Badi behaviour: the joys of river and lake swimming in Zürich
This article is part of a guide to Zürich from FT Globetrotter
Zürich, 330km from the sea, is one of the world’s great urban swimming paradises.
While you can dive into the lake or river more or less anywhere you care to (except in the very centre of town, where boats make it too hazardous — though otherwise the Swiss attitude towards personal safety is thrillingly non-existent), the city is dotted with public-bathing facilities, the official Badi, which offer changing facilities, showers, refreshments and lockers, many free of charge.
Dry off on one of Seebad Utoquai’s sun terraces Utoquai was built as a “Moorish-style” swimming pavilion in 1890 on the shore of the lake, just past the Opera House. Not much of the original aesthetic remains: the domes and mock minarets were removed in the 1940s, but other Art Nouveau flourishes endure, making this a sophisticated-feeling spot for a swim.
There are two small pools enclosed by decks — one for women and one for men (changing areas are also segregated), and steps and diving boards straight into the lake. There are two floating platforms moored 30m out in the lake itself, which swimmers can use to lounge on. There is also a mixed sauna (nudity is mandatory) and raised sun terraces to dry off on. An on-site café serves wine and snacks, with tables on the deck to drink, work or chat at in the sunshine.
Flussbad Oberer Letten
Lettensteg 10, 8037 Zürich
Good for: Socialising and carousing
Not so good for: Solitude or actual exercise
Entrance: Free
Open: Daily, 9am–8pm
FYI: Mixed bathing. The Letten channel can be swum in whenever you want, though facilities abide by daylight hours. The current can be very strong, making the Letten sometimes unsuitable for young children
Website; Directions
If there is a single spot in the summer that will confound most people’s preconceptions about Zürich, this is probably it. On warm days the banks of the Letten Oberwasserkanal — the name given to the deeper channel that runs parallel to the stony Limmat river itself (it splits at a weir just after the National Museum, as it flows out of the lake) — are packed out with a sea of young sunbathers and water-lovers. By the evenings it’s a giant party. The northern bank of the channel has a number of bars along it and is generally the busier side. The southern bank of the channel (a strip of land with the actual Limmat river on its other side, which is too shallow to swim in) is dominated by the beautiful 1950s Oberer Letten pavilion, which has showers, changing facilities and mobile-phone sized lockers for valuables, all free of charge. The entrance to this is from the Lettensteg footbridge, a little downstream.
Bathers at Flussbad Oberer Letten floating down the river with the current When it comes to swimming, the trick is to walk upstream as far as one can — generally towards the weir at Dynamo — and jump in, letting the current sweep you back to the spot you put down your towel. There are diving boards from the pavilion, though adventurous bathers also jump in off the bridges.
There are lifeguards during the daytime, but the overall approach to safety is refreshingly Swiss: take responsibility for yourself. The channel terminates in a small, working hydroelectric power plant. There’s nothing to stop you drifting into its intake except a single sign on the riverbank of a man twirling down the spout of a whirlpool. This sounds more dangerous than in is — there are plenty of places to get out. Just make sure you do before you go under the Kornhausbrücke, the high road bridge that spans the whole channel (and is popular with daredevil local teenagers as a jumping spot).
Flussbad Unterer Letten
Wasserwerkstrasse 141, 8037 Zürich
Good for: A quick refreshing dip first thing in the morning, when no one is around
Not so good for: Lounging around on deck. The long rectangular pool — a fenced-off portion of the river — is good for swimming, but only if you’re comfortable with a (sometimes strong) current
Entrance: Free
Open: Daily, 9am–8pm
FYI: Being shallower, the water here is usually warmer than in other outdoor Badi. Every July, the baths transform in the evenings into an atmospheric outdoor cinema, with the audience on the deck on one side of the channel and the screen on the other
Website; Directions
Zürich’s oldest riverside pool, Flussbad Oberer Letten becomes an outdoor cinema in the evenings in July Zürich’s oldest riverside Schwimmbad. A charming wooden deck raised relatively high above the fast-flowing Letten, right at the point where it rejoins the Limmat (a bit further downstream — the other side of the hydro plant, in fact, from Oberer Letten), this is a great place to stop for a dip if you’ve gone for a stroll down the river from town, or as a place to finish a run or a jog. Drinks and food are available from a kiosk.
Strandbad Mythenquai and Strandbad Tiefenbrunnen
Mythenquai 95, 8002 Zürich, and Bellerivestrasse 200, 8008 Zürich
Good for: Families
Not so good for: Serious swimmers
Entrance (at both): Adults, SFr8 (about $9/£7); under 16s, SFr4 (about $4.50/£3.50)
Open: Both daily. Mythenquai, 7am–8pm; Tiefenbrunnen, 9am–8pm
FYI: Both Badi have automated paddle-board vending machines (SFr30 an hour – about $33/£26)
Mythenquai: Website; Directions
Tiefenbrunnen: Website; Directions
Strandbad Mythenquai sits on the western side of Lake Zürich These two “beach” Badi, one on each side of the lake, are both an equidistant short tram ride (or a walk) from the city centre. They are ideal family spots.
At Mythenquai, on the western side of the lake, a 250m-long beach gently slopes into the water, with a large park area behind, where visitors can barbecue, picnic and play games. There’s a diving platform (with 1m, 3m and 5m boards). Hiltl, Zürich’s cult vegetarian restaurant, has a small concession here.
Almost directly opposite Mythenquai is Strandbad Tiefenbrunnen . . .
. . . where as well as a diving platform you’ll also find a 62m water slide
There’s a similar set-up at Tiefenbrunnen, with the addition of a 62m water slide, and a range of wellness activities: yoga, Pilates classes and massages are bookable. A large paddling pool is perfect for toddlers and babies. There are two single-sex nudist terraces.
Seebad Enge
Mythenquai 9, 8002 Zürich
Good for: Serious swimmers, sipping rosé at sunset, winter saunas
Not so good for: Kids
Entrance: SFr8 (about $9/£7)
Open: 8am–8pm (reduced opening hours in bad weather)
FYI: Enge hosts a series of super-hip parties, music concerts and events throughout the summer
Website; Directions
Enge is small but has the full range of Badi facilities on offer. It’s the newest, and arguably most dynamic of the city’s baths. The facility is divided into two floating platforms: one is reserved for the exclusive use of women.
For more serious swimmers, there are two 44m lanes that stretch out into the lake (closed, like most of the Badi, in the winter due to freezing temperatures). Swimming lessons and coaching for all levels are available to book. A rotating cast of masseuses and masseurs through the week offer a range of different bookable therapies, from shiatsu to acupuncture.
A small on-site restaurant serves barbecue food and light meals. Tables on the decks can be reserved and groups can book catering packages — ideal for small parties. And after the summer, the women’s platform is converted into a Finnish-style sauna experience, where visitors can work up a sweat and then plunge into the gelid waters of the lake.
On a clear day, all this is set against the spectacular backdrop of the Alps in the distance.
Tell us where you like to go open-air swimming in Zürich in the comments below
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This story originally appeared on: Financial Times - Author:Sam Jones
