Swimming in the lake
You swim in the lake and in the Limmat in the middle of town, and the water is drinkable.
Duration
1 hr 30 min – 3 hrs
Best time
Late afternoon, May to September
Open
Every day
Entry price
To confirm
Zurich swims in the middle of town, and that is the point: the water of the lake and the Limmat is of drinking quality, monitored continuously, and around twenty Badis — public baths on piles — open from May to September.
The Frauenbad, women only during the day, dates from 1888 and becomes a bar in the evening. The Flussbad Oberer Letten is the most popular: you get in upstream, let the Limmat carry you four hundred metres, and climb out by a ladder. Most charge nothing or a few francs.
Getting there
Flussbad Oberer Letten is ten minutes from the station; Seebad Enge and the Frauenbad are on the lakeshore in the centre.
What the price covers
the municipal badis charge a small entry; the open banks are free
What to bring
- Windbreaker
- Swimsuit
Rules on site
The Badis only open from May to September, and they close in cold weather or when the river is high. In the Limmat you cannot swim back up: find the exit ladder before you get in.