Olympic Games 2024: Where to see the Marathon Swimming for free on August 8 and 9 in Paris?

On August 8 and 9, 2024, the world's open-water swimming elite meet in Paris for thrilling 10-kilometer races. With or without a ticket, the show is guaranteed. 24 women and 33 men will have the honor of swimming on a prestigious Olympic site, an atypical course in the heart of the capital. While swimmers are accustomed to the sea or lakes, swimming in a river with its current represents a unique challenge. Marathon swimming at Paris 2024 promises intense competition where physicality, tactics and adaptation will be crucial.

For those wishing to follow these historic Olympic events, there are several free viewpoints offering a breathtaking view of the races. The course, which runs between Pont Alexandre III and Pont de l'Alma, offers a 1.67-kilometre loop. Spectators will be able to stand along the quays between the Pont des Invalides and the Pont de l'Alma to cheer on the athletes.

Marathon swimming course

The marathon swimming events will take place as follows:

• Thursday, August 8 at 7:30 a.m.: 10 kilometers women
• Friday, August 9 at 7:30 a.m.: 10 kilometers men

• To be read
• Tips for the week of September 16 - 22, 2024 in Paris: free or cheap outings

Part of the course is accessible free of charge, except for the start, which has to be paid for from the Alexandre III bridge, and two grandstands close to the bridge, with a total of 5,000 seats. The rest of the quayside is open to all, allowing you to follow the swimmers at close quarters. It's a unique opportunity to see these athletes perform in an urban environment, if the water of the Seine is clean enough for the event to take place.

The marathon swimming course begins with an "easy" part, thanks to the favorable current of the Seine, but the return phase, against the current, will be more arduous. Athletes will have to complete 6 loops to decide the winners of a discipline that has been part of Olympic Games history since the first Games of the modern era in Athens in 1896.

As with road cycling, triathlons, marathons and walking, the event is free to attend. The high and low quays between Pont Alexandre III and Pont de l'Alma are ideal vantage points from which to cheer the swimmers on to Olympic gold.

Take advantage of this opportunity to live a unique experience and vibrate to the rhythm of the performances of the world's best swimmers, in the magnificent setting of the banks of the Seine. Don't miss these final competitions of the Olympic Games, which conclude on August 11.

Paris 2024 Olympics: where to see the Paralympic events for free in Paris and the Île-de-France region?
On the occasion of the Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games, some events can be seen for free without paying a penny. Here's how to position yourself to watch the triathlon from the Seine or the Paralympic marathon in Paris and the Ile-de-France region. [Read more]