Swimming In Lake Zurich: Best Spots & Tips

swimming lake zurich

Summer is the perfect season to visit any city in Switzerland. It’s nice and warm outside, so you can walk around wearing loose and lightweight clothes while exploring the most popular historic attractions. And if you’re lucky enough to be visiting Zurich, you can go swimming during your trip!

Lake Zurich is perfectly safe for swimming, and it attracts many tourists and locals to its shores. Whether you want to cool down on a particularly hot day, or you just want to get away from the crowds of the city center and spend some time in nature, Lake Zurich is the perfect destination. This guide to swimming in Lake Zurich covers all the best public beaches in the city, from those that have BBQ areas and ping pong tables, to public lidos with bars and loungers!

Is It Safe to Swim in Lake Zurich?

lake zurich
Lake Zurich

Yes, it’s perfectly safe to swim in Lake Zurich. This is one of the largest lakes in the country, and every summer it attracts countless locals and tourists to its shores. There are many public and private beaches and bathing clubs along the lake shore, and during the peak of summer, the beaches can get very crowded.

The water in the lake is clean and entirely safe for swimmers, and the biggest danger would be the boats and ships that cruise on the lake. As long as you watch out for the vehicles, you will have a great experience with Zurich Lake swimming.

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Best Spots for Swimming in Lake Zurich

Lake Zurich is quite big and there are many places where can people swim comfortably. If you’re looking for privacy, you could always find a secluded spot with an easy entrance into the lake somewhere along the shore, but I would recommend the public beaches and open-air baths for people who aren’t the most experienced swimmers or simply prefer to have company.

Strandbad Mythenquai

Strandbad Mythenquai
Strandbad Mythenquai

Strandbad Mythenquai is one of the best beaches in the city of Zurich. It’s situated in the western area of the town, just below the Sukkulenten-Sammlung botanical garden. It’s a sandy beach with a vast grassy area that offers plenty of spots for sunbathing, but also enough shade so you can hide from the sun if that’s what you prefer.

This is one of the public baths with diving platforms and diving boards. You can jump into the lake as many times as you want, or you can simply walk into the water. The gradual entrance into the lake makes the beach great for families with smaller kids since there are enough areas where the water is shallow enough for non-swimmers and children who are learning how to swim.

This beach has an entrance fee of 8 CHF for a single visit, although you can get combi tickets and season tickets with a significant discount.

Strandbad Tiefenbrunnen

Strandbad Tiefenbrunnen
Strandbad Tiefenbrunnen © 2023 City of Zurich

Strandbad Tiefenbrunnen is on the eastern shore of Lake Zurich, just south of the city’s famous Chinese Garden. This bathing area features outdoor pools that are great for kids and non-swimmers, plus there is easy access to deeper water in the lake from the platforms around the outdoor pool.

In addition to the enclosed swimming pool, this beach also boasts a large grassy area that’s great for picnics, sunbathing, and just plain fun times. The beach area features a cafe, showers, and bathroom, so you’ll have easy access to all the amenities you could possibly need for a day on the beach.

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Entrance to the beach is charged 8 CHF for adults, 4 CHF for children under the age of 6, and 6 CHF for teens up to 16 years of age. Water lovers who want to visit this beach multiple times during the season can purchase combined or seasonal tickets that grant them as many entrances as they want with a significant discount.

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Seebad Utoquai

Seebad Utoquai
Seebad Utoquai © 2023 City of Zurich

Seebad Utoquai is a bathing house that dates back to the 19th century. It’s on the western shore of the lake, about halfway between the Zurich Opera House and the Riesbach observation deck. The public bathhouse is kind of small and it attracts many locals and tourists, so crowds in the summer months are very common.

If you’re fine with crowds, you could very well enjoy this public swimming area. It’s got an easy entrance into the deeper water of the lake, so you could do some proper swimming. There’s also a cafe on-site, where you can sit down at a table with an umbrella to get some shade. The deck of Seebad Utoqai is a popular spot for sunbathing, and finding a spot for your towel is often just like playing Tetris.

Entrance to Seebad Utoquai is charged 8 CHF for adults, and just like with other public swimming areas in Zurich, you can purchase various seasonal tickets that offer multiple entrances with a discount.

Seebad Enge

Seebad Enge
Seebad Enge ©2023 Tonttu, GmbH, Zurich

Seebad Enge is a public bath house on the western lake shore in Rentenwiese Park. It’s a good option if you’re looking for outdoor pools in Zurich since the bathhouse has two smaller pools on the lake, as well as easy entrance into the open-lake area.

This bath house features a mixed area and a women’s only area. The two places are mirrored and they’re basically just two decks where different types of crowds are allowed. The women’s only area is certainly a great option for women who want to avoid any stares or might feel self-conscious about stripping to a bathing suit.

There’s also a cafe/restaurant here that serves drinks and food to all guests. The bathhouse also offers fantastic views of Lake Zurich, and it’s truly a place where you could enjoy yourself for hours, if not an entire day. Entrance is just 8 CHF per person, plus it’s possible to get seasonal and annual subscriptions with unlimited entrances.

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Tips for Swimming in Lake Zurich

Lake Zurich
Lake Zurich

It’s possible to swim in the lake for free. Lake Zurich has several public beaches that don’t charge an entrance fee, and which are available to all guests free of charge. The use of other facilities near the lake (bathroom, wardrobe, changing rooms, shower, etc.) could be charged, so keep that in mind.

If you’re staying in the city for a while and you plan on going swimming many times during your stay, consider purchasing a seasonal pass for one of the public lidos.

There often aren’t any lifeguards around, so don’t go in the water if you aren’t a very confident swimmer. Swimming in rivers and lakes is very different from swimming in public pools, and it’s usually an activity only experienced and confident swimmers should do.

Go to the beach early in the morning or late in the afternoon if you want to avoid the crowds. Otherwise, be prepared to struggle to find a free spot to put down a towel.

Written by Ashley Faulkes
As a twenty-year resident of Switzerland, I am passionate about exploring every nook and cranny of this beautiful country, I spend my days deep in the great Swiss outdoors, and love to share these experiences and insights with fellow travel enthusiasts.

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