Europe's Best & Worst Countries for a Swim

In a summer where a lot of people will be itching to go on holiday outside of their own country's borders again, this infographic compares bathing water quality across Europe. UK holidaymakers, who during the pandemic may have gotten to know some of the many bodies of water their country has to offer - two-thirds of which are rated 'excellent' in terms of quality by the European Environment Agency - may now have their eyes on taking a dip in Spain again. There, 87.4 percent of the water is certified as 'excellent'. To raise the chances of great bathing conditions further, visits to Austria, Malta or Greece should be on wish list of most travelers in Europe, as our infographic shows.

Although it doesn't look good for Poland, 37 percent of the country's bathing waters have not yet received a classification. Looking at the locations which have been assessed, the eastern European country's total raises from 44.5 percent to a far more respectable 70.7 percent - higher than the other two places at the bottom of this ranking, Slovakia and Hungary.