The Daily Telegraph - Saturday - Travel
Where to dare to take a dip on your city break
With high levels of pollution found in the Seine, Amanda Hyde investigates the cleanest (and dirtiest) spots for wild swimming in Europe
There is something in the water – E coli to be exact. After high levels of the bacteria were found in the Seine in Paris, questions were raised about how safe it would be for triathletes and open-water swimmers at the Paris 2024 Olympics. While the city’s mayor, Anne Hidalgo, and the French president, Emmanuel Macron, have both pledged to wade in before the Games to prove that the river is safe, local residents are unconvinced.
Meanwhile, just before the Oxford and Cambridge boat race in March, both teams were warned not to throw the winning cox into the Thames as levels of E coli were 10 times higher than the measurement deemed “poor” by the Environment Agency.
Elsewhere in Europe, contamination has largely been falling for the last couple of decades. In general, it is now safe to go into the water. In its latest report in June 2023, the European Environment Agency (EEA) – which monitors more than 21,000 bathing sites across the continent, but no longer any in the UK – found that only 1.5 per cent had poor water quality.
Some lakes and rivers crisscross or hem the continent’s most beguiling cities, making a dip a viable part of a weekend break. The EEA has a map function on its website to help swimmers and other users discern water quality. Here, we highlight five cities that are perfect for wild swimming – and four that you might wish to avoid.
Five cities where you can swim safely
Vienna, Austria
Austria came second only to Cyprus in the EEA’s latest rankings for water quality, while the Viennese authorities graded all of the city’s bathing sites excellent during the 2023 season. At one popular city bathing spot, they even claim that the water quality rivals the country’s “best lakes”.
Once a channel of the Danube river (until water management in the 19th century turned it into a lake), the Alte Donau or Old Danube is so clear that you can see for up to 13ft below its surface. Vegetation is carefully managed to act as a natural filtration system, keeping 20 species of fish healthy, while motorised craft are banned.
In the summer months, outdoor swimming is as much a part of Viennese life as the daily commute, with locals visiting the Old Danube to swim, sunbathe and sail before eating at one of the many restaurants lining the shore. Others take the subway to Donauinsel (Danube Island) on the New Danube, with its volleyball courts, bars and 26 miles of beaches.
Zurich, Switzerland
Bordering a shimmering lake and bisected by a meandering river, Zurich is built on the water – and the temptation to jump in is almost irresistible.
During the summer, 30 outdoor swimming venues open up and some locals even travel to work along the Limmat river, using the current to carry them to the centre of town.
This can be quite dangerous, however: visitors should stick to Zurich’s designated swimming baths – or to the lake, where all of the sites monitored by the EEA have been rated excellent.
Beside the well-heeled suburb of Seefeld, the towel-dotted lawns of Strandbad Tiefenbrunnen (entry around £7) lead straight to the water and make a good place to people-watch. Alternatively, for a more seaside-y feel, head for the sand at Strandbad Mythenquai, on the other side of the lake.
Bordeaux, France
The water in Paris may be a little murky, but another French city has turned its most popular bathing site bleu. In 2023, French authorities classified the water quality at Bordeaux’s Plage du Lac as excellent. A 10-minute tram ride north of the centre, this sprawl of white sand bordering a manmade lake regained its Blue Flag status in 2023, too. With a lifeguard on duty between June and September, it is great for families and has toilet facilities and showers onsite.
Around an hours’ drive west, just before the balmy beaches near Arcachon, you will find the pine-backed lakes of Lacanau and Carcans – and just south of the Bay of Archachon, Biscarrosse and Sanguinet. All of these have been rated excellent by the EEA.
Berlin, Germany
It may have a reputation for clubbing and cabaret but Berlin also comes with one of Europe’s most wholesome wild swimming scenes, centred on the region’s 3,000 or so lakes. Even at the swimming areas closest to the city, the water is rated excellent by the EEA. To make the most of it, head to the un-touristy Strandbad Plötzensee (£7) where the hipsters hang out, to Strandbad Weissensee with its sandy beach (£7) or to Strandbad Orankesee (£6.85), with its child-friendly twirly waterslide into the water.
Meanwhile, around 25 minutes west of Berlin and easily accessed by S-Bahn train, the sandy beach at Strandbad Wannsee stretches for more than three-quarters of a mile along the lake of the same name.
If you are prepared to venture a little further, the S-Bahn takes 45 minutes to reach Potsdam – the former playground of the Prussian elite, which is home to 16 grand palaces dotted
Granada, Spain
This Andalucian city is far enough from the coast to make lake and reservoir swimming a popular pursuit, and the surrounding area has some brilliant places to dip your toes in the water – if you are prepared for a bit of an adventure. A 40-minute drive south-west, Los Bermejales reservoir has an impeccable EEA record and comes with Caribbean-blue waters, pine-scented air and (unlike the Cubillas reservoir nearer the city, where currents can be dangerous and it is best to stick to organised watersports) a shallow bathing area with a beach restaurant attached to a campsite.
Meanwhile, although it is not rated by the EEA, the river pool near Restaurante Maitena on the outskirts of Güejar-Sierra is also a popular bathing spot, busy with paddlers and dunkers in summer. A 30-minute bus ride from central Granada, this natural pool is fed by the fresh run-off from the Sierra Nevada mountain range. There are no lifeguards here, so exercise caution.
Four cities to avoid
Brussels, Belgium
When the sewers overflow in this city, the waste goes straight into its canal, the Senne, according to the campaigning organisation Canal It Up. This may explain why Brussels hasn’t embraced al fresco swimming. In a draft water management report for 2022 to 2027, the city addresses these issues, but it remains to be seen whether they can be solved.
Naples, Italy
The Sarno is regularly labelled Europe’s most polluted river, thanks to being the recipient of both agricultural waste and insufficiently treated wastewater – and it flows straight into the Mediterranean just south of Naples at Rovigliano. In 2023, when campaigning group Goletta Verde analysed water in the city, it found three particularly polluted points, including the beach in the seaside suburb of San Giovanni a Teduccio.
Rotterdam, the Netherlands
One of only two countries monitored by the EEA to be rated “poor” at three per cent or more of its sites, the Netherlands has banned swimming in three recreational lakes in South Holland for 2024, including one in Rotterdam. This is due to contamination from toxic PFAs (chemicals used to make non-stick coatings, packaging, adhesives and electrical insulation).
Paris, France
And what about the waters of the French capital? When asked whether she would meet her promise to swim in the Seine before the Olympic Games, Anne Hidalgo, mayor of Paris, said: “For sure, because water quality will be good.” A clean-up operation is underway, but whether her dream becomes a reality remains to be seen.
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