Piscine Joséphine Baker — Floating Pool

Piscine Joséphine Baker is a floating swimming pool moored on the Seine at Quai François Mauriac in the 13th arrondissement, a short walk from the Bibliothèque François Mitterrand. Rather than sand, the pool has a sealed concrete and glass structure sitting directly on the river, with a 25-metre outdoor pool open only in summer (June to September) and a separate indoor pool that operates year-round, so swimming here is never dependent on tides or natural water clarity — the water is treated and filtered rather than drawn from the Seine itself. The outdoor section unfolds part of its roof in warm weather to create a partially open-air deck with a small solarium for sunbathing between swims, while the indoor pool keeps a controlled, glass-walled view over the river. The vibe is closer to a modern urban lido than a beach: calm and orderly, popular with local swimmers and families rather than a party crowd, especially on weekday mornings. Facilities include a sauna, changing rooms, lockers, and a sun-deck for lounging after a swim; there are no food stalls on site, so visitors typically eat at cafés along the nearby quay. Because it is a public municipal pool rather than an open beach, capacity is limited and the pool can reach its visitor cap on hot summer weekends, leading to timed entry or queuing at the door. Access is straightforward from central Paris: Métro lines 6 and 14 stop at Bibliothèque François Mitterrand a few minutes' walk away, and bus route 89 also serves the quay. There is no dedicated parking for visitors, so most arrive by public transport or on foot along the riverside promenade. The pool's location directly on the Seine, with the river visible through the glass walls and around the open deck, makes it one of the more distinctive swimming spots in Paris despite being a fully engineered facility rather than a natural beach.