The World’s Top 100 Rivers Swims are interesting, unique, beautiful and exciting river swims or canal swims that can involve solo, stage, competitive, relay or charity open water swimming or served as swim vacations that are held to, from, on, in, near or around rivers and canals.

There are thousands of river swims and canal swims around the world to participate in. Which ones are your favorites?

Help compile the World’s Top 100 River Swims. Share your opinions and tell us what river swims deserve to be included in this list:

2024 World’s Top 100 River Swims (listed alphanumerically)

1. 1.PKO Winter Swimming is the tradition of winter swimming by 1.PKO in the Vltava river in Prague, Czech Republic
2. 8 Bridges Hudson River Swim, 193 km 7-stage swim down the Hudson River in New York, USA in 8 days
3. 20 Bridges Manhattan Island Swim, 45.9 km swim around Manhattan Island in Hudson, East, & Harlem Rivers in New York City
4. 40 Bridges Swim, 91 km twice circumnavigation swim around Manhattan Island in the Hudson, East & Harlem Rivers in New York City, USA
5. Ada Medjica Swimming Marathon, 2.5 km + 5 km on the island of Ada Medjica on the Sava River in Belgrade, Serbia
6. Amsterdam City Swim, 2 km canal swim in the Keizersgracht in Amsterdam, Netherlands
7. Apache Lake – Day 3 of the SCAR Swim Challenge, 22 km along the Salt River in Arizona, USA
8. Bantham Swoosh, 6 km in the Bantham estuary in Devon, England
9. Derwent River Big Swim Marathon, 34 km in Hobart in the River Derwent in Tasmania, Australia
10. Bill Keating, Jr. Great Ohio River Swim, 1.8 km between the states of Ohio and Kentucky across the Ohio River, USA
11. Baltimore Open Water Swim, 1.6 km + 4.8 km in the Magothy River, Maryland, USA
12. Brcko Distrikt International Swimming Marathon, 2 km upstream + 9 km downstream in the Sava River in Brcko, Bosnia & Herzegovina
13. Canyon Lake – Day 2 of the SCAR Swim Challenge, 14.4 km along the Salt River in Arizona, USA
14. Charles River Swim, 1.6 km in the Charles River between Harvard & Longfellow Bridges in Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA
15. Château de Chantilly Swim, 1.6 km + 2.5 km + 5 km in the Grand Canal in front of the Château de Chantilly, France
16. Chattanooga Rat Race, 3.86 km + 7.24 km downstream along the Tennessee River, Tennessee, USA
17. Club to Pub, 1.5 km held in the River Thames in Henley-on-Thames, Oxfordshire, England
18. Cohuna Bridge to Bridge, 1.5 km + 8 km on the Gunbower River in Cohuna, Victoria, Australia
19. Columbia River Cross Channel Swim, 1.5 km in the Columbia River from Pasco to Kennewick in Washington, USA
20. Cruce del Rio Negro, 3.5 km in San Gregorio de Polanco, Uruguay
21. Cruce a Nado del Río de la Plata, 42 km between Argentina and Uruguay
22. Dart 10k, 10 km down the River Dart in Devon, England
23. Damme-Brugge Open Water Swim, 5 km in the Canal Hoeke – Sluis in Belgium
24. DC Marathon Swim, 33 km down the Potomac River from Washington D.C. to Ferry Point, Virginia, USA
25. Dee Mile, 1 km + 2 km in the River Dee in Chester, England, outside of Liverpool
26. Descenso a Nado de la Ria de Navia (Navia’s Downstream Swim), 1.1 km + 1.7 km + 3 km + 5 km down the Ría Navia in Spain
27. DownRiver Rip, 4 km + 7.08 km in the Upper James River in Midlothian, Virginia, USA
28. Ederle-Burke Swim, 25.9 km in the Hudson River from Battery Park in New York City to Sandy Hook, New Jersey, USA
29. END-WET, 57.9 km down the Red River between Grand Forks, North Dakota and Oslo, Minnesota, USA
30. Epiphany Swimming for the Holy Cross of Honour, 33 meters in the River Sava in Šabac, Serbia
31. EDF Aqua Challenge – Paris, 1.25 km + 2.5 km + 5 km in le Bassin de la Villette in Paris, France
32. EDF Aqua Challenge Toulouse, 500m + 1.5 km + 3 km + 5 km in Garonne in Toulouse, France
33. Fire Cracker 8K swim, 8 km between Nimbus Dam and Folsom Dam in Sacramento County, California, USA
34. Flow Des Gabarriers, 1 km + 3 km + 16 km + 33 km swims in Cognac, France
35. Flying Fish Swim – Kariega River, 5.5 km tide-assisted up the Kariega River in Kenton-on-Sea, South Africa
36. Ganga River Long Distance Swimming Competition, 10 km down the Ganges in Patna, capital of Bihar, India
37. GlommaDyppen, 2 km + 6 km + 11 km in the Glomma in Norway
38. Grand Dublin Swim, 10 km in River Liffey in Dublin, Ireland
39. Great Ohio River Swim, 1.8 km between the states of Ohio and Kentucky across the Ohio River, USA
40. Greater Manchester Swim, 500m + 1-mile + 3-mile dock-to-dock in the Salford Quays in Manchester, England
41. Harmonie Mutuelle: Open Swim Stars – Paris, 1 km + 2 km + 2 km fins + 5 km + 10 km + 1 km Team Challenge + 11.5 km SwimRun races in Canal de l’Ourcq, Paris, France
42. Henley Swim Classic, 2.1 km upstream in the River Thames over the Henley Royal Regatta course in England
43. Hetric Swim Challenge, 500m + 3.8 km + 8 km in Nete, Geel, Belgium
44. Hever Castle Swim, 1.6 km + 2.5 km + 5 km in Castle Lake & River Eden, circumnavigates 16 Acre Island in Hever Castle, UK
45. Hong Kong to Macau Swim, 35 km from Hong Kong to Macau across the Pearl River estuary
46. Huka XStream River Swim, 3.3 km in the Waikato River in Taupo, New Zealand
47. Hurly Burly, 10 km tidal-assisted swim organized by the Outdoor Swimming Society in North Wales on the edge of Snowdonia
48. Ice Mile in River Vltava, Prague, Czech Republic
49. Indian National Open Water Swimming Championships, 19 km + 81 km down Ganges and Bhagirathi River in Berhampore, India
50. International Challenge of Swimming Across The Yangtze River, 1.8 km cross-river in Wuhan, China
51. International Limit Challenging Race of Crossing Yellow River Qinghai China, 500m across the Yellow River at 2,200 meters in northwest China’s Qinghai Province in the Tibetan Plateau
52. Jarak-Sabac Swim Marathon (Plivački maraton Jarak-Šabac), 19 km in the Sava River from Jarak (Јарак) to Šabac, Serbia
53. Kanjiza Running & Swimming Festival, 3 km + 7.5 km on the river Tizsa in Kanjiza, Serbia
54. Lapland Adventure Swimming Holiday, 7-day swimming holiday in the Torne River organized by Swimming Holidays in Finland
55. Liffey Swim, 2.2 km in the River Liffey through Dublin, Ireland
56. Lock to Lock 4K, 4 km + 10 km in the Thames through Oxford in Cumnor, Oxfordshire from Eynsham Lock to Kings Lock, England
57. Marlow Classic, 1.5 km + 3 km in the River Thames in Marlow, Buckinghamshire, England
58. Maratón Acuática Internacional Santa Fe – Coronda, 57 km down the Río Coronda in Argentina
59. Maratón Patagones Viedma, 15 km down the Rio Negro in Viedma, Argentina
60. Martin Duggan Memorial Swim, 2 km in the River Blackwater in County Cork, Ireland
61. Montenegro Fjords, 7-day swimming holiday in fjords, lakes, Morača River and the sea in Montenegro by SwimTrek
62. Paso a Nado de los ríos Orinoco y Caroní (Orinoco River Swim), 3.1 km between Río Orinoco & Río Caroní in Bolívar, Venezuela
63. Portland Bridge Swim, 17.2 km through Portland in the Willamette River, Oregon
64. Poseidon Swim Challenge, 800m + 2 km in the Indiana Central Canal in Indianapolis, Indiana, USA
65. Rio Negro Challenge Amazonia, 1.5 km + 3 km + 30 km from Iranduba to Manaus along Rio Negro Bridge in Rio Negro, Brazil
66. River Adur 5K Swim, 5 km downstream in the River Adur in Shoreham-by-Sea, West Sussex, UK
67. River Mile, 1.6 km in Redhouse on the Swartkops River, South Africa
68. River Nene Swimming Championships, 1.6 km + 3.2 km in the River Nene, Oundle, Northants, UK
69. River to River Swim, 5 km from the Deben River to the River Orwell in the North Sea off Felixstowe in Suffolk, England
70. River Spey 10K Whisky Swim, 1.6 km + 5 km + 10 km in River Spey in Cairngorm National Park, Kingussie, Scottish Highlands
71. River Thames Classic British Swim by SwimTrek Adventure Swimming Holidays, 1-2 day swimming holiday in the Thames, England
72. Riverkeeper 4k, 750m + 1.5 km + 4 km in the Ottawa River in Ottawa, Canada
73. Roermond City Swim, 500m + 1 km + 2 km in Rur and Meuse in Roermond, Netherlands
74. Roosevelt Lake – Day 4 of the SCAR Swim Challenge, 10 km in the Salt River in Arizona, USA
75. Rose Pitonof Swim, 27.3 km from Manhattan Island to Coney Island in New York, USA
76. Round Christiansborg Swim, 2 km in the canals in Christiansborg in Copenhagen, Denmark
77. Roy Webster Cross-Channel Swim, 1.77 km in the Columbia River across to Hood River in Washington, USA
78. Saguaro Lake – Day 1 of the SCAR Swim Challenge, 15.2 km along the Salt River in Arizona, USA
79. Sandy Point Current Cruiser, 500m + 1.5 km at Waratah Beach Inlet in Sandy Point, Victoria, Australia
80. Slovenian Lakes and River, 4-day swim holiday with Strel Swimming Adventures in Lake Bled, Lake Bohinj, and Soca River
81. Swim Across America – Richmond Open Water Swim, 0.8 km + 1.6 km + 3.8 km + 8 km in Upper James River in Richmond, Virginia, USA
82. Swim The Arctic Circle, 2 km + 3 km swim between Juoksenki, Finland and Juoksengi, Sweden in Torne River
83. Swim The Canal, 6 km in Greece across the Corinth Canal (Isthmus)
84. Swim The Suck, 16.1 km swim through the Tennessee River Gorge, Tennessee, USA
85. Thames Marathon, 14 km from Henley-on-Thames to Marlow on the River Thames in Great Britain
86. The Swim with Altitude (Copeton Freshwater Swim), 250m + 600m + 1 km + 2.5 km + 5 km in Copeton Dam, Gwydir River, Australia
87. Three Rivers Marathon Swim (3RMS), 30 km in Ohio River, Monongahela River, Allegheny River in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
88. Traversée de Bordeaux à la Nage, 1.7 km in Garonne, Bordeaux, France
89. Traversée Hivernale da la Meuse, cross-current winter swim across la Meuse in Huy, Belgium
90. Tricule Fortress – Port of Orsova, 40 km in the Danube River and part of the Romanian Triple Crown of Open Water Swimming 
91. TYR Champions Cup – Ветрено, 1 km + 1.85 km + 3 km + 12 km + 24 km in River Sit in the Rybinsk Reservoir in Russia
92. TYR Champions Cup – Veliky Novgorod, 1 km + 2.5 km + 5 km in the Volkhov River in Novgorod Oblast, Russia
93. Ultramarató de l’Ebre 30830 Swim Marathon, 15 km + 30 km in Catalonia, Spain
94. Up the River Downtown Swim, 10 km along St. Johns River through Jacksonville, Florida, USA
95. Vansbrosimningen, 1 km + 1.5 km + 3 km + 10 km in the Vanån River and the Västerdalälven River in Sweden
96. Vibes & Scribes Lee Swim, 2 km in the Lee River through the centre of the City of Cork, Ireland
97. Villa Urquiza (Maratón Internacional Aguas Abiertas Villa Urquiza – Paraná) 25 km down the Paraná River in Paraná, Argentina.
98. Welsh Open Water Estuary Swim, 3 km around the River Towy Estuary between Ferryside and Lansteffan and Llangain, Wales
99. Weser-Marathon Schwimmen, 42.195 km down the Weser from Rinteln to Minden in Germany
100. Xstrata Nickel Swim Thru Perth, 2.2 km + 4 km on the Swan River from Barrack Street Jetty to Matilda Bay in Perth, Australia

Photo above shows Antonio Argüelles with escort kayaker Alex Arévalo, competing in the 40 Bridges Double Manhattan Island Swim around Manhattan Island in New York City.

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