Six 'Blue Flag' outdoor swimming spots within easy reach of Paris
Summer has very definitely arrived in France and if you are looking to swim outdoors there are some great spots within easy reach of Paris that have the official "Blue Flag" award.
It’s the sort of weather that brings out the desire to leave the city behind, head somewhere green where - maybe - there’s a lake to while away a lazy few hours swimming, sunbathing and recharging those batteries before returning to the hustle and bustle of the capital.
The Blue Flag 2022 label has been awarded to 536 sites in France, including 419 beaches across 197 municipalities and 117 marinas.
In order to qualify for a Blue Flag, stringent environmental, educational, safety, and accessibility criteria must be met and maintained. The flag guarantees clean beaches and marinas, excellent quality bathing water, and demonstrable efforts towards sustainable tourism and environmental awareness actions.
In the beach category, the label was awarded to the Base de Loisirs de Souppes-sur-Loing, in the south of Seine-et-Marne, which has consistently been awarded Blue Flag status since 2003.
https://youtu.be/-xX7oEa7F1M
The site offers a bathing area equipped with toilets, games for children, a nautical technical site and scuba diving training. About 38,000 people visit the leisure base each year, during the summer season.
Port de plaisance de Port de l'Ilon and port de plaisance de l’Isle Adam have also been awarded Blue Flag status this year.
Here are five other outdoor swimming venues within day-trip travel of Paris.
Ile de loisirs de Jablines-Annet, Seine-et-Marne
https://youtu.be/ysGocNNsDEw
The lake at Jablines-Annet has two white sand beaches where swimming is supervised on the last two weekends of May and Ascension Thursday, and daily from June 1st to August 31st. Pedalos are available to hire, and water-skiing and a sailing school is open. On-land activities include mountain biking, mini-golf, archery, and tennis.
l’Île de Loisirs de Vaires-Torcy, Seine-et-Marne
https://youtu.be/PE4o6z8T-I4
Just 30 minutes from Paris in a car, the île de Loisirs de Vaires-Torcy offers numerous activities, including swimming, rowing, catamaran, canoeing, and paddleboarding. There is, for example, a nine-hole golf course; tennis, squash, and badminton courts; pony trekking.
Entry to the beach, between 10am and 7pm, costs €5.50 for adults, and €3.60 for children aged 3-11. Entry to the aquapark is extra.
Île de loisirs de Cergy-Pontoise, Val d’Oise
https://youtu.be/kDhuoSFjP3A
A lake, an aquapark, rafting and waterskiing, kayak and paddleboarding, an accrobranche, archery and a whole host of outdoor activities on offer on the border of Val d’Oise and Yvelines.
Les étangs de Hollande, Yvelines
https://youtu.be/KjJ6MkPZzyY
In the Haute Vallée de Chevreuse Regional Nature Park, the étangs de Hollande, are a series of artificial ponds created on the orders of Louis XIV to supply the fountains of the Palace of Versailles. Today, it is the ideal setting for relaxing and enjoying a getaway surrounded by nature. About an hour from Paris by car, there’s a beach with supervised swimming, mini golf, beach-volley, picnic areas, pedalo, canoe and boat rental. Open Wednesdays and weekends in May, daily from June 1 to September 5. Entry starts at €5.20 for adults and €3.60 for children, with activities extra.
l’Ile de loisirs de Bois-le-Roi, Seine-et-Marne
https://youtu.be/3W0KKZoaohE
Some 50km south of the capital, the île de loisirs de Bois-le-Roi on the fringes of the forêt de Fontainebleau has the advantage of being free to enter - and is open year round between 9am and 9pm. There’s also no charge for anyone wanting to swim, while visitors can also enjoy golf, tennis and a number of other activities, for a fee.
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It’s the sort of weather that brings out the desire to leave the city behind, head somewhere green where - maybe - there’s a lake to while away a lazy few hours swimming, sunbathing and recharging those batteries before returning to the hustle and bustle of the capital.
The Blue Flag 2022 label has been awarded to 536 sites in France, including 419 beaches across 197 municipalities and 117 marinas.
In order to qualify for a Blue Flag, stringent environmental, educational, safety, and accessibility criteria must be met and maintained. The flag guarantees clean beaches and marinas, excellent quality bathing water, and demonstrable efforts towards sustainable tourism and environmental awareness actions.
In the beach category, the label was awarded to the Base de Loisirs de Souppes-sur-Loing, in the south of Seine-et-Marne, which has consistently been awarded Blue Flag status since 2003.
https://youtu.be/-xX7oEa7F1M
The site offers a bathing area equipped with toilets, games for children, a nautical technical site and scuba diving training. About 38,000 people visit the leisure base each year, during the summer season.
Port de plaisance de Port de l'Ilon and port de plaisance de l’Isle Adam have also been awarded Blue Flag status this year.
Here are five other outdoor swimming venues within day-trip travel of Paris.
Ile de loisirs de Jablines-Annet, Seine-et-Marne
https://youtu.be/ysGocNNsDEw
The lake at Jablines-Annet has two white sand beaches where swimming is supervised on the last two weekends of May and Ascension Thursday, and daily from June 1st to August 31st. Pedalos are available to hire, and water-skiing and a sailing school is open. On-land activities include mountain biking, mini-golf, archery, and tennis.
l’Île de Loisirs de Vaires-Torcy, Seine-et-Marne
https://youtu.be/PE4o6z8T-I4
Just 30 minutes from Paris in a car, the île de Loisirs de Vaires-Torcy offers numerous activities, including swimming, rowing, catamaran, canoeing, and paddleboarding. There is, for example, a nine-hole golf course; tennis, squash, and badminton courts; pony trekking.
Entry to the beach, between 10am and 7pm, costs €5.50 for adults, and €3.60 for children aged 3-11. Entry to the aquapark is extra.
Île de loisirs de Cergy-Pontoise, Val d’Oise
https://youtu.be/kDhuoSFjP3A
A lake, an aquapark, rafting and waterskiing, kayak and paddleboarding, an accrobranche, archery and a whole host of outdoor activities on offer on the border of Val d’Oise and Yvelines.
Les étangs de Hollande, Yvelines
https://youtu.be/KjJ6MkPZzyY
In the Haute Vallée de Chevreuse Regional Nature Park, the étangs de Hollande, are a series of artificial ponds created on the orders of Louis XIV to supply the fountains of the Palace of Versailles. Today, it is the ideal setting for relaxing and enjoying a getaway surrounded by nature. About an hour from Paris by car, there’s a beach with supervised swimming, mini golf, beach-volley, picnic areas, pedalo, canoe and boat rental. Open Wednesdays and weekends in May, daily from June 1 to September 5. Entry starts at €5.20 for adults and €3.60 for children, with activities extra.
l’Ile de loisirs de Bois-le-Roi, Seine-et-Marne
https://youtu.be/3W0KKZoaohE
Some 50km south of the capital, the île de loisirs de Bois-le-Roi on the fringes of the forêt de Fontainebleau has the advantage of being free to enter - and is open year round between 9am and 9pm. There’s also no charge for anyone wanting to swim, while visitors can also enjoy golf, tennis and a number of other activities, for a fee.
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