New price increases in Lyon's swimming pools: what now for families?

New price increases in Lyon's swimming pools: what now for families?

Things are getting hot in Lyon: From June 6, 2025, swimming fans will have to dig deep into their pockets because the city is increasing the entry prices for the municipal swimming pools. This decision was taken in the city council on May 15, 2025, and although the “Pour Lyon” group and the “Droite, center et indépendants” vociferously opposed it, the majority did not allow themselves to be dissuaded from implementing the price adjustments. The new tariffs confront bathers with an increase of 18% to 4 euros for a single ticket, previously it was 3.40 euros, and for a 10-ticket ticket the new price is 32 euros - that's around 28% more. This information comes directly from Le Tout Lyon.

But why this increase? One reason is the massive cuts in government positions under Bayrou, which severely restrict the municipalities' financial flexibility. Another consideration is the high investment requirement for necessary renovations to swimming pools, which is particularly urgent at a time of rising maintenance and operation costs. In addition, access to swimming pools is of significant public health importance, as are the benefits of swimming - from muscle strengthening to stress relief to social interaction. With this measure, the city of Lyon aims to counter the influx-related price increase and to modernize the infrastructure of the swimming pools. This is supported, among other things, by investments of 1.5 million euros for the Garibaldi swimming pool and 6.9 million euros for the Vaise swimming pool, such as Piscine reported.

Reactions of the population

Reactions to the price increases are mixed. Many are expressing concern about access to the pools for low-income families who could be deterred by the price increase. However, there is approval for the renovations that appear necessary and the modern design of the swimming pools. Some citizens are proposing staggered tariffs to enable families to participate better.

Julie Nublat-Faure, from the city council group “Droite, center et indépendants”, defended the increased prices, but at the same time explained that Lyon continues to have the lowest tariffs in the metropolitan area compared to other cities, with the new ticket price below the average of 4.29 euros. In Paris, for example, you pay 5.50 euros for a single ticket. This shows that Lyon remains comparatively cheap despite the increase. But even if the increase of 2.60 euros for reduced tariffs for pupils and students remains unchanged, the benefit of these facilities for the general public and the community does not remain undisputed. Many citizens express concern about the future availability of public pools, especially considering the development of other cities in which pools have had to close. A study by the KFW shows that the maintenance of municipal swimming pools is made more difficult due to a lack of staff and high energy costs and that many swimming pools close every year.

The future of bathrooms

Current estimates indicate that around 80 swimming pools in Germany close every year due to financial hardship and a lack of staff. This is a widespread problem that does not exempt Lyon from the challenges of “swimming pool death”. The social and health consequences of such a decline would be fatal: swimming pools are not only places of leisure, but also important places of recovery and community. Calling on the city to ensure the quality of infrastructure and accessibility for all remains absolutely essential to ensure the positive aspects of swimming in the long term - a challenge that Lyon must face with these price adjustments, as well fr.de reported.