Municipal pools
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Piscine Château-Landon

At weekends, all the pools listed below, except the Butte-aux-Cailles pool, are open Sat 7am–5.30pm, Sun 8am–5.30pm. On weekdays during school hours, opening hours in municipally owned pools (whether publicly or privately run), are complicated. A general rule is that they open for an hour in the early morning and at lunch, then close for the morning and afternoon school sessions, then reopen in the early evening until about 6–8pm. It's best to ring in advance, check the Mairie's website (www.paris.fr) or choose a pool nearby and consult their timetable. Many are closed on Monday in school terms. The following are among the best.

Les Amiraux 6 rue Hermann-Lachapelle, 18^e tel 01.46.06.46.47. Pool where Juliette Binoche memorably swam in the Kieslowski film Three Colours Blue. M° Simplon.

Armand-Massard 66 bd Montparnasse, 15^e tel 01.45.38.65.19. Three underground pools – 33-metre, 25-metre and a 12.5-metre kiddies pool – with lots of space to lounge about in between. M° Vavin.

Butte aux Cailles 5 pl Paul-Verlaine, 13^e tel 01.45.89.60.05. Housed in a spruced-up 1920s brick building with an Art Deco ceiling, this is one of the most pleasant swims in the city. There's a children's pool inside, and a 25-metre outside pool. M° Place-d'ltalie. Sat 7–8am & 10am–6pm, Sun 8am–5.30pm.

Château-Landon 31 rue du Château-Landon, 10^e tel 01.55.26.90.35. Two pools, including one for children. M° Louis-Blanc.

Henry-de-Montherlant 32 bd Lannes, 16^e tel 01.40.72.28.30. Two pools, one 25-metre and one 15-metre, plus a terrace for sunbathing, a solarium – and the Bois de Boulogne close by. M° Porte-Dauphine.

Jean Taris 16 rue Thouin, 5^e tel 01.55.42.81.90. A 25-metre unchlorinated pool in the centre of the Latin Quarter and a student favourite. There's a small pool for children and swim groups for those with disabilities. M° Cardinal-Lemoine.