Summer in Zurich (when it finally arrives) offers some of the best ways to enjoy this city. The following are five ideas of how you can make enjoy the sun while it lasts here in Zurich without heading straight to the airport.
1. Discover Zurich’s outdoor swimming pools
The city of Zurich has over 18 outdoor swimming pools that are open to the public. Many of these are natural outdoor pools where you can swim in the lake or one of Zurich’s rivers.
The city has a set admission price of 8 CHF for a single adult entry ticket or 4 CHF for late evening entry.
However, if you expect to make use of the pools each week then the Summer pass for 110 CHF might well be worth it. With the seasonal pass, you can enter all of the pools that are part of the scheme with the same ticket for the flat rate of 110 CHF for the Summer.
In case you don’t want to wait in line or fight for a spot for your towel, you can check how full the pools are before you go on this useful page.
The top outdoor pools according to the Kreis you live in
Kreis 1: The single-sex Frauen and Männerbadi’s
The Frauenbadi is situated on the Limmat River in the old town, just a 3-minute walk from Paradeplatz. It is the perfect place for women to tan, swim, or read a book in peace and quiet.
The men’s bath is located at the Schanzengraben and at 8 pm in Summer it transforms into the popular Rimini Bar.
Kreis 2: See and be seen at the Seebad Enge
Badi Enge is the place for young, twenty-somethings to go after work. Its located right on lake Zurich, near the Rentenwiese across from the Swiss Re building.
The excellent pool kiosk serves delicious breakfasts and freshly made, light summer snacks.
Kreis 3: Chillout at Oberer Letten
You can go to the public pool at Oberer Letten or simply grab a spot along the busy boardwalk and sit back and watch people float by down the river.
Kreis 8: Relax and watch the sunset at Seebad Utoquai
If you walk along the lakeside promenade towards Zurichhorn, you will come across the Seebad Utoquai.
With single-sex sections for men and women, as well as a mixed area, this public pool offers something for everyone.
It’s also the best place to go for an evening swim and then watch the sun go down.
2. Catch a movie at an outdoor cinema
Zurich has a number of outdoor cinemas where you can watch your favourite movie and enjoy the fresh summer air.
Two of my favourite open air cinema’s are Filmfluss, located at the Unterer Letten pools, and the Allianz Cinema, near Zurichhorn.
Both Cinema’s do not include a seat reservation with the tickets, so it its worth it to arrive early in order to snag a good seat.
The next Allianz outdoor cinema season will take place this year from the 2nd to the 31st of August 2022. Films start after sundown, check out the film programme here.
3. Tour Zurich’s rooftop bars
One of my missions this year has been to try out all of Zurich’s rooftop bars. Zurich has a number of rooftops scattered around the city, some are well-known and others are a little harder to find.
My personal favourite is the newly opened Nest at the Hotel Storchen. As it just recently opened, it’s relatively under-discovered and a great tip for elegant drinks with a friend or date in the evening.
The rooftop is open during good weather from April to the October.
Just be prepared for Zurich level prices! But the view from the top and the lovely bar staff easily make up for the tab at the end of the night.
4. Dance the summer evenings away
Many of the public swimming pools in Zurich transform into bars in the evening. The Frauenbadi is one of them, turning into the Barfussbar at 8pm.
On Wednesday there’s live music from around the Zurich region and entrance is free. You just need to be lucky to get a good spot.
On Sunday evenings the bar hosts Sunday dance sessions. Entry is 16 CHF and you can dance the night away on the Limmat.
It’s not called the Barfussbar without reason though!
As long as temperatures are over 20 °C guests take their shoes off and go barefoot. However, if you don’t feel like baring your toes, you can also borrow slippers from the bar.
5. Spend Sunday floating down the Limmat
One of the absolute favourite Swiss Summer activities is to float down the rivers.
In Bern, they float down the Aare, in Basel the Rhein, in Aargau the Reuss, and in Zurich the Limmat.
Seeing heads bobbing down the river is a Swiss summer staple. Many take rubber boats to float down the river, often towing cold beers in the water alongside the boats.
In Zurich, the main entry point for rubber boats is the Wipkingenpark. From here you can easily inflate the boat, jump in and begin the lazy journey down the river.
Just remember to exit before the Höngger Wehr!
Pay attention to the signage on the river and make sure to prepare for the exit in advance. There is nothing to stop boots from going over the Wehr and risking serious danger.
From there, you have to carry the boat around the Wehr to enter the water again, relax and float all the way to Dietikon.
On arrival in Dietikon, you can easily take the train back to Zurich with the hordes of other boaties and if you haven’t had enough go for a second time.
Before planning your Limmat rubber boat float check out the city website for helpful tips and current alerts.