Let’s Go Swimming in the Seine River!

People can now swim in Paris’s Seine River following a €1.4 billion clean-up project.

The 2024 Paris Olympics helped speed up the clean-up project that now allows for 1,000 swimmers per day to access three bathing sites on the banks of the Seine for free, from now until the end of August.

The 1.4 billion euro project included the interconnection of over 20,000 homes to the sewer system (waste that used to be dumped directly into the Seine), improved water treatment facilities, and the building of rainwater storage reservoirs that ensure sewage overflows during rain storms don’t make it into the river. Other than being a cool pastime to swim in front of the Eiffel Tower, the cleaned-up river will help some Parisians and visitors cool down amid increasing summer temperatures. To ensure safety, the water is tested daily, and a flag system is in place to indicate how safe it is to swim.