New Pool Rule Will Complicate Camping Holidays for Thousands of Families in 2026

Upon arriving at the campsite, many families already envision their children splashing in the pool, the still-damp swim shorts drying on the folding chair. Yet, at the entrance to certain pools, the scene is quite different: a lifeguard shaking their head, a child crying, a parent at a loss in front of a rule they hadn’t read.

According to the camping platform ACSI, cited by several media outlets, 960 establishments in France out of 988 listed in Europe now enforce a very strict dress code around the pool. Belgium only counts six campings affected, the Netherlands five, and Spain as many. France therefore remains the most stringent country, and this guideline, already in place, will be even more tightly enforced in 2026. A simple mistake with the swimsuit can ruin an entire afternoon.

New rule at the camping pool: when the swim shorts push children out of the water

Tom Huyskens, spokesperson for the ACSI platform, has lived the scenario that worries all parents. “In the south of France, we thought we were clever by letting the children swim in boxers because we didn’t have swim briefs. But that wasn’t allowed either. The children had to leave the pool immediately,” recounts Tom Huyskens. The anecdote sums up what thousands of families will face starting in 2026 if their packing is not prepared to the millimeter.

Because this is not a new national law, but rather the internal regulation of the aquatic areas. In France, access to the camping pool is conditioned on wearing a tight-fitting swimsuit and a short. The swim shorts classic, Bermuda shorts, or the city boxer are often refused, as Tom Huyskens discovered. In Belgium, the Netherlands, or Spain, only a few establishments impose this dress code, which explains the surprise of many foreign vacationers in France.

Shorts forbidden: which swimsuits are really accepted at camping pools?

For managers, the message is simple: no loose clothing or garments worn outside of the pool. Large groups like Homair or Vagues Océanes spell this out in their FAQs. The challenge for families mainly lies in the confusion between the men’s swim briefs, tight swim trunks, or jammer close to the body, and between a standard T-shirt and a UV-protective top designed for swimming.

• Swim shorts, Bermuda shorts, briefs, and long garments are generally forbidden.
• Wetsuits, swim skirts, and very covering outfits such as burkini-style suits are often refused.
• For men and boys, swim briefs, tight swim trunks, or jammer close to the body are accepted.
• For women and girls, a tight one-piece or two-piece swimsuit is allowed.
• Some regulations tolerate a UV-T-shirt for children, but only if it stays close to the body.

A pool regulation updated in 2026 at a campsite on the Giens peninsula specifies, for example, that swim shorts are forbidden, while UV tops for the younger children are allowed. Hence a recurring piece of advice in specialized articles: before you go, check the camping pool rules on the establishment’s website, because that is what will be enforced at the pool entrances.

Hygiene, water quality and holidays 2026: how to avoid nasty surprises?

Why such severity around a simple short? For Tom Huyskens, managers “assume you’ll also wear your swim shorts as ordinary shorts. There’s a strong chance you’ve worn them in town, for example, and that’s how they got dirty. They don’t want this kind of dirt in the pool.” Sand, sweat, dust, but also sunscreen residues increase water pollution and require more chlorine.

Mariska Hol, quality manager at the Dutch National Council for Swimming Safety, sums up the issue: “It’s better for everyone if we use fewer chemicals. So, the cleaner your swimsuit, the better.” She also notes that “the water quality must meet certain standards. In this case, it’s better to prevent than to cure.” Showering before swimming, applying sunscreen well in advance, and reserving the swimsuit for swimming only become key habits for camping vacations in 2026.