Bathing water quality in Normandy, France

Normandy has 161 official bathing waters in the EEA dataset for the 2025 season (149 coastal and 12 lake). 66.5% were classified Excellent — 7.9 points below the 74.4% across France — and 5 were Poor. By department, the Excellent share is highest in Eure (100% of 5) and lowest in Calvados (52.6% of 38). 59 sites have been Excellent in every season from 2015 to 2025.

Map of official bathing waters in Normandy

Normandy by department

Sites are placed in the Eurostat NUTS 3 departments that contain their reported coordinates.

Sea, lakes and rivers in Normandy

Coastal waters are assessed against stricter bacterial limits than lakes and rivers but are diluted far more; see how the classes are calculated.

Most consistent Excellent sites

59 sites were Excellent in all eleven seasons. Ordered by the length of the unbroken Excellent run ending in 2025; the first 24 are shown and every site is in the full list below.

1. ANSE DE JONVILLE 11 seasons · Manche
2. ANSE DE LA MONDREE 11 seasons · Manche
3. BASE DE LOISIRS MESNIL SS JUMIEGES 11 seasons · Seine-Maritime
4. BASE DE LOISIRS TOURVILLE LA RIVIERE BEDANNE 11 seasons · Seine-Maritime
5. BASE DE LOISIRS VITTEFLEUR LAC DE CANIEL 11 seasons · Seine-Maritime
6. BRECHE DE GRAYE 11 seasons · Calvados
7. BRIONNE BAIGNADE MUNICIPALE 11 seasons · Eure
8. CALE DES PLAISANCIERS 11 seasons · Manche
9. CAROLLES - FACE AU POSTE DE SECOURS 11 seasons · Manche
10. CARTERET 11 seasons · Manche
11. CLAIREFONTAINE 11 seasons · Manche
12. COSQUEVILLE Le Vicq 11 seasons · Manche
13. FACE AU CAMPING DU ROZEL 11 seasons · Manche
14. FACE AU CD 130 11 seasons · Manche
15. FACE AU CD 131 11 seasons · Manche
16. FACE AU CD 132 11 seasons · Manche
17. FACE AU CD 135E 11 seasons · Manche
18. FACE AU CD 166 11 seasons · Manche
19. FACE AU CD 592 11 seasons · Manche
20. FACE AU CD 66 11 seasons · Manche
21. FACE AU POSTE SDIS 11 seasons · Manche
22. FECAMP-PLAGE 11 seasons · Seine-Maritime
23. FRANCEVILLE PLAGE 11 seasons · Calvados
24. GARENNES SUR EURE LES ETANGS DU PARC 11 seasons · Eure

Rated Poor in 2025

For a Poor site the Bathing Water Directive requires management measures, including a bathing prohibition or advice against bathing, so check the authority before visiting.

• LA POINTE D'AGON Poor in 8 of 11 classified seasons · Manche
• FACE A L'ECOLE DE VOILE D'AGON-COUTAINVILLE Poor in 6 of 11 classified seasons · Manche
• FACE AU CD 241 Poor in 4 of 6 classified seasons · Manche
• LA BRECHE Poor in 4 of 11 classified seasons · Calvados
• LA FONTAINE ST CÔME Poor in 1 of 11 classified seasons · Calvados

Changes from 2024 to 2025

How Normandy rated since 2015

Counts for the sites in today’s 2025 inventory; the Excellent share is calculated over classified sites only.

Places with the most bathing waters in Normandy

Each site is matched to its nearest named place (GeoNames, within 8 km in a straight line), so beaches of one resort or lake shore can be compared together. Select a place to show only its sites in the full list.

All 161 official bathing waters in Normandy

Grouped by department, alphabetical within each group. Open a site for its 2015–2025 history, nearby alternatives, weather forecast and the national profile link.

Download all 161 sites as CSV (classes 2015–2025, coordinates, nearest place; EEA data, CC BY 4.0)

Compared with other regions in France

Regions with at least 15 official bathing waters. Size, water type and how densely sites are designated differ, so the table is context rather than a verdict.

Quick answers

How many bathing waters in Normandy were rated Excellent in 2025?

107 of 161 (66.5%) in the official EEA 2025 classification; 43 were Good, 5 Sufficient and 5 Poor, and 1 had no class. That ranks Normandy 11 of 17 France regions by Excellent share.

Which department of Normandy has the highest share of Excellent sites?

Eure: 100% of its 5 sites were Excellent in 2025. Manche follows with 69.7%. Only departments with at least five sites are compared; see the full table.

Which beaches in Normandy have the best long-term record?

59 sites were Excellent in every season from 2015 to 2025, for example ANSE DE JONVILLE, ANSE DE LA MONDREE, BASE DE LOISIRS MESNIL SS JUMIEGES. See the ranking.

Which places in Normandy have the most official bathing waters?

Réville (8, 50% Excellent), Jullouville (7, 71.4% Excellent), Barneville-Plage (5, 100% Excellent). See the place table; places are the nearest named settlement to each site.

Were any bathing waters in Normandy rated Poor?

Yes, 5: LA POINTE D'AGON, FACE A L'ECOLE DE VOILE D'AGON-COUTAINVILLE, FACE AU CD 241, LA BRECHE and 1 more.

Where do I check whether swimming is allowed today?

On baignades.sante.gouv.fr (Ministry of Health and the Regional Health Agencies (ARS)). Temporary bans, pollution alerts and closures are published there and on signs at the water, not in the annual EEA class.

France overview · All regions of France · Bathing season dates

Sources and method

Bathing-water records: European Environment Agency (EEA), data and coordinates reported by France, licensed CC BY 4.0. Region and department boundaries: Eurostat NUTS 2024 (© EuroGeographics for the administrative boundaries). Place names: GeoNames (CC BY 4.0). A site belongs to the area that contains its reported coordinates; a site up to 10 km off the generalised coastline is placed in the nearest area of France. Counts, shares and rankings are calculated by BathingWaterFinder from the official records.