Basel takes summer swimming seriously. From mid-May to mid-September the Gartenbäder open their slides, diving towers and toddler pools, Riehen has a chlorine-free natural pool, and hot days bring the Rhine. In winter the indoor water parks take over, some just over the German border. Here's what we checked, from the 10m platform at Gartenbad St. Jakob to the wave pool at aquabasilea.
aquabasilea is a big indoor water park with seven slides totaling 824 meters, from the open Family Splash tube to the near-vertical Cliffdrop and the dark Extrême, which hits 59 km/h.
There's a wave pool with kickboards, a toddler pool, two wild-water channels and a current channel. Outside are a grotto, water mushrooms and a warm kids' paddling pool.
Gartenbad St. Jakob, the outdoor pool locals call the Joggeli, has a heated 50m pool, a family pool with a 1m diving pit, a non-swimmer pool and a paddling pool. Kids can go down several slides, including a speed slide, or jump from a diving tower with platforms up to 10m over its own pit.
There are also two beach volleyball courts, a kiosk and a restaurant.
An indoor water park with five pools: a wave pool over 40 meters long under a glass pyramid, a 25-meter lap pool, a 34 °C leisure pool with a wide wave slide, and an outdoor pool.
Big kids head for the 100-meter Black Hole, the wild-water slide and a funnel slide from about 10 meters up. Toddlers get a closed-off splash pool with spray animals and a mini slide.
Rulantica is the indoor water world of Europa-Park, with a Nordic theme and over 50 slides and attractions across 14 themed areas. Older kids race each other down the eight tubes of Vikingløp, while toddlers climb, roll and slide with the trolls in Trølldal.
From May to September an outdoor area opens as well, with the Svalgurok slide world, sandy beaches and the Svømmepøl pool.
Gartenbad Eglisee is an outdoor pool complex in Kleinbasel with a 50 m pool for confident swimmers, a non-swimmers' pool, a toddler pool, and a diving pool with 1 m and 3 m boards. There is also a beach volleyball court and a restaurant.
It is the city's only pool with a women-only section, the Frauenbad (locally the Fraueli), with its own 50 m and non-swimmers' pools.
A large open-air pool complex with four pools. The 50m swimmers' pool has a 6m climbing wall, a 3m diving tower and a 1m springboard. The non-swimmer pool has a slide, a current channel and water play, beginners get a learning pool with its own slide, and toddlers have a paddling pool. Around them are lawns, a beach volleyball court, outdoor fitness equipment, a kiosk and a restaurant.
A natural swimming pool designed by Herzog & de Meuron, where the water is cleaned without chemicals and the basins look like a planted lake ringed by wooden decks.
Toddlers get a shallow splash pool with water play, and non-swimmers a pool with a beach and slide. Older kids swim laps in the 25-meter pool or jump from the 1-meter board and 3-meter platform.
Rheinbad St. Johann, known locally as the Rhybeli, is a wooden river bathing house built in the 19th century below the Johanniterbrücke. Two 24-meter pools sit in the Rhine itself, next to a sun deck with free umbrellas and an Italian kiosk serving pasta, pinsa and espresso.
Swimming is unsupervised and only for strong swimmers, and the club that runs it says the layout does not suit small children.
Gitterlibad has an indoor pool hall open all year and a garden pool of more than 20,000 square meters for summer.
Inside are a 36-meter family slide, a 67-meter tube slide with light effects, a 6-meter climbing wall over the water and a 32°C baby pool with a dolphin slide. Outside: a 50-meter pool, a heated paddling pool, a play stream, a sandbox and beach volleyball.
Basel takes summer swimming seriously. From mid-May to mid-September the Gartenbäder open their slides, diving towers and toddler pools, Riehen has a chlorine-free natural pool, and hot days bring the Rhine. In winter the indoor water parks take over, some just over the German border. Here's what we checked, from the 10m platform at Gartenbad St. Jakob to the wave pool at aquabasilea.
aquabasilea is a big indoor water park with seven slides totaling 824 meters, from the open Family Splash tube to the near-vertical Cliffdrop and the dark Extrême, which hits 59 km/h.
There's a wave pool with kickboards, a toddler pool, two wild-water channels and a current channel. Outside are a grotto, water mushrooms and a warm kids' paddling pool.
Gartenbad St. Jakob, the outdoor pool locals call the Joggeli, has a heated 50m pool, a family pool with a 1m diving pit, a non-swimmer pool and a paddling pool. Kids can go down several slides, including a speed slide, or jump from a diving tower with platforms up to 10m over its own pit.
There are also two beach volleyball courts, a kiosk and a restaurant.
An indoor water park with five pools: a wave pool over 40 meters long under a glass pyramid, a 25-meter lap pool, a 34 °C leisure pool with a wide wave slide, and an outdoor pool.
Big kids head for the 100-meter Black Hole, the wild-water slide and a funnel slide from about 10 meters up. Toddlers get a closed-off splash pool with spray animals and a mini slide.
Rulantica is the indoor water world of Europa-Park, with a Nordic theme and over 50 slides and attractions across 14 themed areas. Older kids race each other down the eight tubes of Vikingløp, while toddlers climb, roll and slide with the trolls in Trølldal.
From May to September an outdoor area opens as well, with the Svalgurok slide world, sandy beaches and the Svømmepøl pool.
Gartenbad Eglisee is an outdoor pool complex in Kleinbasel with a 50 m pool for confident swimmers, a non-swimmers' pool, a toddler pool, and a diving pool with 1 m and 3 m boards. There is also a beach volleyball court and a restaurant.
It is the city's only pool with a women-only section, the Frauenbad (locally the Fraueli), with its own 50 m and non-swimmers' pools.
A large open-air pool complex with four pools. The 50m swimmers' pool has a 6m climbing wall, a 3m diving tower and a 1m springboard. The non-swimmer pool has a slide, a current channel and water play, beginners get a learning pool with its own slide, and toddlers have a paddling pool. Around them are lawns, a beach volleyball court, outdoor fitness equipment, a kiosk and a restaurant.
A natural swimming pool designed by Herzog & de Meuron, where the water is cleaned without chemicals and the basins look like a planted lake ringed by wooden decks.
Toddlers get a shallow splash pool with water play, and non-swimmers a pool with a beach and slide. Older kids swim laps in the 25-meter pool or jump from the 1-meter board and 3-meter platform.
Rheinbad St. Johann, known locally as the Rhybeli, is a wooden river bathing house built in the 19th century below the Johanniterbrücke. Two 24-meter pools sit in the Rhine itself, next to a sun deck with free umbrellas and an Italian kiosk serving pasta, pinsa and espresso.
Swimming is unsupervised and only for strong swimmers, and the club that runs it says the layout does not suit small children.
Gitterlibad has an indoor pool hall open all year and a garden pool of more than 20,000 square meters for summer.
Inside are a 36-meter family slide, a 67-meter tube slide with light effects, a 6-meter climbing wall over the water and a 32°C baby pool with a dolphin slide. Outside: a 50-meter pool, a heated paddling pool, a play stream, a sandbox and beach volleyball.
