12 Best Outdoor Swimming “Badis” near Zurich (for kids)

Zurich has so many wonderful outdoor swimming areas for families, including pools, lakes, and rivers. You probably have a neighborhood favorite, but it can also be fun to try something new. We’ve listed our favorites here. For a complete list of all swimming areas in Switzerland, check out badi-info.ch.

Note: Buy your Zurich city summer swim pass before 31.May and get a little discount, , only CHF 30 for kids 6 to 16 for the whole summer. It covers outdoor and indoor pools and lake swimming in Zurich city. Buy online here…

Lake Swimming, aka Strandbad or Freibad

There are lots of “Strandbads” along Zurich lake, which usually involve a roped off place to swim in the lake, a park with lots of grass, a small kiddie pool, a playground, a restaurant, bathrooms, changing rooms, etc. There are several free strandbads along the lake, some with services, many without.

The Zurich summer “badi” pass includes the Mythenquai and Tiefenbrunnen lake swimming, aka “Strandbad”. These swim areas open officially for summer middle of May through early September. Outside of this time they are open and free, so if the weather is good in early spring and late fall, you can use these areas for free, but the services will not be open.

1. Strandbad Mythenquai

Our favorite strandbad is the Mythenquai because it has a sandy beach and shallow swimming areas appropriate for small children. Most other lakeside swimming areas in Zurich have rocky shores.

Mythenquai 95, 8002 Zürich   www.stadt-zuerich.ch

They also have a kiddie splash pool with lots of sprays and a river for toys to float down. It’s only knee-deep which means you don’t always have to be in the water managing your child, which is particularly helpful when you’re juggling multiple children.

The shoreline is one of the only places with sand for digging. Most other places have pebble beaches.

The park has a small playground, plenty of grass for running and ball playing, a grilling area. The cafe is run by Hiltl, a vegetarian restaurant, with an affordable CHF 5 bowl for children, that they can fill with anything on the buffet. On busy days, there is a separate grill cart offering sausages and other meat options.

There’s a large parking lot that costs only 50 rappen per hour. You can also take Tram 7 to Brunaustrasse, then a short walk through a park. Or you can catch bus 161 or 165 from Burkliplatz that drop off right outside the entrance.

2. Strandbad Tiefenbrunnen

If you live on the gold coast, you’re more likely to go to Tiefenbrunnen, which has a great waterslide that spills into the lake. It also has a small kiddie pool and some play equipment. It doesn’t have a sandy beach, but it does have a shallow enclosed swimming hole in the lake.

Bellerivestrasse 200, 8008 Zürich  www.stadt-zuerich.ch

Photo credit: © Roland Fischer, Zürich (Switzerland) – via Wikimedia Commons

3. Seebad Kilchberg

I like this one because it has a waterslide going into the lake (but the lake bottom is rocky and seriously hurts your feet) and it has a proper pool set back from the lake if you want something less murky.

Seestrasse 205, 8802 Kilchberg  www.seebad-kilchberg.ch

4. Seebad Ruschlikon

This swimming area is free but still has extras like a kiddie splash pool, a sand pit with sand toys, small playground, small water slide, diving platforms in the water, a restaurant, changing rooms, WC and a wonderfully maintained grassy area.

Seestrasse 23, 8803 Rüschlikon www.rueschlikon.ch

Zurich City Pools

If you have a Zurich summer badi pass, you can get into any Zurich city pool (both indoor and outdoor) not just the one where you bought the pass. All of these pools have very limited metered parking, so it’s better to take public transport if you can. At almost any pool, you can expect a partially shaded kiddie splash pool, a shallow non-swimmer pool, a deep lap pool, lots of grass, a playground, and a restaurant.

5. Letzigraben

Older kids will love the wave pool and the 10 m high diving platform. The non-swimmer pool has a graduated entry, like a beach, ideal for little kids. It also has lots of sprays and fountains in the non-swimmer pool (not just the kiddie splash pool), good for kids of all ages.

Edelweissstrasse 5, 8048 Zürich  www.stadt-zuerich.ch

6. Heuried

We go here for the big water slide. Little kids will like the splash pool and playground. It was renovated in 2017 so we are excited to see how it’s changed.

Wasserschöpfi 71, 8055 Zürich  www.stadt-zuerich.ch

Outdoor Pools near Zurich

Here are my other favorite pools near Zurich (not included in the Zurich badi pass):

8. Freibad Kloten Schluefweg

This is our new favorite pool and the kids ask to go there all the time. The kids love the steep water slides off the sides of this rocket ship. There’s also a very nice ropes course adjacent to the pool, whose fees also include pool entrance.

Schluefweg 10, 8302 Kloten  www.schluefweg.ch

9. Fohrbach Zollikon

Everyone loves this pool. It has both indoor and outdoor pools, two water slides inside, another water slide outside, a big pirate ship with a slide, lots of sprays, etc. Parking is close and metered.

Witellikerstrasse 47, 8702 Zollikon  badizollikon.ch

10. Schwimmendbad Geren, Birmensdorf

This was my favorite pool when my kids were little because it has a playground and sand pit right next to the kiddie pool. So as a mom, you can stay in one place and monitor your kids across the various entertainments. The big pool has a water slide and diving boards to entertain older kids. Parking is close and free but on a busy weekend, you might have a park in the overflow lot and walk a bit.

Gerenstrasse 30, 8903 Birmensdorf  www.birmensdorf.ch

11. Adliswil

My kids love the wide, bumpy water slide that the big kids do all sorts of crazy stuff on. But it’s fun for the little ones too. The kiddie pool and adjacent playground are quite nice.

Talstrasse 10, 8134 Adliswil  www.adliswil.ch

12. Schwimmendbad Lättich, Baar

People love this pool! It has indoor and outdoor. Outside, there is a big water slide and an extra splashy kiddie pool. Inside, there’s a lazy river, diving area, an extra splashy kiddie pool, etc. Paid parking can get full on a busy weekend.

Lättichstrasse 10, 6340 Baar  www.baar.ch

Map of swimming areas near Zürich

Here’s a map of many swimming areas near Zurich. Click image for an interactive version.

Lastly, here are a couple sites that show the water temperatures for Swiss badis, including lakes.
http://sospo.myswitzerland.com
http://www.wiewarm.ch/

This sites shows all badis in Switzerland.
http://www.badi-info.ch/