Looking for the best places to swim in Europe? As the 2025 summer travel season heats up, a new report reveals exactly where you’ll find the cleanest swimming water in Europe, from the shores of Croatia to the lakes of Austria.
Each year, the European Environment Agency (EEA), in cooperation with the European Commission, releases this detailed report assessing bathing water quality across 22,127 sites in all EU member states, plus Albania and Switzerland.
The countries are then ranked based on the cleanliness of their swimming waters using data gathered in rigorous annual assessments that monitor bacterial contaminants such as Escherichia coli and intestinal enterococci.
This year’s results are in—and some countries have pulled ahead with near-perfect scores. Compare the latest report to last year’s rankings.
For travelers plotting out their next escape, the new rankings offer a useful tool for choosing where to take a dip—whether you’re seeking saltwater waves in the Mediterranean or the serene stillness of a mountain lake. And for countries at the top of the list, it’s a powerful marker of public health, environmental leadership and tourism appeal.
What Makes A “Clean” Swimming Spot?
So how is the water evaluated? Each year, national and local authorities test thousands of beaches, rivers, lakes and swimming holes for bacterial contamination. Bacteria can enter bathing waters through sewage discharge or agricultural runoff and can pose serious risks to public health.
The testing is part of the EU Bathing Water Directive, a policy adopted in 2006 that has helped drive major improvements in water quality across Europe.
Sites are rated in one of four categories: excellent, good, sufficient or poor, based on four years’ worth of monitoring data. An excellent rating indicates that the water meets the highest standards of cleanliness and safety, making it ideal for swimming and other recreational activities.
The good news: In the latest report, 85% of European waters have earned an excellent rating—meaning they meet the most stringent standards for cleanliness and safety. Only 1.5% of sites were rated poor. And 96% met at least the minimum requirement of sufficient.
Still, not all waters are created equal—and the new report makes clear that coastal sites are generally cleaner than inland ones. While 89% of Europe’s coastal sites received the top excellent grade, only 78% of inland sites achieved the same.
And just don’t assume you can do whatever you want once you hit the beach. From flip-flop fines to smoking bans to selfie crackdowns, many countries are tightening the rules on tourist behavior.
Europe’s Cleanest Coastal Waters
If you’re dreaming of postcard-perfect beaches and superb swimming, Slovenia and Lithuania tied for first place, as they lead the pack when it comes to coastal water quality. The two countries both achieved a flawless score, with 100% of tested coastal sites earning an excellent rating.
A caveat, though: Slovenia only tested 21 sites and Lithuania just 16. Still, these top marks reflect rigorous environmental oversight and a strong track record of clean, safe waters. And Slovenia isn’t just a great spot for a swim. It was recently in the spotlight for launching a digital nomad visa, making it even more appealing for travelers who want to stay longer.
Rounding out the coastal top five are Bulgaria (97.8%), Croatia (97.1%) and Greece (97.0%), all of which tested hundreds of sites and maintained impressively high standards across the board. These destinations offer not just warm seas and sunshine but also peace of mind for travelers seeking clean swimming conditions.
Europe’s Cleanest Inland Waters
While coastal waters tend to get the spotlight, Europe’s lakes and rivers are also appealing to swimmers—especially in landlocked countries or mountainous regions. This year, Bulgaria, Greece and Romania tied for the top spot with 100% all their inland waters rating excellent. But again, a caveat: Each country only had a small number of inland sites, ranging from one to four locations.
For travelers looking for a more comprehensive picture, Austria (95.8% excellence) and Finland (93.8%) stand out, with a larger number of inland site samples. Austria had a total of 260 bodies of inland water rated, while Finland had 225. That makes them two of the best bets in Europe for a freshwater swim.
Europe’s Cleanest Waters Overall
When you combine both inland and coastal sites, one country stands above the rest: Cyprus. With 99.2% of its 123 bodies of water rated as excellent, the island is the undisputed winner in overall water quality. That consistency across all swimming areas—from popular beach resorts to quieter bays.
Close behind are Bulgaria, Greece, Croatia and Austria, each offering a mix of coastal and inland waters with top-tier cleanliness. While some of these countries have smaller site counts (like Bulgaria), others (like Croatia) tested nearly a thousand locations.
Where Improvement Is Needed
At the lower end of the list, some countries are struggling to maintain clean bathing waters. Albania ranks at the bottom for the second year in a row, with just 16.0% of its sites classified as excellent—a sharp drop from 41.2% last year. Poland, Estonia and Hungary also landed near the bottom of the rankings, each with fewer than 60% of their sites reaching excellent status.
Even so, many of these countries have made strides over the past decade, thanks to better monitoring, increased public awareness, and EU-supported infrastructure improvements. The data is publicly available, and pressure is mounting to bring lower-performing regions up to standard.
Read on to see all the rankings.
Ranked: Europe’s Cleanest Coastal Waters
Dreaming of a beach holiday? These countries have the highest percentage of coastal sites rated “excellent” for water quality.
1. Slovenia (21 bodies of water) – 100% (tie)
1. Lithuania (16 bodies of water) – 100% (tie)
3. Cyprus (123 bodies of water) – 99.2%
4. Bulgaria (92 bodies of water) – 97.8%
5. Croatia (894 bodies of water) – 97.1%
6. Greece (1728 bodies of water) – 97.0%
7. Denmark (924 bodies of water) – 92.6%
8. Malta (87 bodies of water) – 92% (tie)
8. Spain (2021 bodies of water) – 92% (tie)
10. Italy (4853 bodies of water) – 90.6%
11. Portugal (512 bodies of water) – 90.2%
12. Germany (362 bodies of water) – 88.4%
13. Romania (49 bodies of water) – 83.7%
14. Latvia (33 bodies of water) – 81.8%
15. Ireland (141 bodies of water) – 80.9%
16. The Netherlands (92 bodies of water) – 79.3%
17. France (2079 bodies of water) – 76.4%
18. Sweden (265 bodies of water) – 69.1%
19. Belgium (41 bodies of water) – 68.3%
20. Finland (78 bodies of water) – 61.5%
21. Poland (189 bodies of water) – 60.3%
22. Estonia (30 bodies of water) – 36.7%
23. Albania (113 bodies of water) – 15.9%
Ranked: Europe’s Cleanest Inland Waters
Prefer lakes and rivers? These nations top the charts for inland water quality.
1. Bulgaria (4 bodies of water) – 100% (tie)
1. Greece (1 body of water) – 100% (tie)
1. Romania (1 body of water) – 100% (tie)
4. Austria (260 bodies of water) – 95.8%
5. Denmark (125 bodies of water) – 95.2%
6. Finland (225 bodies of water) – 93.8%
7. Germany (1929 bodies of water) – 90.9%
8. Italy (685 bodies of water) – 88.3%
9. Lithuania (105 bodies of water) – 83.8%
10. Switzerland (160 bodies of water) – 83.1%
11. Estonia (35 bodies of water) – 82.9%
12. Luxembourg (17 bodies of water) – 82.4%
13. Ireland (10 bodies of water) – 80.0%
14. Sweden (206 bodies of water) – 79.1%
15. Slovakia (35 bodies of water) – 77.1%
16. Czechia (153 bodies of water) – 76.5%
17. The Netherlands (660 bodies of water) – 71.5%
18. France (1286 bodies of water) – 70.6%
19. Belgium (89 bodies of water) – 69.7%
20. Latvia (26 bodies of water) – 69.2%
21. Hungary (288 bodies of water) – 67%
22. Portugal (161 bodies of water) – 58.4%
23. Slovenia (26 bodies of water) – 57.7%
24. Poland (575 bodies of water) – 57.4%
25. Croatia (42 bodies of water) – 54.8%
26. Spain (274 bodies of water) – 54.7%
27. Albania (6 bodies of water) – 16.7%
Ranked: Europe’s Cleanest Waters Overall
This final ranking considers both coastal and inland sites to determine which countries truly offer the cleanest swimming waters across the board.
1. Cyprus (123 bodies of water) – 99.2%
2. Bulgaria (94 bodies of water) – 97.9%
3. Greece (1729 bodies of water) – 97%
4. Austria (260 bodies of water) – 95.8%
5. Croatia (936 bodies of water) – 95.2%
6. Denmark (1049 bodies of water) – 92.9%
7. Malta (87 bodies of water) – 92%
8. Germany (2,291 bodies of water) – 90.5%
9. Italy (5,538 bodies of water) – 90.3%
10. Spain (2,295 bodies of water) – 87.6%
11. Lithuania (121 bodies of water) – 86.0%
12. Finland (303 bodies of water) – 85.5%
13. Romania (50 bodies of water) – 84.0%
14. Switzerland (160 bodies of water) – 83.1%
15. Portugal (673 bodies of water) – 82.6%
16. Luxembourg (17 bodies of water) – 82.4%
17. Ireland (151 bodies of water) – 80.8%
18. Latvia (59 bodies of water) – 76.3%
19. Slovenia (47 bodies of water) – 76.6%
20. Czechia (153 bodies of water) – 76.5%
21. France (3,365 bodies of water) – 74.2%
22. Sweden (471 bodies of water) – 73.5%
23. Netherlands (752 bodies of water) – 72.5%
24. Slovakia (35 bodies of water) – 77.1%
25. Belgium (130 bodies of water) – 69.2%
26. Hungary (288 bodies of water) – 67.0%
27. Estonia (65 bodies of water) – 61.5%
28. Poland (764 bodies of water) – 58.1%
29. Albania (119 bodies of water) – 16.0%