After Over A Billion Spent On Clean Up, You Can Now Swim In This Iconic European Capital City's River

For the first time in over 100 years, travelers can legally swim with a view of the Eiffel Tower without having to sit poolside in one of Paris' luxurious hotels. The Seine River is now open for swimmers. There are three free locations along the river, including one near the Eiffel Tower, that are open to the public. The swim sites opened on July 5 and are expected to remain open through the end of August.

Available swim sites include one at Bercy in the 12th arrondissement near the National Library, one at Bras Marie in the 4th near the charming Île Saint-Louis, and one at Grenelle in the 15th, which is where visitors can enjoy views of the Eiffel Tower. Each swimming area offers bathrooms, changing areas, and places to lounge. There are lifeguards and clear barriers in place that limit where you can swim,  as there are still boats using the river. You may be subject to fines if you swim outside the designated areas. Every swimmer will also need to wear a yellow safety buoy.

Those who've gotten a chance to swim in the Seine have sung praise for the formerly closed river. "It's so nice to swim in the heart of the city, especially with the high temperatures we've been having lately," one Parisian told CBS News, while another noted, "This is so chic, to swim in the Seine, next to Île Saint-Louis."

The Seine River had first been closed to swimming in 1923 due, in part, to safety concerns connected to pollution and contamination. One major issue was that human waste was once dumped into the river, an issue you can likely learn more about at the Paris Sewer Museum. But with more than 1.4 billion euros in investment and years of work, including revamping parts of the sewer system so sewage doesn't end up directly in the water, the Seine has been deemed clean enough to swim in safely.

While it had been decades since politicians had said they wanted to clean up the Seine, it was the 2024 Olympics that really got the clean-up going. A number of the swimming competitions were held in the river, with Anne Hidalgo, the Mayor of Paris, swimming in it before the games. The water in the river is tested multiple times daily for pollution and certain bacteria, and swimmers won't be allowed in if it's deemed unsafe. 

French President Emmanuel Macron celebrated the reopening of the Seine on X (formerly known as Twitter). Speaking with CBS News, Hidalgo stated, "It's a childhood dream to have people swimming in the Seine."