Bathing water quality in Utrecht, Netherlands
Utrecht has 29 official bathing waters in the EEA dataset for the 2025 season (24 lake and 5 river). 69% were classified Excellent — 1.9 points below the 70.9% across Netherlands — and 4 were Poor. 12 sites have been Excellent in every season from 2015 to 2025.
Zwemwaterkwaliteit in Utrecht
Van de 29 officiële EU-zwemlocaties in Utrecht was in 2025 69% ‘uitstekend’; aantal locaties met ‘slecht’: 4.
official bathing waters
Excellent in 2025
Poor in 2025
Map of official bathing waters in Utrecht
Sea, lakes and rivers in Utrecht
| Water type | Sites | Excellent | Good | Sufficient | Poor | Not classified |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lake | 24 | 16 (66.7%) | 4 | 0 | 4 | 0 |
| River | 5 | 4 (80%) | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
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
12 sites were Excellent in all eleven seasons. Ordered by the length of the unbroken Excellent run ending in 2025.
- DOWN UNDER (PLAS LAAGRAVEN) 11 seasons
- GRAVENBOL 11 seasons
- HENSCHOTERMEER (NOORDZIJDE), WOUDENBERG 11 seasons
- HENSCHOTERMEER (ZUIDZIJDE), WOUDENBERG 11 seasons
- MAARSSEVEENSE PLASSEN ZUIDHOEK 11 seasons
- MIDDELWAARD 11 seasons
- RECREATIE EVERSTEIN, VIANEN 11 seasons
- STRIJKVIERTELPLAS 11 seasons
- VINKEVEENSE PLASSEN (EILAND 3) 11 seasons
- VINKEVEENSE PLASSEN (EILAND 4) 11 seasons
- VINKEVEENSE PLASSEN (EILAND 5) 11 seasons
- VINKEVEENSE PLASSEN (EILAND 8) 11 seasons
- HONSWIJKERPLAS 10 seasons
- HAARRIJNSE PLAS 9 seasons
- CATTENBROEK 7 seasons
- RIETPLAS, STRAND 6 seasons
- STRAND DE STROOK, LOOSDRECHTSE PLASSEN 6 seasons
- RECREATIEOORD DE WILGENPLAS 3 seasons
- TULL EN 'T WAAL WEST 3 seasons
- ZWEMLUST 3 seasons
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.
- VOORVELDSE POLDER (SPEELVIJVER) Poor in 9 of 9 classified seasons
- RECREATIEPARK 'T KLEINE ZEETJE Poor in 6 of 10 classified seasons
- STRAND DE STROOK, PEUTERBAD Poor in 6 of 11 classified seasons
- MAARSSEVEENSE PLASSEN STRANDBAD Poor in 1 of 10 classified seasons
Changes from 2024 to 2025
Improved (0)
None.
Declined (3)
- MAARSSEVEENSE PLASSEN STRANDBAD Good → Poor
- TULL EN 'T WAAL OOST Excellent → Good
- VINKEVEENSE PLASSEN (EILAND 2) Excellent → Good
How Utrecht 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 | 29 | 20 | 69% | 4 |
| 2024 | 28 | 22 | 78.6% | 2 |
| 2023 | 29 | 22 | 75.9% | 3 |
| 2022 | 29 | 21 | 72.4% | 2 |
| 2021 | 29 | 20 | 69% | 1 |
| 2020 | 29 | 20 | 69% | 3 |
| 2019 | 28 | 19 | 67.9% | 3 |
| 2018 | 26 | 20 | 76.9% | 1 |
| 2017 | 28 | 19 | 67.9% | 1 |
| 2016 | 28 | 17 | 60.7% | 1 |
| 2015 | 26 | 19 | 73.1% | 1 |
Places with the most bathing waters in Utrecht
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.
| Place | Sites | Excellent | Poor |
|---|---|---|---|
| Baambrugge | 5 | 3 (60%) | 0 |
| Hagestein | 4 | 3 (75%) | 0 |
| Maarn | 2 | 2 (100%) | 0 |
| Breukelen | 2 | 1 (50%) | 0 |
| Maarssen | 2 | 1 (50%) | 1 |
| Zandweg-Oostwaard | 2 | 1 (50%) | 1 |
All 29 official bathing waters in Utrecht
Grouped by water type, alphabetical within each group. Open a site for its 2015–2025 history, nearby alternatives, weather forecast and the national profile link.
Download all 29 sites as CSV (classes 2015–2025, coordinates, nearest place; EEA data, CC BY 4.0)
Lake 24 sites · 66.7% Excellent · 4 Poor
- CATTENBROEK · Linschoten Excellent Excellent 7 seasons in a row
- DE KIKKER · Groenekan Good
- DE MEENT · Breukelen Good
- DOWN UNDER (PLAS LAAGRAVEN) · Lunetten Excellent Excellent 11 seasons in a row
- HAARRIJNSE PLAS · Vleuten Excellent Excellent 9 seasons in a row
- HENSCHOTERMEER (NOORDZIJDE), WOUDENBERG · Maarn Excellent Excellent 11 seasons in a row
- HENSCHOTERMEER (ZUIDZIJDE), WOUDENBERG · Maarn Excellent Excellent 11 seasons in a row
- MAARSSEVEENSE PLASSEN STRANDBAD · Zandweg-Oostwaard Poor Poor in 1 of 10 classified seasons
- MAARSSEVEENSE PLASSEN ZUIDHOEK · Westbroek Excellent Excellent 11 seasons in a row
- RECREATIE EVERSTEIN, VIANEN · Hagestein Excellent Excellent 11 seasons in a row
- RECREATIEOORD DE WILGENPLAS · Zandweg-Oostwaard Excellent Excellent 3 seasons in a row
- RECREATIEPARK 'T KLEINE ZEETJE · Spakenburg Poor Poor in 6 of 10 classified seasons
- RIETPLAS, STRAND · Houten Excellent Excellent 6 seasons in a row
- STRAND DE STROOK, LOOSDRECHTSE PLASSEN · Maarssen Excellent Excellent 6 seasons in a row
- STRAND DE STROOK, PEUTERBAD · Maarssen Poor Poor in 6 of 11 classified seasons
- STRIJKVIERTELPLAS · De Meern Excellent Excellent 11 seasons in a row
- VINKEVEENSE PLASSEN (EILAND 1) · Baambrugge Good
- VINKEVEENSE PLASSEN (EILAND 2) · Baambrugge Good Excellent → Good since 2024
- VINKEVEENSE PLASSEN (EILAND 3) · Baambrugge Excellent Excellent 11 seasons in a row
- VINKEVEENSE PLASSEN (EILAND 4) · Baambrugge Excellent Excellent 11 seasons in a row
- VINKEVEENSE PLASSEN (EILAND 5) · Vinkeveen Excellent Excellent 11 seasons in a row
- VINKEVEENSE PLASSEN (EILAND 8) · Baambrugge Excellent Excellent 11 seasons in a row
- VOORVELDSE POLDER (SPEELVIJVER) · De Bilt Poor Poor in 9 of 9 classified seasons
- ZWEMLUST · Breukelen Excellent Excellent 3 seasons in a row
River 5 sites · 80% Excellent
- GRAVENBOL · Wijk bij Duurstede Excellent Excellent 11 seasons in a row
- HONSWIJKERPLAS · Hagestein Excellent Excellent 10 seasons in a row
- MIDDELWAARD · Vianen Excellent Excellent 11 seasons in a row
- TULL EN 'T WAAL OOST · Hagestein Good Excellent → Good since 2024
- TULL EN 'T WAAL WEST · Hagestein Excellent Excellent 3 seasons in a row
Compared with other provinces in Netherlands
| # | Province | Sites | Excellent | Poor |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Zeeland | 58 | 89.7% | 0 |
| 2 | Drenthe | 41 | 87.8% | 0 |
| 3 | North Brabant | 101 | 85.1% | 2 |
| 4 | Gelderland | 97 | 79.4% | 2 |
| 5 | Overijssel | 51 | 78.4% | 1 |
| 6 | Limburg | 34 | 76.5% | 0 |
| 7 | Flevoland | 30 | 73.3% | 1 |
| 8 | Utrecht | 29 | 69% | 4 |
| 9 | South Holland | 104 | 67.3% | 2 |
| 10 | Groningen | 49 | 53.1% | 7 |
| 11 | North Holland | 111 | 51.4% | 8 |
| 12 | Friesland | 52 | 48.1% | 4 |
Provinces 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 Utrecht were rated Excellent in 2025?
- 20 of 29 (69%) in the official EEA 2025 classification; 5 were Good, 0 Sufficient and 4 Poor. That ranks Utrecht 8 of 12 Netherlands provinces by Excellent share.
- Which beaches and lakes in Utrecht have the best long-term record?
- 12 sites were Excellent in every season from 2015 to 2025, for example DOWN UNDER (PLAS LAAGRAVEN), GRAVENBOL, HENSCHOTERMEER (NOORDZIJDE), WOUDENBERG. See the ranking.
- Which places in Utrecht have the most official bathing waters?
- Baambrugge (5, 60% Excellent), Hagestein (4, 75% Excellent), Maarn (2, 100% Excellent). See the place table; places are the nearest named settlement to each site.
- Were any bathing waters in Utrecht rated Poor?
- Yes, 4: VOORVELDSE POLDER (SPEELVIJVER), RECREATIEPARK 'T KLEINE ZEETJE, STRAND DE STROOK, PEUTERBAD, MAARSSEVEENSE PLASSEN STRANDBAD.
- Where do I check whether swimming is allowed today?
- On Zwemwater.nl (The provinces, with Rijkswaterstaat for national waters). Temporary bans, pollution alerts and closures are published there and on signs at the water, not in the annual EEA class.
Netherlands overview · All provinces of Netherlands · Bathing waters near Amsterdam · Bathing season dates
Sources and method
Bathing-water records: European Environment Agency (EEA), data and coordinates reported by Netherlands, licensed CC BY 4.0. Region and area 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 Netherlands. Counts, shares and rankings are calculated by BathingWaterFinder from the official records.