Swimming in Switzerland's Lakes and Rivers

The first time I set eyes on Lac Léman, the crescent-shaped lake straddling Switzerland and France (known as Lake Geneva in English), I was captivated by its beauty. I was aboard La Suisse, the beautiful Belle Époque steamer built in 1910 and restored in 2009 — it glides across the water with the grace of another era.

To absorb another perspective, I took the train along the lake’s edge to Montreux, admiring the dreamy seascape created by mist, sunshine, and blue sky. Then a mountain train to Vevey, a town perched above Montreux, to see the lake from above. F. Scott Fitzgerald had marveled at this same view in 1930 while plottingTender Is the Night while his wife Zelda stayed at the Valmont clinic nearby.

I love Switzerland’s lakes and river. I’ve swum in them. Boated on them. Camped beside them. Enjoyed waterside rooms in fine hotels. Visited old lidos and sea baths. I swim in Paris every day — usually in chlorinated pools — but swimming in Switzerland’s fresh waters is something else.

Here’s what I mean.

Lac Léman
Staying at The Ritz-Carlton Hotel de la Paix in Geneva in a suite overlooking the lake was one way of exploring Swiss water. Another was to join brave locals throwing themselves from swimming platforms near Pointe de la Jonction into the Rhône. The current runs strong, and I didn’t fancy ending up downstream, so I stayed by the steps, close to people enjoying wine by the river. A short walk from the Ritz was Bains des Pâquis, where locals swim in Lake Geneva and sunbathe on rocks at the water’s edge. Opened in 1872 and operating year-round through plunging winter temperatures, it remains one of Geneva’s most beloved spots. I swam with the swans and basked in sunshine.

Across the lake in Montreux, I watched the lake change colors as night fell from my balcony at the beautiful Art Deco Fairmont Le Montreux Palace. The hotel spa borders the lake, offering sun loungers on the lawn, two pools, hot tubs, and more — all ways to luxuriate near water.

Lake Zürich
Zürich offered more lake adventures. The legendary five-star Dolder Grand sits up a mountain, reachable by funicular. The outdoor Jacuzzis, black marble pool, and hot stone relaxation beds offer prime views of the city and Lake Zürich. Equally compelling is Frauenbad Stadthausquai, the historic, women-only bathhouse on the Limmat River at the mouth of the lake. I spent an afternoon swimming in two protected swimming areas, taking breaks at the café and the library.

Lake Lugano
The Lido in Lugano offers spectacular views of surrounding mountains. I spent a happy afternoon swimming in the lido’s lake area and doing laps in the Olympic pool — inaugurated in 1928 and still charming. A small slice of heaven.

Lake Walensee
I intended to stay two nights but remained a week camping at Murg Camping on Lake Walensee. Situated in eastern Switzerland with views of the imposing Churfirsten mountains, it’s breathtakingly beautiful. The campsite has a beach where I spent days swimming out to the diving platform, catching the last sunshine, walking around the bay.

Lake Lucern
At Seebad, a historic 1885 lakeside resort, I swam in two lakefront pools fed directly by Lake Lucerne’s crystalline water. The old-world wooden changing rooms and sun-bleached diving platforms have barely changed in over a century, offering a glimpse into Switzerland’s enduring swimming culture.

Rheinschwimmen in Basel
Basels many riverside swimming clubs give bathers direct access to the fresh waters of the Rhine River, like Rheinbad St. Johann, a 1887 bathing house below the Johanniterbrücke Bridge, and Rheinbad Breite, which has two bathing platforms with sunbathing areas. I followed an old gentleman who said nothing made him feel as young as swimming. What enchanted me on my morning swim: cargo containers, police boats and competitive rowing teams sharing the water.

The grand hotel Les Trois Rois offers a more refined approach to Basel’s Rhine swimming tradition. Their Rhine swimming kit is a waterproof bag guests can use to stash their belongings during their swims, an amenity that's as local as can be. The hotel’s prime location on the river bank means guests can step from their rooms, cross the promenade, and join locals floating downstream, then recover at the hotel’s spa and riverside terrace, watching other swimmers drift past.

Switzerland’s lakes cast a spell. Each offers something different — grand hotels or simple campsites, historic baths or wild rivers, Belle Époque steamers or diving platforms. But all share that pristine alpine water, that particular Swiss clarity, that sense of being somewhere both ancient and perfectly preserved. I’ll return. The lakes are calling.