Winter swimming 2026: where to get into cold water in Switzerland, and why Geneva bathes for 8 months

On the first Sunday in December, Zurich and the Blausee offer 900 places between them for a dip in icy water; two weeks later Geneva's harbour has 4,500 places. In between lies a season you have to look for: lakeside saunas that fire up in October, women-only Mondays, a lake bath watched over by lifeguards. We read 13 winter swimming spots in 5 cantons on their operators' own websites.

Ice bathing Switzerland: two forms, one winter

Winter swimming in Switzerland comes in two forms: 3 events with a fixed day and course, and 10 winter baths with a season and opening hours, 9 of them with a sauna. The first bath opens on 20 September 2026.

People searching for "ice bathing" usually want a place, not an event: a bath that is open in winter, with a changing room, a warm shower and a ladder into cold water. Almost all of these places are saunas by a lake or river: the Rhine in Basel, the yurts on the Aare in Bern, Lake Geneva in Lausanne and Geneva, Lake Zurich in Küsnacht, Stäfa and Richterswil. Only one spot in our surveyworks without a sauna: winter swimming at Zurich's Seebad Utoquai, where a club opens the cold water under lifeguard supervision. Then there are the big days: the Samichlausschwimmen across the Limmat, the Blausee swim in the Bernese Oberland and the Coupe de Noël. The season starts earlier than you would think: the first bath opens on 20 September 2026.

Winter swimming 2026: every verified bath and event

13 verified spots in 5 cantons in one list: 3 dated events and 10 winter baths with a season start, filterable by canton and status.

What no aggregator gives you: every line with a link to the page we read it on, and with the caveat the operator makes. Where a 2026/27 season has not yet been firmly published, it is listed as open.

By canton: from Geneva's harbour to the Rhine

5 cantons are covered so far, German- and French-speaking. In our survey Lake Zurich has the most spots, Geneva the most places.

The map shows how many verified spots we list per canton, and so also where our survey is still thin. A pale canton does not mean nobody swims there in winter; it means we have not yet found a spot with a published 2026/27 season.

Ice bathing tips: what to know before your first time

Cold can be planned. The three most common mistakes: turning up at a closed bath, travelling without a ticket to a sold-out event, and underestimating what sauna and cold ask of your heart.

1. 1
   Start where someone is watchingAt Zurich's Utoquai, lifeguards supervise winter swimming, and there are introductory sessions at 11.30 am and 12.30 pm at weekends. For a first time, that beats a lonely jetty.
2. 2
   The events sell out within hoursZurich's Samichlausschwimmen sold out on the evening sales opened in 2025. For 2026, sales start on Monday 30 November at 5 pm. For the Coupe de Noël, the fancy-dress heats open on Saturday 10 October at 1 pm.
3. 3
   Monday is often women onlyIn 4 of the verified baths, Monday is for women; in Geneva and Lausanne it is Tuesday. The compass flags it for any day.
4. 4
   Not every sauna takes cashIn Richterswil and at Lausanne's Bains des Rives you pay by card or Twint only. You can book almost nowhere: Küsnacht, Stäfa, Uster, Basel and Bern explicitly take no reservations.
5. 5
   Take your circulation seriouslyBern's Sauna Lorrainebad advises against the sauna with problematic high blood pressure, heart, circulation or kidney conditions, and with a cough, cold or flu; generally also during pregnancy. If in doubt, ask your doctor first.
6. 6
   Put your swimsuit on at homeThe Samichlausschwimmen organisers ask for this because there is only a small tent at the start. Your clothes are taken to the finish in your own bag.

Coupe de Noël Geneva: why the harbour has swum in December since 1934

The Coupe de Noël is the oldest sporting event in the canton of Geneva. It began in 1934 with fewer than ten swimmers and has been on Switzerland's list of living traditions since 2023, as «La nage en hiver».

A Mr Doria of the Cercle des Nageurs de Genève had seen Christmas swimmers on the Seine in Paris. In 1934 fewer than ten competitors swam between the Pont de l'Île and the Passerelle de l'Île, with prizes donated by his family's pasta and biscuit firm. The Paris race did not survive the Second World War; Geneva's kept growing. Today it lasts two days, spectators get in free, and a wood-fired hot tub awaits the swimmers. For 2026 there are 4,500 places, and the entry fee rises from 40 to 45 francs after more than a decade. In Zurich the custom is younger: since 2000 people have swum across the Limmat around St Nicholas Day, and the Frauenbad at Stadthausquai opens in winter for it once a year. The date matches many St Nicholas events: the first Sunday in December. A week before the Coupe, Geneva celebrates the Escalade.

«Contrairement à la Coupe de Noël de Paris dont Doria s'inspire et qui ne passera pas l'épreuve de la Seconde Guerre mondiale, l'attrait pour la manifestation genevoise ne fera qu'augmenter.»

Association CdN 1934, L'histoire de la Coupe de Noël (original French wording)

Season start open: why these baths are listed anyway

Of 13 spots surveyed, 3 have no firm 2026/27 start yet. We keep them, with the operators' caveat.

A winter bath depends on the weather and the water level. Zurich's Seebad Enge says on its website that it remains closed until further notice by order of the authorities because of low water; no 2026/27 season start is shown. Sauna i de Badi in Richterswil plans to open on 30/31 October «if all goes to plan». That is a plan, not a date, so both are listed as open. At Bern's Sauna Lorrainebad the 24 October start is confirmed, but we only know hours and prices from the 2025/26 season; the compass says «hours not yet published» rather than guessing. Confirmedmeans: the operator publishes this season's start, with the date we checked it.

Written by

Jana Meier

ConvivaPlus Editor · Family & Day Trips

Writes about day trips, family and local life – honestly assessing what's worth it.

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Researched & sourced · for Switzerland

Profile & all articles →·Our editorial teamUpdated 7 October 2026

🏊 Winter swimming · 7 October 2026