25% of French beaches are not safe …
Each summer, thousands of French people go to the sea to enjoy a moment of freshness. But not all the beaches are created… some are even formally not recommended for swimming due to the presence of bacteria like Escherichia coli Or the enterococci, likely to represent a real health risk. Swimming in contaminated water can cause infectious diseases such as gastroenteritis, bacterial dermatitis, infectious conjunctivitis, external otitis, or more rarely leptospirosis. To help vacationers, a health classification of the coastal beaches has been set up.
This 2025 ranking was established by the Eaux et Rivières de Bretagne association, based on official data provided by regional health agencies (ARS). Between June and September, these agencies take water samples to detect the presence of fecal bacteria. The card classifies the beaches in four categories: “recommended”, “little risky”, “not recommended” or “to avoid”. This year, 1,854 beaches of the metropolitan coast were evaluated. Among them, 83 are classified “to avoid”, 364 “not recommended”, 814 “little risky” and 593 “recommended”. The association notes a degradation between 2024 and 2025: 76% of the beaches are now considered safe, against 78% the previous year. In question, the heavy rains of the summer of 2024, which caused overflows and leaching of agricultural soils.
Among the beaches to be avoided for the summer of 2025, a majority are in the north, in Brittany or in Normandy. Some are also located on the Atlantic coast or by the Mediterranean Sea but there are fewer. All the beaches recommended or not are visible on the Labelleplage.fr site, the association recommends a beach if at least 95% of the samples are “good”. The beaches with a score less than 70% are to be avoided.
Before diving, have the reflex to consult the card. If in doubt, choose a monitored beach, avoid swimming after a thunderstorm and rinse carefully after getting out of the water, especially for children and sensitive people. In case of persistent diarrhea, fever, abdominal pain, rash or eye irritation within 48 to 72 hours of swimming, it is advisable to consult a doctor quickly. A levy can make it possible to identify the origin of the infection.
