Swimming in the Val-de-Marne: the two sites in Joinville and Maisons-Alfort are now open

This summer, Val-de-Marne is relaunching open-water swimming with the first two sites in Maisons-Alfort and Joinville-le-Pont, a first since 1970. By 2026, fourteen zones will be accessible on the Marne and Seine rivers, supported by an ambitious environmental project in preparation for the 2024 Olympic Games. We tell you all about it.

This summer, Val-de-Marne inaugurates a new era of open-waterswimming . It's a great way to enrich the department and give you more options for swimming and splashing about in fine weather. As of this June28 , you can swimin Maisons-Alfort and Joinville-le-Pont,two emblematic sites rehabilitated after a 50-year ban. This initiative is part of a program of 14 bathing sites across the department, scheduled to run until 2026, the result of a vast 200 million euro clean-up project undertaken in the run-up to the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.

Where can you swim this summer in Val-de-Marne?

The first two sites to be opened this summer are located on the Marne, in Maisons-Alfort, near the Square des Petits Pirates and the Charentonneau footbridge , and in Joinville-le-Pont, on the sandbank beach . Each can accommodate up to 200 people, with two separatepools (foradults and children), three lifeguards on duty at all times, and opening hours from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m ., every day until August31 - or even until September 14 if the weather cooperates.

Access is subject to an entry fee of 3 euros for two hours, bookable via the mobile app or online via À la plage by Paris Est Marne et Bois.

© Paris Est Marne & Bois - Joinville

What other sites are planned for the short and medium term ?

Five new sites are due to open shortly, including Saint-Maur-des-Fossés, Champigny-sur-Marne, Le Perreux-sur-Marne, Saint-Maurice and Nogent-sur-Marne. By 2026, seven additional zones will be created on the Seine, including Ivry-sur-Seine, Vitry-sur-Seine, Orly, Choisy-le-Roi and Villeneuve-Saint-Georges.

Between 2018 and 2024 , 8,100 compliance checks were carried out, resulting in 1,052 projects to correct wastewater discharges into the natural environment.

Why is this project so important for the region?

This return to bathing marks a historic and ecologicalstep forward . Prohibited since 1923 in the Seine and 1970 in the Marne, bathing is now possible thanks to the joint efforts of SIAAP, theRegional HealthAgency , local authorities and the Greater ParisMetropolis . The aim is twofold: to offer the people of Greater Paris a new, sustainable leisure area , and to improve water quality in the long term.

In addition to the fun aspect , these zones aim to revive the spirit of the guinguettes of yesteryear, while raising awareness of climate issues and biodiversity. They are fully in line with the legacy of the Paris 2024Olympic Games , conceived as a lever for sustainable ecological transition for the metropolis.

In short, with two new swims between now and the end of June and 14 more to come, we can't wait to take a dip and enjoy these affordable, landscaped spaces. Note also that 3 new free sites are opening up in Paris for us to take a dip in the Seine.