Paris closed its 2026 public bathing season with 216,000 swimmers across the Seine, the canals and sports centres, according to the City of Paris. The three free river sites alone welcomed 120,000 bathers, 20% more than in 2025. The city presents the sites as a public cooling service, since a third of the opening days coincided with a heatwave.
Attendance by site
The season ran for eight weeks from 4 July. The city’s figures break down as follows:
| Site | Swimmers |
|---|---|
| Bras-Marie, Seine (Paris Centre) | 42,000 |
| Grenelle, Seine (15th) | 36,000 |
| Quai de Bercy, Seine (12th) | 42,000 |
| Bassin de la Villette, canal (19th) | 51,000 |
| Canal Saint-Martin (10th) | 12,000 |
| Four sports centres | 33,000 |
| Total | 216,000 |
Of the 12,000 visitors at Canal Saint-Martin, 9,000 came during an exceptional opening at the end of June, during a heatwave. Access to the three Seine sites was free.
Why the city is doing it
This was the second season of bathing in Paris, and the city describes the opening of the sites as one of the main legacies of its transformation. It says the sites give families and young people who cannot go on holiday a place to breathe and relax in the heart of the city. With a third of opening days falling during a heatwave, the city calls bathing an essential public service for cooling as many people as possible in the face of climate disruption. Mayor Emmanuel Grégoire, elected on 29 March 2026, said the sites had helped many Parisians cool down during a summer made difficult by heatwaves.
What happens next
The three Seine sites closed on 29 August because of the impact of recent storms. The Bassin de la Villette site stays open for the weekend, and Canal Saint-Martin until Sunday 6 September. The city has already announced a new season in 2027, and the mayor said: “In 2027, we will go further.”