Published on
06/07/2026 - 8:00 GMT+2
You can swim in the Spree River in Berlin, in the Parisian Seine, or in the Dutch Maas River because they qualify as safe bathing waters.
EU water legislation determines whether bathing water quality is classified as excellent, good, sufficient, or poor based on the level of faecal bacteria and pollutants.
The latest EU Bathing Water Report by the European Environmental Agency (2026) found that only 1.5 per cent of Europe’s water sites were in poor condition in 2025. 88 per cent of coastal waters were rated excellent compared with 78 per cent of lakes and rivers. Austria, Bulgaria, Cyprus, and Greece had the highest quality bathing waters, with over 95 per cent classified as excellent.
