Like an old-ship, this old pre-ww2 pool is kept alive with some new paint every now and again,…read moremasking the fact that this little gem is overdue for a big overhaul and a Trip to the 21st century. The old industrial-hall-style Building undoubtedly has it´s Charme and they try their best to keep it clean (apart from the roof windows), but there is no hiding the fact that everything is just very old. I don´t see why this pool is more expensive than the others in Paris, as you are not exactly getting more for your money. What you get more of, is inconvenience (like waiting for the man to go around and open your dressing-booth, lots of stairs, blow-dryers not at the exit) and a public swimming-pool that is in no way Handicapped-accessible. Opening hours during school-weeks are also not very consumer-friendly. 1 hour 15 minutes they open some days around noon and still expect you to pay 4 Euro 80. And that´s just not worth it. But it´s different and if you want different, Pontoise is for you. The only authentical 1940ies bathing-experience that I know of ...

Delightful art deco 33m pool in Paris. Remember to take a bathing hat!…read moreSo pleased to have found this large, airy pool in Paris! 4.50 Euro per visit, with very complicated opening hours in between school use, so check times before going. After buying a ticket, you go upstairs and enter the 'no outdoor shoes area' where an unsmiling member of staff will snatch the ticket from your hand, and point you towards one of the individual cubicles which encircle the pool on two floors, in which to change. After changing you leave all your things locked in this personal cubicle, pulling the door shut behind you. Next - the 'obligatoire' (obligatory) shower (with your swimsuit on, even though it is a single sex shower) before entering the pool. Gentlemen please note bermudas are not allowed, and you too need to wear a bathing hat, even if you are bald. The water temperature is spot on, and the pool is not too crowded especially in the mornings. The lane discipline can be a bit lacking, with dawdlers kicking along with a float in the same lane as tanned speed kings churning past in a high velocity front crawl, nearly missing a plump granny doing slow but steady breast stroke, but amazingly it never seems to come to blows. Afterwards, return for another bizarre shower in your swimsuit, and then wait for the still-unsmiling attendant to come and open your cubicle to get dressed again. All in all, a wonderful pool, a delightful swim and I just wish they had something like this in London. Convenient Velib parking spot down the other end of the street. Perfect.

Located underneath the Marché Saint-Germain, you will find Piscine Saint-Germain after walking down…read moresome Stairs on the south side of the Market. In the Entrance Hall you are greeted by an old certificate stating that this was the best swimming pool in all of Paris - in 1997. So while during all the time since then, Prince William had the chance to go from small boy, grow into a man, lose a lot of his hair, become a helicopter pilot, marry and father two children - I recon Piscine Saint-Germain hasn't changed that much in 18 years. Or to spell this out for those not getting it: Signs, plaques etc that say "we were great once" are always a worry - be it at a restaurant, hotel or a swimming-pool. 18 year old Glory is worth nothing today, what counts now is now. Someone should take these signs down and but one up that says "we wanna be the best pool in Paris again - in 2020". But this review is starting to sound more negative than I actually mean it. Piscine Saint-Germain is a decent small basement pool (one 25 Meter Basin). It was clean when I was there, the people working there were very friendly and despite being a pool without any natural light - it isn´t one bit dark or depressing in there. So they are getting the basics right. Negatives: While the Building and basin is in decent shape generally, the toilets are not up to standard and the shower area definitely has seen better days. There are not many individual changing cabins. I am not a big fan of the decor (nor the dolphin-paintings in the changing cabins), but it could be worse. Another thing that has struck me as odd was the disclaimer of liability in case of theft. Piscine Saint-Germain doesn´t have lockers, but a wardrobe check where you deposit your clothes with an employee. Now, how can my belongings be stolen while behind a counter, guarded by a member of the staff? I am not making accusations (again, the staff at Piscine Saint-Germain were very nice) - but if my belongings would be stolen while in personal care like that and those running the pool think that they are not responsible in such a case - I think I would prefer to just have a simple locker with a key.

Decent pool for swimming laps. 3 Euros. Have to give your shoes and belongings to an attendant…read morewho safeguards it while you swim. I would suggest not bringing your valuables. Times inconvenient and there is usually a line waiting for people to get in. Pool closes fifteen minutes before the stated time, why, I have no idea. Please do not wear shoes into the locker room. You WILL be chased down and reprimanded in French. Showers mandatory. Men must wear the Speedo kind of suit, women can wear a two piece. Swim caps mandatory. There is a vending machine that sells swim suits and other necessities if you forget something. The French have no swim etiquette so be prepared. It's more of a cultural endeavor than a workout. It's still worth it if you want to swim some laps but just know it's a thoroughly French experience.

great pool, clean, bright, spacious, not crowded during week ends…read moreone of the best in Paris for a work out

Hands down, the best small 25m Meter Pool in Paris (75). It makes most other Public Pools in Town…read morelook even worse. Build (or rather completed) 2014 in a rather wealthy part of town, the whole 'centre sportif beaujon' (also features indoor wall-climbing!) is still very new so the pool is absolutely modern and up to standard. There are two basins, both stainless-steel, one 25x12 Meters and the other 12x10. The small one is very shallow, warm and equipped with water jets for massage in different heights and intensities. Also some underwater seats and lounge-chairs - again with water jets for massage. The pool has big windows on two sides (one towards the south) and in Summer you can even step outside a bit for some fresh air and some Sun. Showers are visible from the pool (which is good in terms of hygiene because the Lifeguards can check that everybody takes a shower before getting into the water) , but there are also two lockable shower-cabins for those who like their privacy. Cleanliness was good when I was there despite the pool being quite full, the staff was friendly and the changing cabins are decent in size. A couple of showers were broken when I was there, but at least they were marked as being broken - in other parisian public pools it is usually up to you find out which ones work and which not. I call it shower bingo and there usually are no winners in this game. Negatives? For frequent swimmers like myself any 25 Meter basin is too short to get some decent milage done - but for what it is - Piscine Beaujon it is quite perfect.

Almost 2 years after my first review and a couple of visits later, I am downgrading Piscine Butte…read moreaux Cailles to mediocre. Another Public swimming pool that is slipping because it does not get the TLC it needs and that the customers deserve. And it really is a shame because this pool is one of the better and more interesting ones the french Capitol has to offer. The cleanliness isn't as good as it was before. Grime and mold are taking over the showers which are in dire need of a deep clean. The changing cabins need their walls cleaned (tiles, you could just hose then down, but apparently that isn't done) and the "blind corners" behind the doors cleaned. Broken locks from the changing cabins don´t seem to get fixed so there seem to be fewer and fewer lockable changing cabins with each visit. Toilets were disgustingly dirty and smelly like they haven´t been cleaned in days. Many of the positive things I wrote about are still there and - but I am afraid that is being pushed more into the background when the showers are disgusting and you see that this place is being neglected this way.

From the owner: L'une des plus anciennes piscines de Paris Bassin intérieur de 33m X 12mDeux bassins extérieurs de…read more25m X 12,5 et 12m X 6mTerrasse, solarium, tables de ping-pongAquagymCours de plongée

Finally got to visit this (last) one, Piscine Emile Anthoine in the 15th Arrondisment - almost next…read moreto the Eiffel Tower. They took their sweet time to renovate this one. I moved to Paris in 2014 and back then this public swimming pool had already been closed and it stayed closed for over 6 years in total. So 6 years - you'd think they've redone everything, right? Transformed it completly? Not exactly. And I don't want to sound like I dislike Piscine Emile Anthoine - it's just that they don't really have much to show for 6 years of work. This is still a 1960ies concrete building that hasn't changed much. Sure, the tiles are new, the basins are made from stainless steel now, and the pool is now handicapped accessible with a lift - but the whole pool hasn't really changed. It's still an old-school Parisian swimming pool - for swimming, not for pleasure. And I expected more for 6 years of work. I know some brand new, modern swimming pools that have been build in 2 or 2,5 years from scratch and they offer a wide variety of activities for everyone. Piscine Emile Anthoine on the other hand - is just for swimming (and the occasional Aquagym or swimming lessons). And personally I just use swimming pools for swimming - so that's fine - but I was just expecting more after 6 years. But enough ranting, more reviewing: Staff was friendly, everything was relatively clean, everything worked. Changing cabins are relatively spacious and there there are shower-gel distributors in the mixed showers (so take the hint, Parisians: shower BEFORE you swim - just like it says on the signs). The highlight of this pool is of course the close-up view of the Eiffel Tower while you are swimming. The pool hall has big windows on 3 sides and while 2 of those only show you trees and bushes - the 3rd one gives you that Eiffel Tower view. There is also a sun-deck facing the Eiffel Tower where you can sit on some lounge chairs and enjoy said view. Only small negatives about the pool hall is that it is a rather charmeless concrete hall-type building. On the cloudy day that I was there, I was also thinking that they could have installed more artificial light in there. Practical stuff: For the Lockers you will need a 1€ piece. You need to wear a swim-cap and wide boxer-short type swimwear is forbidden. There is a vending maschine at the entrance where you can buy stuff like swim caps. The regular entrance fee is 3€50 at the time of writing.

From the owner: Stade sous la Tour Eiffel Ce centre sportif a pour particularité d'être situé aux pieds de la Tour…read moreEiffel. Doté d'un grand stade et d'une piscine, le centre possède également de nombreuses salles de sports.

Basement Pool (more or less) underneath Tour Montparnasse. Three Basins, a shallow one, a 25 meter…read morelong "mixed" one and a 33 Meter Pool just for swimming (no shallow End/Side). The Pool-area and the Basins itself are in pretty good shape. Positive is also, that on days with bad weather you can enter the Pool-building without stepping outside if you arrive with the Metro since the entrance is right next to one of the Metro-exits. Negatives are that there is no sunlight (it is a basement-pool - but I found it quite dark in there- could use more light), the state of the showers and changing rooms. For such a big pool, the shower is very small so that sometimes I had to wait some miniutes untill there is a shower free. Showers and changing- rooms were also rather dirty when I was there. The changing rooms are also a bad joke, size-wise. They are much too small and low. A lot of the taller people I saw don´t even try using them and get dressed at the lockers.

Simplement terrible! Ce piscine a été construit par quelqu'un qui déteste des nageurs…read more 1) Men and women have to share the dressing room and the open-floor showers, there is not a single shower where you can shower privately and take off your swimsuit. How are people expected to wash their bodies after swimming? Is everyone supposed to strip in public or go home unclean? Also, the showers have only one temperature, and it's barely lukewarm. 2) The larger of the three pools, which seems to be reserved for lap swimming, is just too deep to stand at any point in the pool, so you cannot rest at the end of the lane. Also good luck doing anything that requires two hands, such as adjusting your goggles or drinking out of a screw-cap water bottle. There is not even a ledge anywhere! 3) Hand paddles are prohibited. 4) It was way too crowded around noon - parisians either don't work, or all go swimming during lunch break. What's worse is that lanes were not marked for speed, therefore it was basically impossible to swim in any lane at any speed. 5) The only few reasons this pool deserves the one star are: the actual pool looked clean, the lockers are free and lock securely without a key, the pool allows and provides kick-boards. Now the question is - where to find a good pool in Paris?

Piscine Keller really has two faces of sorts. On the one hand there is the downstairs area with…read morechanging cabins, lockers and the showers - and everything is alright there. The Staff is friendly, there is always someone going around cleaning the changing cabins and the (money-less) lockers work. The pool is also one of the few really handicapped accessible public swimming pools in Paris. On the other Hand upstairs, there is the main basin and pool hall which are in very bad shape overall. This whole area has a real problem with mold and water entry from the roof. The basin has a lot of broken tiles on the sides that you could even cut yourself on. Under water the whole basin also looks like a patchwork-rug of tiles. It´s quite shocking to see as Paris has a lot of pools that are much older than Piscine Keller (opened 1967, last big renovation 2008), but few have a main basin in such a bad shape and over the time that I've been a regular there, it´s only gotten worse. It really is a shame because Piscine Keller with it´s 2 basins (one is 50 Meters in length) and retractable roof could be a really awesome public pool. As it is, it´s mediocre at best.

The pool is big so that's nice. It's very dirty though, there was lots of hair and many people…read morewere not wearing bonnets. There was mucus as well yukk..and a plastic wrapper in the water. I had an incident with a rude lady that screamed at me twice and I can't for the life of me think why. She hit me twice while swimming and I didn't say anything :( The young girl at the reception was very very nice and helpful and she spoke English. The building is HUGE..I actually got lost and it took sometime to find the pool! The changing rooms had two doors one on each side and the lock is hidden at the bottom. I didn't even notice it till someone opened one of the doors of my changing room. It's bizarre. I won't go there again.

Recently completely renovated (re-opend 2014), this 50 Meter Pool in the les Halles complex will be…read moreonly one thing when you go there for the first time: hard to find. Right now (Summer 2015) during the constructions, you want to be heading for the entrance of the UGC Cinema, Sortie Porte du Louvre and search for the very few signs. I´ll be honest: I was walking around for 10 Minutes like an Idiot and I´ve been in Les Halles a couple of times before that. Don´t give up if you cannot find it straight away, it does exist. Showers and changing rooms are separated for men and women, but the showers are not separated from the pool, which is a bit odd, but I didn´t mind. Speaking of odd - the basin is an odd one too. (claimed) 80cm at one End, 1 Meter 60 at the other and bang in the middle of the pool there is a trench of 1 Meter 80+ depth. Lanes are specifically assigned to certain swimming speeds - something that is seen as merely a suggestion for the swimmers as (perceived) Olympic gold medallists see no problem swimming in the "slow" lane, while the lane for the really fast swimmers is occupied by floaters who let the current carry them to the other side of the basin. But this is pretty much the same everywhere in Paris. Positive: Despite being a basement-pool, the windows let a lot of natural light in on a sunny day. Staff was really friendly and everything was in good condition and clean. I personally don´t mind paying more for this pool than for most of the others in Paris (4,50€ instead of the more common 3€) since it was really clean and new. Negatives: Only pool with hairdryers you have to pay for (20 cent) that I´ve ever seen. Not only in Paris, but anywhere in Europe. In one Word: Ridiculous. Also concerning money: If you buy a Card for 10 entrances, they demand a 5€ security deposit for the card. These cards literally cost a couple of cents when you buy them in a big batch, a 5€ security deposit on something like that is either silly or a cash-grab. Basin very shallow at one end, I think the 80cm they claim is optimistic. Some of the changing cabins have holes in the walls, but since men and women are separated, that may not be such a big issue here.

It's huge clean and 5 Euros per visit. But a bit crowded. Some people have trouble finding it…read more 50 meters.

The Centre Aquatique is a three (or 4 when you count the whirlpool or "spa" as they call it) basin…read moreswimming pool in Neuilly-sur-Seine. One basin of 25 Meters for swimmers with no shallow end, one learners basin and a big mixed pool that also extends to the outside of the pool. One of the really great bits about this public-pool is the patch of green outside to relax and soak in some sun. A real small park with palm-trees is what they have outside once you climb down the stairs. I loved that part of the pool. Practical Info: Lockers work with code, bathing cap is only mandatory in the pool for swimmers not in the rest of the pool and surfer-short type swimwear is forbidden. Showers are separated for men and women. Negatives? Pool, showers and lockers weren't really clean when I was there - not filthy either, but my standard of cleanliness wasn´t meet. It´s not a charming pool on the inside and (despite being there on a sunny day) I found the pool-hall lacked light in some areas. Some small maintenance issues here and there, nothing major though. The tunnel between the exterior basin and the interior was closed. Bottom Line: I prefer the Public Pool in Boulogne-Billancourt. It´s cleaner, friendlier and offers most of what the Centre Aquatique has to offer at a cheaper price.