France · lake bathing waters
Lake swimming in France: 2025 water quality
France reported 845 lake bathing waters for the 2025 season. 86.7% were classified Excellent — 12.3 points above the 74.4% for all 3,378 bathing waters in the country — and 15 were Poor. 504 sites have been Excellent in every season from 2015 to 2025. Among the 19 countries with at least 30 lake bathing waters, France ranks 9 by Excellent share.
845
lake bathing waters
86.7%
Excellent in 2025
15
Poor in 2025
Annual, not live: the 2025 class summarises several seasons of sampling. It does not show today’s pollution, algae or bans.
Find the nearest Excellent lake to you →
Map of lake bathing waters
Excellent 733Good 50Sufficient 13Poor 15Not classified 34
How lake bathing waters in France rated since 2015
Counts for the sites in today’s 2025 inventory; the Excellent share is calculated over classified sites only.
| Season | Classified | Excellent | Excellent share | Poor |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 811 | 733 | 90.4% | 15 |
| 2024 | 804 | 714 | 88.8% | 14 |
| 2023 | 793 | 713 | 89.9% | 14 |
| 2022 | 794 | 725 | 91.3% | 10 |
| 2021 | 785 | 709 | 90.3% | 13 |
| 2020 | 771 | 707 | 91.7% | 11 |
| 2019 | 777 | 706 | 90.9% | 10 |
| 2018 | 765 | 701 | 91.6% | 8 |
| 2017 | 754 | 689 | 91.4% | 4 |
| 2016 | 749 | 688 | 91.9% | 3 |
| 2015 | 742 | 672 | 90.6% | 4 |
Most consistent Excellent lakes
504 sites were Excellent in all eleven seasons. Ordered by the length of the unbroken Excellent run ending in 2025; the first 60 are shown.
- 1 LAC 11 seasons
- 3 LAC - LAC DES PEUPLIERS 11 seasons
- A.S.P.T.T 11 seasons
- AIR FRANCE 11 seasons
- ALLEVARD - LAC DE LA MIRANDE 11 seasons
- ANCIENNE ROUTE DES SALLES 11 seasons
- ANNECY IMPERIAL 11 seasons
- ANNECY LES MARQUISATS 11 seasons
- ANNECY-LE-VIEUX ALBIGNY 11 seasons
- ANTHY RECORTS - MUNICIPALE 11 seasons
- ANTHY SECHEX 11 seasons
- AR LANN VRAS 11 seasons
- AU DROIT DES DEUX CAMPINGS 11 seasons
- AUPHELLE 11 seasons
- BAIE DE LA SAUNA 11 seasons
- BAIGNADE DE CHAMPAGNAC ETANG PREVOT 11 seasons
- BAIGNADE DE POINT FOLLE 11 seasons
- BAIGNADE DU LAC - PLAGE 11 seasons
- BAIGNADE LA BALLASTIERE BISCHHEIM 11 seasons
- BAIGNADE LA CLAIRIERE 11 seasons
- BAIGNADE LA HARDT BRUMATH 11 seasons
- BAIGNADE LE DOMAINE 11 seasons
- BAIGNADE MUNICIPALE BENFELD 11 seasons
- BAIGNADE MUNICIPALE DU CAMPING DU LAC D'ERSTEIN 11 seasons
- BAIGNADE MUNICIPALE HUSACKER HUTTENHEIM 11 seasons
- BAIGNADE MUNICIPALE LES MOUETTES LAUTERBOURG 11 seasons
- BAIGNADE MUNICIPALE WITTISHEIM 11 seasons
- BAIGNADE PRES DES ROCHES 11 seasons
- BALLASTIERES DE CHAMPAGNEY 11 seasons
- BARRAGE DE LA GIMONE 11 seasons
- BARRAGE DE LA ROUCARIE 11 seasons
- BARRAGE DE NAUSSAC - PLAN D'EAU DU MAS D'ARMAND 11 seasons
- BARRAGE DE VILLEFORT 11 seasons
- BARRAGE LAVALETTE 11 seasons
- BASE DE L'UNION NAUTIQUE 11 seasons
- BASE DE LOISIRS ACTIVITAL 11 seasons
- BASE DE LOISIRS D'ARC SUR TILLE 11 seasons
- BASE DE LOISIRS DES ETANGS DE HOLLANDE 11 seasons
- BASE DE LOISIRS DU COL VERT 11 seasons
- BASE DE LOISIRS DU LAC DE LA MOSELOTTE 11 seasons
- BASE DE LOISIRS MESNIL SS JUMIEGES 11 seasons
- BASE DE LOISIRS TOURVILLE LA RIVIERE BEDANNE 11 seasons
- BASE DE LOISIRS VITTEFLEUR LAC DE CANIEL 11 seasons
- BASE NAUTIQUE 11 seasons
- BASE NAUTIQUE 11 seasons
- BASE NAUTIQUE DE COLMAR HOUSSEN 11 seasons
- BAYE 11 seasons
- BEAU RIVAGE 11 seasons
- BEAU VALLON 11 seasons
- BELLECIN - LAC DE VOUGLANS 11 seasons
- BOIRE DE COURNON 11 seasons
- BOMBANNES 11 seasons
- BONNU 11 seasons
- BOURG EN BRESSE - PLAN D'EAU DU PARC DE LOISIRS DE BOUVENT 11 seasons
- BOUT DU LAC LE LIDO 11 seasons
- BRIONNE BAIGNADE MUNICIPALE 11 seasons
- BROUSSAS 11 seasons
- C.A.S 11 seasons
- C.Y.V.P 11 seasons
- CALEDE 11 seasons
Lakes rated Poor in 2025
- ARFEUILLE Poor in 1 of 11 classified seasons
- BAIGNADE AMENAGEE LAC DE BADECH BAGNERES DE LUCHON Poor in 1 of 1 classified seasons
- BAIGNADE LAC BARON DESQUEYROUX Poor in 4 of 11 classified seasons
- BOIS-LE-ROI - BASE RÉGIONALE DE LOISIRS Poor in 1 of 11 classified seasons
- ETANG D'ISLE Poor in 5 of 10 classified seasons
- ETANG DE BERLANGE (WOIPPY PLAGE) Poor in 4 of 11 classified seasons
- ETANG DE NEUF FONT (GRDE PLAGE) Poor in 2 of 8 classified seasons
- ETANG DE ST-BONNET Poor in 4 of 11 classified seasons
- L'ABEILLE Poor in 1 of 7 classified seasons
- LAC BOIS DIABLE Poor in 9 of 11 classified seasons
- PLAN D'EAU DE CUNLHAT Poor in 3 of 11 classified seasons
- PLAN D'EAU DE GRANDRIEU Poor in 4 of 10 classified seasons
- PLAN D'EAU DE L'ARCHE Poor in 1 of 11 classified seasons
- PLAN D'EAU DE LA BARBOTINE Poor in 8 of 11 classified seasons
- PLAN D'EAU DE SERVANT Poor in 3 of 11 classified seasons
Changes from 2024 to 2025
Improved (35)
- PLAN D'EAU DE CHANTENAY VILLEDIEU Poor → Good
- PLAN D'EAU DU BOULOC Poor → Good
- BAIGNADE DE LA CHESNAIE Good → Excellent
- BAIGNADE L'ETANG DE GERSTHEIM Good → Excellent
- BAIGNADE LAC DE LA THESAUQUE Good → Excellent
- BAIGNADE MUNICIPALE NEUBILTZ REICHSTETT Poor → Sufficient
- BARRAGE DE GANIVET Good → Excellent
- BASE NAUTIQUE LONGUEIL Good → Excellent
Declined (25)
- BASE DE LOISIRS DU MARAIS Excellent → Sufficient
- BOIS-LE-ROI - BASE RÉGIONALE DE LOISIRS Good → Poor
- ETANG DE ST-BONNET Good → Poor
- L'ABEILLE Good → Poor
- MONCONTOUR - PLAN D'EAU DU GRAND MAGNE (LA DIVE) Excellent → Sufficient
- PLAN D'EAU DE L'ARCHE Good → Poor
- RETENUE DU CORONG Excellent → Sufficient
- ARFEUILLE Sufficient → Poor
Lake bathing waters by region
| Region | Sites | Excellent | Poor |
|---|---|---|---|
| Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes | 209 | 88.5% | 3 |
| Nouvelle-Aquitaine | 159 | 84.3% | 4 |
| Occitanie | 110 | 86.4% | 2 |
| Grand Est | 87 | 82.8% | 1 |
| Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur | 82 | 91.5% | 0 |
| Bourgogne-Franche-Comté | 57 | 93% | 0 |
| Pays de la Loire | 47 | 85.1% | 1 |
| Centre-Val de Loire | 33 | 87.9% | 1 |
| Brittany | 24 | 87.5% | 0 |
| Île-de-France | 12 | 75% | 1 |
| Normandy | 12 | 100% | 0 |
| Hauts-de-France | 12 | 66.7% | 1 |
Regions with at least three lake bathing waters; counts include only this water type.
Near which major cities?
Sites within 60 km (straight line) of a major city covered by our city guides:
- Geneva 75 lake bathing waters within 60 km
- Bordeaux 23 lake bathing waters within 60 km
- Lyon 16 lake bathing waters within 60 km
- Paris 11 lake bathing waters within 60 km
- Nice 8 lake bathing waters within 60 km
- Marseille 4 lake bathing waters within 60 km
Lakes compared across Europe
| # | Country | Sites | Excellent | Poor |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Austria | 254 | 96.9% | 1 |
| 2 | Finland | 211 | 95.7% | 0 |
| 3 | Denmark | 123 | 94.3% | 0 |
| 4 | Germany | 1,893 | 91.8% | 3 |
| 5 | Lithuania | 80 | 91.3% | 0 |
| 6 | Czechia | 62 | 90.3% | 0 |
| 7 | Portugal | 49 | 89.8% | 1 |
| 8 | Italy | 673 | 88.4% | 5 |
| 9 | France | 845 | 86.7% | 15 |
| 10 | Switzerland | 135 | 86.7% | 4 |
| 11 | Sweden | 210 | 82.4% | 6 |
| 12 | Estonia | 30 | 80% | 0 |
| 13 | Spain | 109 | 79.8% | 4 |
| 14 | Belgium | 77 | 79.2% | 1 |
| 15 | Netherlands | 587 | 70.5% | 26 |
| 16 | Slovakia | 40 | 70% | 0 |
| 17 | Hungary | 247 | 69.6% | 3 |
| 18 | Croatia | 34 | 67.6% | 0 |
| 19 | Poland | 489 | 60.1% | 5 |
Countries with at least 30 lake bathing waters. Networks differ in size and in how sites are designated, so this is a descriptive comparison, not a safety ranking.
Quick answers
- How many lake bathing waters in France are rated Excellent?
- 733 of 845 (86.7%) in the 2025 EEA classification.
- Which lakes in France have the best long-term record?
- 504 sites were Excellent in every season from 2015 to 2025, for example 1 LAC, 3 LAC - LAC DES PEUPLIERS, A.S.P.T.T. See the full list.
- Can I check current conditions?
- The annual class is not a live status. Current results and bans are published on baignades.sante.gouv.fr. Each site page on BathingWaterFinder also shows a weather forecast, including heavy-rain warnings.
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