Zurich winters are long, and an indoor pool is one of the easiest ways to wear kids out when the lake is too cold. We picked pools with something for kids beyond lap lanes: warm paddling pools for toddlers, diving boards and long tube slides. Here's what we checked, from the city's neighborhood pools to Alpamare's wave pool on Lake Zurich.
An indoor pool hall with a 25-meter lap pool, a learner pool up to 1.5 meters deep, and a 4-meter-deep diving pool with boards at 1, 3 and 5 meters. The 110-meter tube slide is the longest in any indoor pool in the canton of Zurich.
Outside, a big lawn has a wading pool and a grill area for warm days. Private swim schools run children's classes here.
A family-friendly indoor pool run by the City of Zurich. There is a 25-meter lap pool with five lanes kept at 29°C, a separate paddling pool at 31°C and a 1-meter diving board.
On sunny, warm days the rooftop terrace opens as a water playground. The building also has a Finnish sauna, a bio sauna and a steam room.
Hallenbad City is the city's 1940s indoor pool by the Schanzengraben canal, built in the Landistil style under a tall glass roof. Its 50-meter pool, five lanes kept at 28 °C, was the first in Switzerland.
Kids who can't swim yet get a warmer non-swimmer pool at 31 °C, and a vario pool with a movable floor hosts swim courses. It is a sports pool, so lanes come before play.
Hallenbad Bläsi is a small, city-run indoor pool with a family feel. The 25-meter pool has five lanes, water at 29 °C, and a movable floor that sets the depth.
Kids get a play afternoon, when the 1-meter diving board opens. Outside there is a terrace for lying in the sun between swims, and the city runs water sports courses here.
One of the largest public pools in Switzerland, run by the city of Uster. It has a 50 m Olympic pool, a 25 m sports pool, and a 25 m fun pool kept free of lanes for open swimming.
Kids head for the 55 m water slide and the 1 m diving board, while toddlers get a 32°C splash area with free water toys.
Alpamare is a water park on the shore of Lake Zurich with 12 slides, from the Triple Slide in the toddler area to the pitch-dark Thriller tube. The wave pool sends waves over 1.2 meters high every half hour, and the outdoor Rio Mare pool has a current to float along.
The 200 m² toddler area has small slides, a paddling pool, a spraying turtle and a tipping water bucket.
Zurich winters are long, and an indoor pool is one of the easiest ways to wear kids out when the lake is too cold. We picked pools with something for kids beyond lap lanes: warm paddling pools for toddlers, diving boards and long tube slides. Here's what we checked, from the city's neighborhood pools to Alpamare's wave pool on Lake Zurich.
An indoor pool hall with a 25-meter lap pool, a learner pool up to 1.5 meters deep, and a 4-meter-deep diving pool with boards at 1, 3 and 5 meters. The 110-meter tube slide is the longest in any indoor pool in the canton of Zurich.
Outside, a big lawn has a wading pool and a grill area for warm days. Private swim schools run children's classes here.
A family-friendly indoor pool run by the City of Zurich. There is a 25-meter lap pool with five lanes kept at 29°C, a separate paddling pool at 31°C and a 1-meter diving board.
On sunny, warm days the rooftop terrace opens as a water playground. The building also has a Finnish sauna, a bio sauna and a steam room.
Hallenbad City is the city's 1940s indoor pool by the Schanzengraben canal, built in the Landistil style under a tall glass roof. Its 50-meter pool, five lanes kept at 28 °C, was the first in Switzerland.
Kids who can't swim yet get a warmer non-swimmer pool at 31 °C, and a vario pool with a movable floor hosts swim courses. It is a sports pool, so lanes come before play.
Hallenbad Bläsi is a small, city-run indoor pool with a family feel. The 25-meter pool has five lanes, water at 29 °C, and a movable floor that sets the depth.
Kids get a play afternoon, when the 1-meter diving board opens. Outside there is a terrace for lying in the sun between swims, and the city runs water sports courses here.
One of the largest public pools in Switzerland, run by the city of Uster. It has a 50 m Olympic pool, a 25 m sports pool, and a 25 m fun pool kept free of lanes for open swimming.
Kids head for the 55 m water slide and the 1 m diving board, while toddlers get a 32°C splash area with free water toys.
Alpamare is a water park on the shore of Lake Zurich with 12 slides, from the Triple Slide in the toddler area to the pitch-dark Thriller tube. The wave pool sends waves over 1.2 meters high every half hour, and the outdoor Rio Mare pool has a current to float along.
The 200 m² toddler area has small slides, a paddling pool, a spraying turtle and a tipping water bucket.
