Europe’s beaches are cleaner than many people expect, as a survey of 22,000 bathing sites found 89% of coastal waters are excellent

Europe's coastal waters are remarkably clean, with 89% of bathing sites rated excellent according to a recent European Environment Agency report. Image Credit: Wikimedia CommonsMany of us picture the same things when we pack for a summer trip, whether to the Mediterranean or the Atlantic coast. Think the sound of the waves, the warmth of the sand between our toes and the cool, crystal-clear blue waters we gleefully plunge into. More often than not, our ideal vacation involves taking a well-earned break from our busy lives to recharge at one with the ocean – a tranquil retreat we can simply switch off and enjoy. It's easy to spend a whole summer without thinking about what may be in the water, while assuming the sea is safe and clean.But behind those sun-drenched holiday snaps lies a vast, ongoing operation to monitor the health of the coastal destinations we frequent. Many holidaymakers worry that their favourite public beaches may be affected by runoff from nearby cities or hidden pollution hotspots. And, indeed, all of the heavy tourism and overcrowding that surrounds these idyllic places will eventually take its toll, won’t it? It turns out that Europe's coastal waters are performing exceptionally well. Far from being damaged or polluted by us all, current data shows that our coastal waters are performing robustly, meeting the highest water standards yet again.A surprisingly clean overview of Europe's bathing shoresEnvironmental experts surveyed water samples across Europe for an entire season to assess how clean the bathing waters were. With more than 22,000 individual bathing waters analysed across every EU member state, plus the Balkan and Swiss regions, a comprehensive European bathing water quality in 2025 report compiled by the European Environment Agency looked thoroughly at several biological markers, such as E. coli, to establish whether water was truly safe for us to bathe in. What these results showed was that 89% of European coastal bathing waters were rated excellent.The strong quality across Europe is even more notable when compared with inland bathing waters. Because the ocean benefits from tidal flow and natural self-purification, while inland lakes and rivers are more exposed to short-term pollution from heavy rainfall and agricultural runoff, seaside bathing waters often provide a safer experience for families. In fact, in typical summer holiday spots such as Cyprus, Greece, Bulgaria and Croatia, between 95% and 100% of bathing waters met the top quality standards, and it looks as though a simple summer seaside vacation can provide every tourist with an impeccable safety standard to rely upon.Decades of strong environmental policies and investments in wastewater treatment have significantly improved water quality, ensuring safe and pristine beaches for millions of holidaymakers. This success story highlights the effectiveness of dedicated management in preserving our cherished seaside destinations. Image Credit: Wikimedia CommonsThe engineers and policies that are key to our beach daysNone of the high quality of our modern-day coastlines is by chance. As confirmed in the detailed European Environment Agency report, the high standards of bathing waters across Europe are a result of several decades of strong legal frameworks, along with significant investments and commitments made by local governments to update wastewater treatment plants and the coastal sewage systems in each location. This has helped reduce the transfer of contaminants from local cities into nearby rivers and coastlines.Following these legislative requirements means that coastal towns, villages and resorts have been dramatically altered in the day-to-day management of their shoreline and bathing waters. Local municipalities are now required to take water samples throughout the bathing season, and any failing site must immediately take corrective action. For hotels and tourist destinations located on our coastlines, maintaining a clean beach and swimming waters has become an essential economic factor as much as it is an environmental issue, and the report suggests that many European coastlines meet high bathing-water standards.