The capital’s lakes offer a chance to immerse yourself in architecture and heritage: Art Deco, Art Nouveau, contemporary designs, or breathtaking views of the Seine or the Eiffel Tower… the choice is yours!
As with many other sports, swimming first took off among our British and German neighbors. Although the first swimming school was founded on a floating pool on the Seine in Paris by a man named Barthélemy Turquin in the late18th century, it wasn’t until the late19th century that the first swimming pools were built, followed by significant growth in the 1920s thanks to the 1924 Olympic Games in Paris. A legacy that remains very much alive today.
The Butte aux Cailles, an Art Nouveau masterpiece
The swimming pool at La Butte-aux-Cailles (13th arrondissement) has been designated a Historic Monument since 1990. Opened in 1924, it is the work of architect Louis Bonnier, a former student at the École des Beaux-Arts with a passion for Art Nouveau. He designed the swimming pool with flowing curves, playing with light and using materials that were modern for the time—such as reinforced concrete and brick—for the façade. The architect created a sort of “cathedral” dedicated to sports, with its vault fifteen meters above the ground paved with glass, and its suspended light fixtures.
The pool area has three pools—one indoor and two outdoor—as well as a sun deck.
Swimming in the Seine with Josephine Baker
Want to take a dip in the Seine? It’s been possible since July 2006 at Joséphine Baker, the capital’s only floating swimming pool. Moored at the Port de la Gare, at the foot of the François-Mitterrand Library, the pool is a glass-and-steel structure designed by architect Robert de Busni. It is kept afloat by twenty metal floats.
Josephine Baker is the distant heir to the Deligny swimming pool, a floating pool moored on the left bank of the Seine in Paris (Quai Anatole-France, in the7th arrondissement), which sank on July 8, 1993.
The Deligny Swimming Pool in 1948
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Pailleron and Pontoise: A Deep Dive into Art Deco
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Another notable pool, designated a historic monument in 1998: the pool at the Pailleron Sports Complex (19th arrondissement). Built in 1933 by architect Lucien Pollet, who also designed the Pontoise and Molitor swimming pools, it was completely renovated in 2006, featuring a steel frame and a curved glass roof. The sports complex also includes an ice rink, which was likewise rebuilt in 2006.
Pontoise
Built in 1934, also by Lucien Pollet, the Pontoise swimming pool will reopen in December 2023 after two years of renovations. A testament to interwar architecture, it has also been listed since 1998 in the Supplementary Inventory of Historic Monuments (ISMH). As a side note, in 1936, Commander Cousteau conducted his first scuba diving tests there.
Château-Landon, the rebirth of the oldest of the reservoirs
It is the first public indoor heated swimming pool in Paris. Opened in 1884, Château-Landon (10th arrondissement) was designed by architect Lucien-Dieudonné Bessières, commissioned by the French Aquatic Gymnastics Society.
Completely renovated, it reopens on February 23, 2026! The pool’s historic character has been preserved, while all facilities have been modernized: optimized water treatment, redesigned lighting, and a complete renovation of the floors and showers.
The Admirals, Architecture, and the 7e Art
Does this pool remind you of a movie scene? Look no further! The Piscine des Amiraux (18th arrondissement) served as the setting for a scene in Jean-Pierre Jeunet’s *Amélie *. This architectural masterpiece was built by Henri Sauvage (who also designed stores 2 and 3 of La Samaritaine) in 1927. It was beautifully restored between 2015 and 2017.
Emile-Anthoine, the neighbor of the Eiffel Tower
What if you could swim with a view of the Eiffel Tower… at a public pool? The Emile-Anthoine Pool in the15th arrondissement offers this unique view. In the summer, a sun deck awaits you there so you can relax after your swim and enjoy this breathtaking view.
Thérèse and Jeanne Brulé: At the Forefront of Environmentalism
It is one of the newest swimming pools in Paris: with its two pools—one for swimming and the other for lessons— the Thérèse and Jeanne Brulé (formerly Élisabeth) welcomed its first swimmers in the14th arrondissement in February 2020. This aquatic facility features a range of energy-saving measures: an air-handling unit with a heat pump, solar thermal collectors, and a system for recovering heat from wastewater.
Marie-Marvingt, the contemporary
Have you heard of Marie Marvingt (1875–1963)? This heroine of World War I and World War II was a member of the Resistance, an aviation pioneer, an inventor, an athlete, a mountaineer, a nurse, and a journalist. A swimming pool (formerly known as Saint-Merri) on Rue du Renard (Paris City Center) is named after her. Completely renovated in 2019, it features a 25-meter stainless-steel pool, giving it a very contemporary feel.
Georges-Vallerey, the Olympian
Its 50-meter pool is a favorite among Parisian swimmers. Built for the 1924 Summer Olympics, the Georges Vallerey Pool (20th arrondissement) was then known as the Piscine des Tourelles. It was here that swimmer Johnny Weissmuller made history by winning four medals, including three golds, at the 1924 Games.
As soon as the warm weather arrives, the pool’s retractable roof allows swimmers to enjoy the outdoors. Between 1986 and 1989, the building’s renovation added this huge retractable roof, which delights swimmers in the summer. The complex includes an Olympic-sized pool (50 m x 21 m), which can be divided into two 25-meter pools (or a 37.5-meter pool and a 12.5-meter pool) using a movable partition.
It can host swimming and water polo competitions and has bleachers with a capacity of 1,500 spectators.
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