Jump in! Europe's ten best cities for swimming

Times

5 days ago

Ever heard that song by the Lovin' Spoonful? 'Hot town, summer in the city, back of my neck gettin' dirt' and gritty …' I think of it every time someone suggests a city break at this time of year.
But it needn't be like that. Not if you visit one of these ten European cities, and throw yourself into the nearest lake or river, just as the locals do. Each one of them has a vibrant summer swimming scene — as well as waters that are, usually, clean: provided you follow two golden rules. Check the water quality websites first and, after heavy rain, avoid taking the plunge for a couple of days.
So pack your swimmers and get ready to transform your understanding of what a summer city break can be. No longer 'hotter than a matchhead', as Lovin' Spoonful put it, but outdoorsy, adventurous and even refreshing. Hotel prices are for August dates.
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With the sun out, and its lakes and harbours a-glitter, Stockholm's summer scene has few rivals. Bike rides beckon through leafy Djurgarden park. Waterside photography exhibitions at Fotografiska, a cool, converted customs house, bring creative flair. And whenever you need a swim, you're never far from a beach or a pontoon. Brunnsviksbadet is one of the loveliest — up by the university and on a tree-fringed lake (free; parker.stockholm). Meanwhile, down on fashionable Sodermalm Island, the cute Hotel Hellstens Malmgard is close to the Tunnelbana metro line that will whisk you there. Details B&B doubles from £107 (hellstensmalmgard.se). Fly to Stockholm
Temperatures have already hit 35C in Berlin this summer. So it's good to know the German capital is surrounded by swimming lakes, where the water quality is monitored every fortnight (berlin.de/lageso). High on your splash-list should be the Schlachtensee (free; visitberlin.de) for its clear waters and forest vibe, as well as the historic Strandbad Wannsee, which is home to a buzzing, 1,200m beach (£4.50; berlinerbaeder.de). Both are in the western suburbs, near the Nikolassee S-Bahn stop. So the central 25Hours Hotel Bikini Berlin is a canny perch. Not only does its proximity to the Zoo station railway hub make catching suburban trains a cinch, its hip rooftop bar has sensational views too.Details B&B doubles from £146 (25hours-hotels.com). Fly to Berlin
• Discover our guide to the world's best city breaks
After a £1.2 billion clean-up, the Seine in Paris opened this month for public swimming. It closed again the following day (for four days), thanks to pollutants released by heavy rain. But whenever the weather settles you'll be able to take the plunge in one of three lifeguarded areas until August 31; at the Bras Marie, the Bras de Grenelle and the Quai de Bercy (paris.fr/paris-en-seine-2025). Water quality is tested daily and only 600 swimmers are allowed in at any one time. In other words, don't expect just to show up and swim. But bring your bathers anyway — because you can always swim in the Canal St Martin if the Seine itself is too busy. The highly rated La Planque Hôtel, in the trendy 10th arrondissement, is ten minutes' walk away.Details Room-only doubles from £108 (laplanquehotel.com). Take the train to Paris
• I swam in the Seine. Was it magnifique or murky?
Yes, Copenhagen's seafront districts are edged with beaches, but the real thrill here is dunking in one of its harbour baths, in the heart of the city. Islands Brygge is the pin-up venue. In a defiantly urban setting, it offers both a swimming and a diving pool — with the bars and restaurants of the old Meatpacking district beckoning across the water when you're done (free; svoemkbh.kk.dk). The quayside Kanalhuset nearby is a characterful place to sleep. As with all the city's harbour pools, water quality is monitored daily (badevand.dk).Details Room-only doubles from £208 (kanalhusetcph.com). Fly to Copenhagen
Munich's swimming scene is a thrill thanks to the Isar River. A five-mile stretch was rewilded between 2000 and 2011 and strenuous efforts were made to improve its water quality (in part with UV sterilisation). The result is a long and self-regulating streak of rapids, gravel banks and greenery that doubles as a summer water park. Not all of it is open. Wassily Kandinsky's incandescent, early 20th-century art, on view in the Lenbachaus, is your cultural counterpoint (£9; lenbachhaus.de). Not far from the river the elegant, oak-floored Hotel Deutsche Eiche is a restful overnight perch.Details B&B doubles from £183 (deutsche-eiche.de)
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Abandon those buttoned-down banker stereotypes. In summer Zurich is awash with swimsuits and bikinis, as the locals flock to lakeside lidos such as Seebad Enge (£7; seebadenge.ch) as well as the River Limmat, which rushes through the city centre. Here, you can float past Werd Island at the Au-Höngg pool or swim some current-assisted lengths past the crowds at the Flussbad Oberer Letten outdoor pool (both are free; zuerich.com). Water quality is checked monthly (zh.ch). Nearby, on the west bank, the Landesmuseum's collections of art, design and archaeology offer insight into Swiss culture — and it has a summer exhibition devoted to techno music (£12; landesmuseum.ch). The smart, unfussy Hotel Helmhaus is close to both.Details Room-only doubles from £301 (helmhaus.ch). Fly to Zurich
A sauna isn't your typical hot-weather treat, but in Oslo, where you'll find them floating alongside every city-centre quay so you can dive straight back into the fjord when you're done (from £23; koknorge.no). Meanwhile, pick of the city's three urban beaches is the Operastranda, which backs onto the museum devoted to everyone's favourite art master of angst, Edvard Munch. So don't forget to scream when you jump in off the diving platform (see oslo.kommune.no for the latest water-quality reports). The contemporary Clarion hotel is close both to the beach and the city's iceberg-shaped opera house.Details B&B doubles from £167 (strawberry.no)
We know Vienna for many things: waltzes, wedding-cake architecture, Gustav Klimt's shimmering masterpiece The Kiss. But can we please add bouncing to the list? Because the world's largest floating trampoline park lies just beyond the city centre on the New Danube (from £4; danubejumping.at). A 13-mile canal that's part of Vienna's flood defences it's a lot cleaner than the actual river and plays host to urban beaches, alfresco bars and diving platforms — as does the Old Danube just north of it (wien.info). Go to wien.gv.at for water-quality updates, while the bright, buzzy Ruby Lissi Hotel is a canny place to stay. It's only four stops from the water on the U1 underground line.Details B&B doubles from £114 (ruby-hotels.com). Fly to Vienna
It's known as Le U Lacustre — the big U formed by the shoreline at the western end of Lake Geneva — and it's dotted with beaches and swimming pontoons. Some are right inside the city. So you segue from the glittering boutiques of the rue du Rhône to taking the plunge at Les Bains du Jet d'Eau — by the famous 450ft fountain (geneve.ch). Others are more suburban, such as the cool, doughnut-ring Pontons de Cologny. But in summer they're all served by the new 29 bus service (tpg.ch/fr/ligne-des-plages). All have extraordinarily clear waters too — which is no wonder, given 90 per cent of Geneva's drinking water comes from the lake. The Ruby Claire hotel is close to both the swimming and the shops.Details Room-only doubles from £100 (ruby-hotels.com). Fly to Geneva
In Amsterdam city-centre swimming took a big step forward this year — when the Binnenhaven harbour pool became an official swimming spot. With a replica Dutch East India Company sailing ship moored next door, and the Maritime Museum beckoning beyond, it's a deeply nautical spot. Visit marineterrein.nl for daily updates on water temperature and quality. But if you prefer somewhere leafier, head to de Oeverlanden, on the Nieuwe Meer lake, just outside the city (see watermaplive.net for water quality). Near the Binnenhaven, the Hendrick's Hotel has lashings of canalside character.Details Room-only doubles from £155 (thehendrickshotel.com). Fly or take the train to Amsterdam
Have we missed your favourite swimming city? Let us know in the comments