Grenelle: swimming in the Seine, facing the Île aux Cygnes

The site is at the port de Grenelle, in the 15th arrondissement, on the narrow arm of the Seine that runs along the Île aux Cygnes, near the Pont de Bir-Hakeim. You swim facing the island, with the Eiffel Tower a short distance away.

It's one of three swimming sites open in the Seine in Paris since summer 2025, along with Bercy (12th) and the Bras Marie, which moved in 2026 near the Pont Louis-Philippe. Swimming in the Seine had been banned since 1923. In the first season, in 2025, the three Paris sites welcomed about 100,000 swimmers, 13% of them foreign tourists, according to the Paris urban planning agency (Apur).

The swimming area measures 60 m by 20 m. The site holds 200 people at a time, 150 of them in the water. Changing rooms, showers, toilets, a first-aid post and lockers are on the quay, under the trees.

2025 season: 5 July to 31 August. 2026 season: 4 July to 30 August, every day, as long as the weather, the current and the water quality allow.

2026 hours at Grenelle: 10 am to 5:30 pm Monday to Friday, 10 am to 4:45 pm on Saturday. On Sunday, the pool is cleared twice to let a boat through: open 10 am to 12 noon, 12:30 pm to 2:15 pm, then 2:45 pm to 5:30 pm. Last entry at 4:45 pm (4 pm on Saturday). You get out of the water 30 minutes before closing.

In 2026, swimming was also suspended from 4 to 8 August, during the European open water swimming and high diving championships, held on the Grenelle arm of the river.

What about 2027? The City of Paris closed the season with a "see you next year". As of 1 October 2026, no 2027 opening date has been published. The last two seasons started in early July.

You must be able to swim, whatever your age. Swimming is allowed from a height of 1.20 m, and every child under 14 must be supervised by an adult. There is no ID check, but your height may be measured at the entrance.

Before you go in, a lifeguard checks your swimming level. Wearing a buoy is compulsory: it's lent on site and you hand it back when you leave. Swimwear is compulsory, a swim cap is not.

For the lockers, bring a €1 coin or a token. The City advises against swimming with a cut or a graze, and recommends showering with soap before and after.

The City tests the water quality every day. The result is shown on site, with a flag:

Green: supervised swimming, no apparent danger. Yellow: supervised swimming but take care, because of water quality, changing weather or a strong flow. Red: swimming banned, because of a real danger such as a storm or a strong current. No flag: site closed and unsupervised.

In case of an exceptional closure, the information is posted on site and on the site's page on paris.fr. The river flow matters too: when the Seine rises, the current gets stronger. Our Seine river level in Paris page shows the live level.

Outside the three official sites, swimming in the Seine is still banned. The Préfecture de police lists the risks: current, mud, submerged objects and boats.

Allow about 1.5 km, or around 20 minutes on foot. From the square, head down towards Passy, then cross the Seine on the Pont de Bir-Hakeim, under the metro viaduct. On the Left Bank, go down to the port de Grenelle: the entrance is by the water, downstream of the bridge.

By metro, the nearest station is Bir-Hakeim, on line 6. The RER C stops at Champ de Mars-Tour Eiffel. The site is wheelchair accessible: transfer wheelchairs and a lifting hoist help people into the water.

After your swim, carry on along the Île aux Cygnes to the Statue of Liberty. For photos of the viaduct, see our page on the Pont de Bir-Hakeim. And to see the Seine another way out of season, there are always the cruises.