Swimming in Paris?

Bring a real bathing suit. They won't let you in the pool in anything that looks like shorts even if they were bought in the bathing suit department. I spent 10 minutes arguing with a lifeguard in perefectly fluent french that my co-workers board shorts were actually a bathing suit, to no avail, the best they could do was refund him his entry fee. You might have to try a few pools before finding one you can actually swim in. One pool I tried had 50 people all swimming straight up and back, no circle swimming. They were all doing head up *** or bump-into-each-other free. The only thing I could do that day was use a kickboard for my entire workout. I forget the names of the pools and they weren't near where you're going to be anyway. They did have monthly passes which were a better deal than a daily pass. They have monthly passes for the metro too.

Perhaps I should have done a little more homework before posing this question. A little more sniffing around led me to the surprising fact that there's an iPhone app called Paris Piscines, which shows pools, dimensions, hours and price. Less clear how lap swim works, but I guess that's something for onsite investigation. Looks like there's a 25m pool nearby. So now, I'll adjust my question: anybody have any insights culturally speaking about pools in France? No-no's? (Ou non-nons?)

Thanks 200free! I appreciate the heads up. I expect to have to shop for a pool where swimming laps has useful norms.

Here you can find a list of clubs in Paris www.ffnatation.fr/.../structures.php Look for the "natation" square for swimming on the right. I see there is a Cercle du Marais, maybe not too far from your abode there. There is also a Paris Aquatique in the third Arrondissement. I suspect everything will be firmly shut down in July-August but it might be worth an email or a look at the web sites. 200 free is 100% right only speedos will do. I swam once in Versailles and they had lanes in pace for "fast" swimmers doing laps (breaststroke kicks not allowed). I guess each pool is different.

Here you can find a list of clubs in Paris www.ffnatation.fr/.../structures.php Look for the "natation" square for swimming on the right. I see there is a Cercle du Marais, maybe not too far from your abode there. There is also a Paris Aquatique in the third Arrondissement. I suspect everything will be firmly shut down in July-August but it might be worth an email or a look at the web sites. 200 free is 100% right only speedos will do. I swam once in Versailles and they had lanes in pace for "fast" swimmers doing laps (breaststroke kicks not allowed). I guess each pool is different.

I am envious. I haven't been to Paris in years, but yes, you might be surprised with the whole bathing suit thing. Make sure you have one you can wear there. If you're lucky you will just pass as a local and people will let you get on with your workout.

I'm suitably equipped with two jammers and a couple pairs of goggles. We'll see how this works out--I leave tomorrow, and will report what I find in the next week or so. The list of clubs was fascinating, including a "naturel" option to swim sans any suit at all! (No thanks.)

I am about to head to Paris for two months. (I know, I know, rough duty.) Staying in the Marais district, 4th Arrondissement. Have never been. Has anyone ever swum in Paris? I don't really need Masters' workouts, as I swim alone mostly. Just need access to pool for workout purposes. Eager for insights if you got 'em. Thanks! As a competitive swimmer who lived in Paris for three years, I can tell you that attempting to practice as a fairly advanced swimmer is a tremendous challenge. Paris has a deceptively long list of pools, but pretty much each one is only open at certain hours of the day (for example, 7-8 AM, 12-1 PM, 7-9 PM) which means that everyone is piling in to the pool at the same time. Add to this the fact that many Parisians apparently enjoy a leisurely swim workout (mostly dry-hair breaststroke with a kick that spans the entire width of the lane), so the pools can get extremely crowded. In particular, I'd avoid the pool in the St. Germain district which is nearly impossible to swim in. Lane etiquette is also something to watch out for. In Paris, people who are resting at the wall normally tend to wait until you approach - and then they push off to start swimming. This can be annoying and detrimental to your workout if you swim more than 25 meters at a time. People will also get aggressive if you do flipturns while they are waiting at the wall. They often refuse to let you have some room at the wall to continue your set. It can also be difficult to pass slower swimmers due to the number of other people in your lane - I finally started swimming underneath of them to pass when I could. Another potential culture shock could be that some pools have co-ed showers. Most of the pools also have co-ed locker rooms but you have your own private changing room. After you change into your suit and get ready to head to the pool, you will have to step through a mini-pool of standing water for "sanitation" purposes. The water is apparently chlorinated, but the number of people dipping their feet in the same pool of water, chlorinated or not, makes me question the original hygienic purpose of having it there in the first place! After putting up with this for awhile, I finally decided to join a swim team. It wasn't perfect, but there were less people in the pool and I was lucky enough to be able to do my own workouts. You might be able to temporarily join a team for the two months that you are there. Here's a list of the clubs in Paris: paris.ffnatation.fr/.../annuaire.php I would recommend visiting a few pools and figuring out which ones are least crowded, and which would work for you. Other than the difficult swimming scene, Paris is a lovely city that I enjoy returning to as often as I can! If you're in the Marais, I recommend Etamine Cafe - delicious food and very friendly service :) Enjoy your time in the city! Julia Galan www.swimspire.com

It's not Paris, but if you should find yourself down in Montpellier definitely seek out the 50m pool there. It's a beautiful pool with lots of open swim hours. And while the swimmers were pretty slow, there was plenty of room to pass and people were polite about it.

As a competitive swimmer who lived in Paris for three years, I can tell you that attempting to practice as a fairly advanced swimmer is a tremendous challenge. ..... Enjoy your time in the city! Great tips! (although... when I saw a new post here I thought it was the OP who had just returned from his 2-month trip to Paris to tell us his/her swimming experience there.:) I once watched through glass window a swimming pool in the basement of Centre Pompidou, Les Halles on a weekend and was appalled by how crowded it was. Totally impossible for a serious swimmer.