Vienna, Munich, Zurich… Before Paris, these are the cities where bathing in rivers has long been permitted

Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo took a dip in the Seine on Wednesday after repeatedly postponing the deadline. Other cities in Europe allow residents to dive into rivers, and have had bathing areas for some time.

Anne Hidalgo kept her promise. The mayor of Paris finally took a dip in the Seine on Wednesday, July 17, before the start of the Olympic Games. The socialist elected official did the crawl in the capital’s river. Jumping into the water in the middle of the city: it seems very daring in Paris, but this practice has long been done elsewhere in Europe. An overview of the major cities where you can swim in open water.

In Austria, swimming in the Danube

This is the case in Vienna. In the Austrian capital, swimming in the Danube is quite commonplace. The activity is authorized and very popular with residents. It must be said that the quality of the water is impeccable, according to the latest surveys carried out by the municipality on July 8: the waters of the river are excellent. Since the end of the 19th century, the Danube has been developed, diverted, and filled in. Work that today allows the Viennese to swim, lie on multiple beaches and especially to sail.

In lakes and rivers in Switzerland

Swimming in white water is also a Swiss specialty. It is possible to swim in lakes as well as in rivers. For example, in Basel and Zurich, where the Rhine flows, bathers in swimsuits dive or jump from the various bridges or pontoons of the city when the weather is nice, and let themselves be carried by the current. The quality of the water, according to the authorities, is “correct”is safe for swimming. However, the canton of Basel still recommends not drinking Rhine water.

Locals also bathe in the Limmat, as one user on X points out. “Zurich has a clear river running through it. Clean enough to drink and bathe in. I swam in it myself today.”

Demarcated bathing areas in Germany

In some European cities, swimming is restricted to certain areas. In Munich, for example, swimming is allowed in certain areas of the Isar, a river that crosses the city from south to north. For 11 years, between 2000 and 2011, the city carried out development and sanitation work on an 8-kilometre section of the Isar.

Among the techniques used to improve water quality, we find ultraviolet filtration with lamps installed on several dozen treatment plants. An effective but very expensive method, which costs several million euros per treatment plant.