Urban River Swimming in Switzerland

In recent weeks, many people have shared a video with me via Instagram showing the Swiss commuting back from work - carried away by the current of a river. Some of my friends wanted to make sure that this was true or that it couldn't be true after all. So I'm here with a fun little article to shed light on an activity that is so surprising for tourists, but so normal for us.

Urban river bathing is something that the Swiss do in summer. We jump into the river and emerge a few hundred meters downstream, our belongings in a dry bag. We use the rivers as a mode of transportation, to hang out with friends after work, to refresh during our lunch break, and sometimes even to meet up in the evening.

A picture from last year in Zurich

Where Is This Tradition Coming From?

Many Swiss cities are crossed by a river. The Aare runs through Bern, the Rhine through Basel, the Rhone through Geneva, and the Limmat through Zurich. One factor that contributed to this tradition is the increasing water quality. Over the past few decades, most regions have succeeded in improving water quality to the point where swimming in the middle of the city has become possible.

However, there is a historical aspect to this custom, and I came across two explanations, one for the City of Zurich and another for the City of Basel:

On the website of the City of Zurich, I found the following explanation, a little dive into Swiss history:

The Romans laid the foundations for Zurich’s bathing cult by building the first bath at what is now Weinplatz. At the beginning of the 19th century, awareness of the importance of personal hygiene increased. As it was cheaper to build public baths than to provide every household with running water, the first closed bathhouses were erected. For example, in 1837 the “Frauenbady” was built. This was replaced in 1888 by the present-day Frauenbad on Stadthausquai. Before long, additional so-called “Kastenbäder” (timber box bathhouses) were built, which used the more pleasant and cleaner water away from the lake shore or in the middle of the river. By 1900, there were a total of 10 such bathing facilities for women and for men.

In the City of Basel, there's an additional explanation for this:

The astounding popularity of swimming in the Rhine in Basel dates back many centuries. The activity was given a virtuous touch when nuns from the Klingental abbey took advantage of the Rhine on hot summer days in the 15th century. When swimming in open areas of the Rhine was banned in the 19th century, construction of bathing areas was initiated. Their resounding success led to a total of four bathing areas, two of which are still in operation today. In the 1930s the ban on swimming in open areas of the Rhine was lifted.

Zurich's and Bern's Bathing Culture

Although I have experienced river bathing in Bern and Zurich, Zurich holds a special place in my heart since I lived there for a few years.

Here's a video from our trip to Zurich last year:

In Zurich, there are several old public baths located along the Limmat river. One I would like to highlight is the Frauenbadi, where you can enjoy swimming through the Old Town against the backdrop of the Grossmünster Church. As night falls, these baths turn into a bar. Established in 1837 as a modest 'bathing house for women,' the Frauenbadi stands as the city's oldest bathhouse. While it remains exclusively open to women during the day, it opens up for everyone in the evening.

Source: Zurich City

In our capital, Bern, people have a special connection to their river Aare; it's a love story. No one can beat the views in Bern, where you have a beautiful view of the government building. There's even a rumor that our politicians might go for a swim when they have a break from their heavy debates.

Source: City of Bern

Disclaimer: Swimming in rivers involves some risks, so you should only go with someone who has done it before. Some rivers have a lot of water, there are currents and you have to leave the river at certain points. In Bern, for example, we talked to the local tourism office at the train station and they told us which routes they recommended on that day.

Last Words

It's hard to imagine this practice being done in other cities like Paris or London. Paris showed us at the Olympics how difficult it was for them to clean the Seine. But wouldn't it be great to float down the Thames and pass the London Eye on the way home? :)

Read more about it in this article and check out some of the amazing pictures from Switzerland.

And if you have done it before, I hope you enjoyed it.