Piscine Jean Bouin

On a January Friday morning from 11:30 on, the pool was very crowded, with very few people paying attention to lane markings and terrible swimmers’ etiquette. There were eight to ten swimmers per lane. The lanes were marked according to speed and as to whether equipment could be used; these instructions are generally ignored. There were people doing backstroke kick only in the fast lanes, three buddies doing 50m sprints together in medium lane recklessly passing lap swimmers then plugging up end of the pool while they look at their watches waiting for next sprint, etc.

All lockers appear to be padlock lockers now. I did not see any that took coins. The lockers are also not numbered, so if you have a particularly common type of padlock, best to remember where your locker is.

The signage here is terrible. Shoes should be removed at benches just inside locker rooms. The male and female changing sections are separate. As another commenter mentioned, remember that after going downstairs from the pool, men go right and women go left. Look for stairs up when leaving the locker area. The stairs up to pool are not immediately visible from the locker exit and are not signed. A route that one might be tempted to take will take you to opposite-sex showers. The stairs are ahead and around a corner from the men’s change room.

Access to pool is on the east side of building and is reasonably marked, but this facility is at one of the least pedestrian-friendly intersections in Nice. Everyone jaywalks in Nice, but this is at a dangerous set of intersections.

The pool facility itself is quite good and clean. The change rooms show a bit of wear, but are very acceptable. The crowding is unfortunate.

I agree with every detail of the above reviews. If you do not read French, however, be aware that the staff clear the pool 20 minutes before the stated closing time, and you may not enter the locker room even one second before the stated opening time, although it is possible to purchase entry tickets at least 15 to 20 minutes before then.

The usual school calendar dependent schedule applies - it's commonly understood throughout France, but foreigners will be well-advised to consult with a local about when the pool may be open or closed.

I enjoyed swimming here. The windows on one side were opened to create a breeze. Lanes were designated for different speeds with or without training equipment. Lap etiquette was okay. The lockers operate with large keys that are not easy to put somewhere.

This is a really nice pool and cheap, if you have a student card (even if you don't and you look under 25 you should get the discount as a foreigner!) I swim in the evenings when there are not too many people. I would definitely recommend it to anyone looking for a pool in Nice.

A first rate, modern facility. Check the facility website for times. The general weekday pattern is for the pool to be open to the public between 06h30 and 08h30, and to re-open for varying times in the middle of the day and in the evenings. On my visit (a weekday early morning), of the eight roped lanes, two were marked as fast, four were unmarked but occupied by serious competitive swimmers undertaking fairly heavy duty training, and two were marked as slow. There were no more than about six swimmers spread between the two slow lanes.

The pool is on the top floor of a sports complex-cum-multi-storey car park: take the elevator to Level 5 for the pool reception desk. Single admission tickets are barcoded: hold the bar code against the reader on the outer face of the turnstile (not against what looks like a reader on the top of the turnstile) to gain admittance to the locker rooms. Lockers require a €1 coin as deposit; the coin is returned when unlocked after use. There's plenty of space poolside for stuff that you want to keep with you. After swimming and going down the steps back to the locker rooms, turn left if you are a woman and right if you are a man. There are no signs to help you so do try to remember this: it will help you avoid embarrassment (and possible prosecution!).

In common with many (if not all) French pools, a maillot de bain sportif (i.e., Speedo-type swim suit) and bonnet de bain (swimming cap) are obligatory.

Most excellent pool.