If you are wondering where to go for a swim to cool off this summer, the latest EU report on the cleanliness of Europe’s bathing waters offers some food for thought.
In 2025, 85% of Europe’s bathing sites were considered to be “excellent”, while 96% of all EU sites monitored met the minimum quality standards, and only 1.5% rated as ‘poor’. The cleanest bathing waters in the EU were found in Cyprus, followed by Greece and Bulgaria.
The findings are based on an assessment of more than 22,000 rivers, lakes and coastal areas across Europe by the European Environment Agency (EEA). They show Greece moving up from fifth place in 2024 to second place in 2025, just behind Cyprus.
Although the report is based on 2025 data, the EEA considers it valuable because it reflects broader trends in EU water quality. The agency notes that bathing water quality has improved significantly over recent decades thanks to “systematic monitoring and management introduced under the EU’s Bathing Water Directive and large investments in urban wastewater treatment plants.”
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However, there is a noticeable difference between the quality of inland and coastal waters. Just 78% of inland bathing waters were classified as excellent, compared with 88% of coastal bathing waters.
The EEA also provides an interactive map of Europe’s bathing waters, which can be found here.
About the assessment
The EEA explains that EU bathing water legislation classifies bathing water quality as “excellent,” “good,” “sufficient” or “poor,” depending on the levels of faecal bacteria detected.
Where bathing water is classified as “poor,” EU countries are required to take measures such as banning bathing or advising against it, providing public information and taking appropriate corrective action.
Bathing waters are classified according to two microbiological parameters defined in the Bathing Water Directive: Escherichia coli and intestinal enterococci.
According to the EEA, these rules have contributed to a drastic reduction in the amount of untreated or partially treated municipal and industrial wastewater entering bathing waters.
