Zurich’s outdoor public pools are heading for a new attendance record after recording 2.26 million visits by the beginning of August. With several weeks of the Swiss heatwave and bathing season still to come, the city’s pools are already on track to surpass the previous record of 2.39 million visits set in 2025.
The latest figures were provided by Zurich’s Sports Office to the Keystone-SDA news agency. They cover the city’s outdoor and lakeside swimming facilities through the start of August, during a summer marked by repeated heatwaves and temperatures above 30°C.
The busiest day so far was June 21, when around 79,000 people visited Zurich’s outdoor pools to cool off. That was the highest single-day attendance recorded during the 2026 season.
Climate researchers and city authorities expect heatwaves to become more frequent and intense, increasing demand for accessible spaces where people can cool down safely.
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Zurich’s previous attendance record was set in 2025, when the city’s summer pools recorded around 2.39 million entries over the full season. The 2026 total is already only about 130,000 visits short of that mark.
If warm weather continues through August, the city is expected to pass the previous record before the end of the season. The latest figures already place 2026 among Zurich’s strongest bathing years since records began.
The city previously recorded 2.27 million visits in 2018 and 2.25 million in 2022, according to figures from the Zurich authorities. The two-million mark has been exceeded in several recent seasons, reflecting both warmer summers and the popularity of the city’s extensive swimming infrastructure.
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A Long-Running Trend
Zurich’s outdoor pools have repeatedly attracted large crowds during hot summers. In 2023, the city passed two million visits before the end of August. Furthermore, the city finished the season with more than 2.38 million entries, according to contemporary reports.
The record attendance has not been limited to one type of facility. Lake swimming areas such as Mythenquai and Tiefenbrunnen have traditionally been among the most popular locations, while city pools also attract large numbers of families and recreational swimmers.
In 2025, Zurich’s 15 city-operated summer pools recorded more than 2.39 million visits, marking the fifth time the two-million threshold had been exceeded and the third consecutive season above that level. The city’s summer bathing network includes both traditional outdoor pools and lakeside facilities.
The strong attendance in June this year, including nearly 79,000 visits on the season’s busiest day, shows how quickly demand rises when temperatures climb.
Zurich has also been working on broader heat-adaptation measures, including more shade, green spaces and cooling infrastructure. Outdoor pools remain among the most visible and popular options during hot weather.
