In our trips to Paris over the years we have seen people swimming in the Seine even though it is banned. It looked pretty yucky to us but there was one really hot day when I think even we would have been tempted. I look forward to seeing the opening ceremonies of the 2024 Olympics from Paris!
" Parisians will soon be able to experience the Seine River in a whole new way. Beginning in 2025 — following the city’s hosting of the 2024 Summer Olympics — the river will be open for public swimming, per The Week.
The major news comes nearly a century after people were banned from taking a dip in the famed waterway due to pollution. But extensive cleanup efforts have made the Seine quite different, and much safer, than it was when the ban came down in 1923.
Water quality regulations and increased wastewater treatment have prompted the return of fish to the once-dead river, a positive sign of its improving health, The Washington Post reported last year. “Often in the past, we turned our backs on the river,” Sylvain Berrios, the mayor of a suburb outside of Paris, told the outlet. “Now locals are taking it back.”
In addition to allowing regular swimmers, officials hope to host much of the 2024 Olympics, including the opening ceremonies, on the Seine. If you’ve ever dreamed of floating down the river and looking up to views of Notre Dame and the Eiffel Tower, now may be the time to start thinking about a trip."
