Appealing public park and big sandy lakeside beach. Good place for swimming (with lifeguards) or…read morepicnicking. Great views of the city and mountains. There's lots of shade available too in the grassy area.

CHF 8 entry, with 2 sides (co-ed and women only). You can sit on the dock and swim in the shallow…read moresquare swimming area or dive off into the rest of the lake. There is a counter to order food and coffee on both sides. It was very crowded - less so on the women's side, but very hard to find a place to sit on the weekend! Overall a nice swimming area.

Ok, I came for my first lunch swim today, and NOW I know what all the hype is about. The left side…read moreis only for women, and the right side is co-ed. CHF 7 lets you in... but we got discount tickets at CHF 3 from my company. :) The bar sells food and drinks, or you can bring your own picnic. A free pitcher of water with plastic cups was laid out on a small table. There is a changing room to hang your clothes, and we laid out our towels in the last bit of shade. No one except little fish actually swim in the little square of water in the middle of the platform. We went out into the lake and swam to one of the floating platforms. The water was a bit chilly at first, but it was a nice contrast to the hot sun. Afterwards, we rinsed off at the outdoor shower and then laid out in the sun to dry before heading back to the office. What a fabulous way to spend lunch! :)

Just a few meters from Strandbad Rietlau on the other side of the port is another leisure area. It…read morecomprises a sunbathing lawn,beach volley ball field and a barbecue facility. The advantage is, that it's open 24/7 and there is no entry. People are often asking for. So partying and swimming till late is not unusual . And if you want to, you can climb on the roof of the left houses or do other "crazy" tings.

Floating downstream, walking back up, floating downstream, walking back up, floating downstream…read more.. and going for a Cervelat and and Apfelwein. Pretty awesome way to spend a summer afternoon, if you ask me. The swimming stretch is quick-flowing, often lifeguarded, and has several ladders; during nice days, expect to deal with people hanging out on the ladders, trying to decide if they want a dip or not. It's totally fair game to bypass them and jump in. (And if that's your style, there's a rope swing on the opposite shore). The playground has both water and dry sections for the 2-to-8 crowd; the climbing structures are all pretty small, so more adventurous kids may be happier swimming. The buildings in the center of the island have an outdoor restaurant, plus bathrooms and warm showers. In the middle of the island, there's a run-of-the-river hydro plant --- good if you like crashing water. More impressive falls are on the south-east corner. One thing to know ahead of time: The western third of the island is a de facto nude area, predominantly male and frequently gay. Everyone's pretty mellow, but it does make for a marked transition just past the powerplant.

This little island in the Limmat River in Zurich sits near the more residential northern suburbs…read more There are walking bridges onto the island with walk and bike trails on either side of the river. People sunbathe and swim, and also smoke. A lot. Which seemed surprising given the healthy outdoor nature of the place. The water was quite cool, having just warmed up from winter temperatures. The current is very strong and at the end of the swim area is a life guard to be sure you are out to the steps before getting stuck in the hydro-electric facility! I am not a swimmer, so I just tested out the water on the steps. Some people just float the stretch from entry steps to exit steps but a few strong swimmers try to beat the current going the opposite way. Few can. My husband is an extremely strong swimmer and he could hardly keep even against the current. It's sort of like swimming in place in an exercise pool, but with great scenery all around. Perfect for a break on a hot afternoon.

We visited several Strandbads along Lake Constance. This one had a lot of dedicated open air beach…read morespace. The water in the pools cold. My family loved the floating raft on the lake and the slides.