Swiss outdoor pools break attendance records in hot summer
Sunday 20th September 2026 on 13:15 in
Switzerland
Swiss outdoor pools recorded unprecedented visitor numbers during the hot summer of 2026, while staff faced heavier demands, SRF reported, citing a survey by the Keystone-SDA news agency.
Outdoor pools in Zurich surpassed three million admissions for the first time. July was the busiest month, with more than 890,000 entries. The previous record was set in 2023, when the 15 summer pools operated by the city’s sports department recorded 2.44 million admissions over the full season.
The prolonged heat also affected operations. Zurich’s sports department reported isolated cases of tree branches breaking because of drought and heat, while lawns dried out. More fresh water was also needed in the pools to maintain water quality.
Outdoor pools in Bern also set a new record, with nearly two million admissions recorded by the official end of the season on September 13. That was more than 10 percent above the 2025 record, despite a later opening of the Marzili pool because of renovation work and restricted trial operations at the Wellenbad Dählhölzli pool.
In Basel, visitor numbers at the city’s garden pools rose by more than a quarter. Around 550,000 admissions were recorded by mid-September. The figure did not include the tens of thousands of people who swim in the Rhine from the Allmend.
Basel authorities said the season had been calmer and more orderly than the previous year. Measures included additional security and pool staff on busy days, while 99 bans from the garden pools were issued.
Aarau, Chur and Weinfelden in the canton of Thurgau also reported high visitor numbers. Pools in western Switzerland likewise saw what authorities described as a historic rush.
Several cities are preparing new measures for future seasons in response to the demand. Lausanne extended its opening hours in 2024 to reflect global warming and the resulting increase in demand. Other municipalities could follow if hot, heavily attended summers continue.
However, Basel did not surpass its record from the hot summer of 2003, when more than 835,000 visitors were recorded.