed the swimmers.

Some locals remain skeptical about swimming safety.

Floating debris was minimal, with no strong odors.

Amine Hocini, a 25-year-old construction worker, expressed his joy, stating, “It’s so nice to swim in the heart of the city.” While some remain skeptical about the water quality, the mayor’s confidence, showcased by her own dip, signals a new era for urban swimming.

Fast Answer: Paris’ Seine River is now open for swimming, marking a significant milestone in urban recreation and environmental restoration.

This reopening raises questions about urban water safety and public health. Can city rivers become safe recreational spaces? The following points emerge:

Strict safety measures are in place, including lifeguards and buoy usage.

Environmental authorities confirm bacteria levels are well below safety thresholds.

Public sentiment is mixed, with some residents still wary of potential pollution.

The revival of swimming in the Seine highlights a global trend toward urban waterway revitalization, promoting both recreation and environmental health.

As cities worldwide seek to reclaim their rivers, will we see more urban swimming initiatives? Engaging with our waterways can foster a deeper connection to the environment.