Seine-sational!

Thomas Cook celebrates Paris’s riverbanks opening to swimmers for a second summer with a special gift for holidaymakers.

Thomas Cook is making a splash this summer with discounted Paris city breaks using code SEINEANDSAVE on package holidays booked via the online travel agency’s website or app.

The flash sale, running until 11.59pm on Wednesday 22 July 2026, celebrates swimming's return to the Seine after a century-long ban was lifted following a billion-euro clean-up project for the 2024 Olympics. Not a swimmer? No problem, this offer covers all bookings to Paris.

The city has opened eleven supervised swimming areas across Paris during July and August, including three on the Seine, which are:

• Bercy (12th arrondissement), with its own urban beach and stunning views of the François-Mitterrand Library.
• Louis-Philippe (4th arrondissement) offers a postcard-perfect view over the historic heart of Paris.
• Bras de Grenelle (15th arrondissement), just opposite Île aux Cygnes and between the Eiffel Tower, features a solarium and a shallow pool, perfect for families and little swimmers.

Well-known sites including the Bassin de la Villette and the Canal Saint-Martin are also open to swimmers this summer.

All sites are free, supervised, and equipped with changing rooms, showers, and first-aid stations.

Of course, swimming in a river isn't quite the same as your hotel pool.

Here's what visitors need to know before taking the plunge:

• Swimming is authorised only within clearly marked zones during official opening hours, which are set daily based on water quality tests.
• Sites may close temporarily during heavy rainfall or severe weather, so always check the city portal before visiting.
• Children must be supervised at all times by a responsible adult, even in the presence of lifeguards.

Even if you’re not a keen swimmer, Paris has been keeping visitors busy long before anyone thought to take a dip in its rivers, so here are a few ideas:

• Of course, the obvious choice is to visit the Eiffel Tower, the Louvre and Notre-Dame, now fully restored following the 2019 fire.
• But why not also explore the covered passages of the 2nd arrondissement, Paris's best-kept secret, and gloriously cool in a heatwave?
• Take a sunset cruise along the Seine, and this summer you might spot swimmers doing the same.
• Hop on the metro to Montmartre for panoramic views, independent cafés and the stunning Sacré-Coeur basilica.

Nicholas Smith, Dynamic Packages Director at Thomas Cook said:

The Seine spent most of the last century as one of Europe's most polluted rivers, so the fact that tourists can now swim in it, for free, in the heart of the city, is incredible.

"This is one of those genuinely joyful travel stories that doesn't come along very often, and we wanted to mark it with something tangible.

"Paris has always been one of Europe's great cities, and this summer, it's got a whole new reason to visit."

Find out more about Thomas Cook's Seine-sational Paris promotion here, available until 23:59 on 22 July 2026.