French swimming pools- shorts rules

[EnglishRose1320]

Currently planning this year's family holiday, lots of great looking places keep coming up in France. However most of them say "no swimming shorts" but then some of their photos have people wearing what I would consider swimming shorts.

Do you know how strict they tend to be? Ds is autistic and wouldn't cope with shorts that were tight to the body, but it wouldn't have to be board shirts either. Just regular swim shorts. Don't want to book somewhere and find he can't go swimming. Will happily look elsewhere if that's the case.

You have to wear jammas (think tight cycling type shorts for swimming) or Speedo's

@LoveCillian what did the 2 year old have to wear? We are looking at france this year and didn't think about 4 year old. He's got a all in one swimwear type outfit. Like the sunsafe ones. Reckons that's ok?

It seems to be be the norm amongst Brits who haven’t grown up wearing Speedos (so are a lot more self conscious about it).

Was the only way I could persuade my boys and now they’re pretty chilled about it.

Long ones are fine as long as they’re Lycra. I think Disneyland doesn’t enforce it but everywhere else I’ve been tend to. Like with most things, the idea of it is probably far worse than the reality when every other person is doing it. Or just don’t go to France.

We are also finding the same problem, DD won't wear swimming costumes. Sorry to pile in but I wondered does anyone know if lycra shorts and a lycra rash vest would be acceptable?

Not sure about public pools but we camp in France every year and DH always wears swimming shorts as do all the other males, including the French ones. I haven't heard of the need for tight trunks for years. If you book somewhere with an international clientele I doubt it will be a problem.

Look for 'jammers' long tight shorts. All the swimmers have them. We had this us France last year. They seemed to enforce it for the brits and not the locals (town swimming pool). Buy him a pair, see what he thinks and go from there?

@QuentininQuarantino , that's how it will be for our other ds, the idea is worse but he will get use to it, unfortunately for ds1, being autistic with anxiety, makes it a much bigger hurdle. We may well have to rule out France altogether. Was just hoping to find a solution.

@Bubblemilk I would think that would be fine, from what everyone has suggested, as long as its tight fitting ans clearly looks like swimwear.

@Forever42 if it wasn't for ds, we'd be happy to gamble, buy them there if needed. But he won't cope with that, so we need to check and prepare and see if he can cope with the feel and look of them.

@sm40 yes that's what I think I'm going to have to do. So if anyone spots a lady advertising a large selection of "only tried on once" jammers on Facebook marketplace, you'll know I've had no luck!

I live in France, we were told its because of the long threads of material that end up blocking the filters.
I would get him some mid thigh cycling type lycra shorts.

The reason that French public pools ask for tight swimming shorts is because they don't want you in the pool in clothes you could have feasibly been wearing out and about all day eg: baggy trunks, board shorts and similar.

We went to three campsites in France last year, all had the sign up about shorts but no lifeguards so everyone was wearing them.

@cooldarkroom the only possible ones I could get him to wear would need to be the lycra style but down to his knees, rather than mid thigh, do you think that long would be okay?

I honestly cant say. Maybe with a doctors letter explaining?

Name change fail

I'm leaning towards other countries and not having to stress about it. Which is a shame because I love France. However I still know I'm in a blessed situation to have the opportunity and choice of several countries. So I'm not going to stress too much. Thanks for all the advice.

We swim regularly at the local pool and they do enforce the rule, although no need for a swimming hat, even in race lanes (although the team swimmers wear them). That said, the knee length ones on my boys aren’t as tight as budgy smugglers would be and they seem fine.

To pp, even toddlers have to wear tight trunks, separate tops aren’t always allowed, but all in ones normally are.

Every single one I have been to has been very strict. Speedos or the tight trunk type shorts. Only

@EnglishRose1320 we went to a sandaya last year. Shorts weren’t allowed and the lifeguard on duty pulled everyone up including DH (the day before he was allowed in) but lifeguard had changed. Lifeguard gave him 3 hours grace period before he had to get out. The camp sold speedos or very short tight shorts only think just covering bum length, the local supermarket were slightly longer to mid thigh (DH went for these!) . There was a range of what men / boys were wearing ranging from speedos, short shorts, longer type shorts and jammers. What you’re describing being above knee length are jammers but I’d get them over here rather than waiting till over there just in case they don’t have them.

i would say you should be ok as they’re obviously for swimming especially if you get speedo brand / decathlon etc but when you narrow down the camps you can ask specifically or even email them. My family went to site in Lake Garda and had to wear speedos / short swimmers and a swim cap so just depends on the site. Even look on trip advisor and use the search functionality.

Public pools are very strict IME
Not sure about campsites.

Thank goodness for Brexit or perhaps those French rules would have become the norm!

So that's two things now, blue passport (that's black really) and swimming attire of one's choice.

We go camping in France every year. We always take the tight ones with us but have only had to use them at one site (one just outside Paris). All the sites have signs saying no baggy shorts allowed, and sell Lycra ones in the campsite shop, but everyone wears baggy ones anyway!
Camping in France is amazing.

Eh? The rules have been like this in France for years and years. I think they are good rules - I hate the filthy baggy board shorts the British wear anyway. You can't swim properly in them for a start.

@Greatly I get that they aren't as streamlined for swimming, but why are they filthy? I understand that a very small minority, might wear them all day but most people treat them the same as swimming trunks, on just before you swim, off and rinsed straight afterwards.

It would be nice but a lot of men, especially camping, wear the same shorts sitting on the dusty campground floor and then in the pool. You see it in Spain where it’s allowed. It costs a lot in maintenance.