Piscine Némausa

I swam here in mid-October 2023. The schedule remains the same, limited to 12:00 to 14:00 and 17:00 to 20:00 most days, with an additional 7:00 to 9:00 session on Tuesdays. From what I've seen, many other pools in France (25 m and 50 m) are not open before noon. I thought it was because they are being used by the local schools (which would be a good thing), but I didn't see any kids coming out before noon, and none going in at 2 PM.

If you are there for the lap pool, don't worry about the crowd waiting to enter the facility at noon, the majority of them have a membership card (they won't line up at the cashier) and come for the Aquafit session in the other pool.

As noted, after paying, you need to remove your shoes before entering the change area, which is all-gender. Change in a private cubicle, then find a locker, operated with a €1 coin (which you get back, so no worries about having to go back to it several times) and store your stuff in there. This is not the most practical in winter, when shoes and coat and wet umbrella all have to go in. You can indeed take a bag with you to leave in the pool area.

I didn't see any clear speed designation at the end of the lanes (I didn't think of looking for info on the wall, and wouldn't be able to read small print without glasses, as you previously noted) , so I asked an attendant, who explained that one lane (#3) was for club members, and another one (#5) for swimmers using fins or other equipment. As for speed, he said the slower swimmers tended to stay in the outside lanes, while faster swimmers used the more central lanes. There were four to six swimmers in each lane, and they were generally friendly.

The water temperature seemed closer to 25ºC than 27ºC, as another writer noted.

I didn't mind the all-gender shower / change room system, but obviously you shower with your swimsuit on; it's spacious, there are hair dryers and mirrors with shelves, and the floor is kept clean - beware, it can be slippery.

Overall, this was a good experience for me - it feels good to swim when you are traveling away from home and your routine for a long time!

When they told me it was 27º today, I scoffed. It was 25.5º or 26ºC.

The management have now added an early morning session - between 07h00 and 09h00 on Tuesdays only. Let's hope that this will eventually be extended to the other days of the week.

A grand project of Nîmes Mayor Jean-Paul Fournier, Nemausa is an ultra-modern facility opened in the early 2000's. With a minimum depth of 2 metres, the 50 metre pool (the Bassin Olympique) is the province of serious swimmers, the majority of patrons choosing instead to make use of the adjacent 25 metre pool (the Bassin Ludique). During public sessions, the Olympic pool is fully laned for lap swimming. The pool hall is high and, by virtue of the fact that two of the four walls are glazed from floor to ceiling, it is both bright and airy. In short, it’s a swimmers’ delight.

Practicalities:
(i) Sadly, the facility has oddly restricted public opening hours and, particularly irritatingly, no early morning sessions at all. Check the website before going. What a pity that such a fine pool built by the local authority at immense capital cost shouldn’t be more available to Joe public.
(ii) It’s situated on the edge of the town beyond the boulevard périphérique, but there’s plenty of parking on site. If going there by public transport take the T1 bus from Nîmes Arènes to the Nemausa stop.
(iii) In common with most facilities in France, users are required to wear maillots de bain sportif (e.g., Speedos®) and bonnets de bain (swimming caps). Additionally at this facility, (a) outdoor footwear has to be removed before entering the locker room (this is enforced by the need for patrons to paddle through a footbath directly behind the reception desk) and (b) the poolside protocol is barefoot: claquettes (flip-flops) are forbidden!
(iv) Neither locker nor shower facilities are gender specific. Lockers require a refundable €1 coin deposit. There’s ample space poolside to leave things that you want to keep with you.
(v) A notice board beside the Olympic pool sets out lane allocations by speed/activity. If you want to study this and are presbyopic you will need to take your specs poolside because the lettering on the notice is rather small. However, given that there appear to be relatively few users of the Olympic pool (on my visits there were never to be more than about four people, all well-disciplined, in any lane) you may find it as helpful to observe what’s going on in each lane and make your own choice.