Bains des Pâquis

What makes it special

Bains des Pâquis is Geneva's public bathing jetty, a long concrete pier out into the harbour. You can swim in sheltered pools along the jetty or from pebble beaches on the open lake side. From the pools you look back at the city.

Baths have stood here since 1872, and the city rebuilt them in 1932 as the reinforced concrete jetty you walk out on today. It stays a plain public bathing place rather than a spa, used by every generation.

In winter the wellness area takes over. It holds two mixed saunas, a mixed steam room, a women's steam room and a Turkish bath, with direct access to the lake between rounds. From its outdoor terrace you look out to the Salève and Mont-Blanc.

The harbour is a good place to watch scaups, kites, gulls, grey herons and great cormorants from the jetty, so pack binoculars.

Visiting

In summer you choose between the secured pools against the jetty and the pebble beach on the open lake. From June the 3m, 5m and 10m diving boards open daily from 2pm to 6pm, and the zip line joins them at the end of June.

Children also get a slide, a wading pool, a sandbox and a climbing wall on the water.

From mid-September to the end of May, the jetty turns to winter swimming and the sauna. For a lake swim, use the winter changing rooms, with showers, hairdryers and lockers. For heat, go to the wellness area, move between sauna, lake and the relaxation room, and finish in the sauna lounge.

The buvette serves seasonal local food all day, from breakfast to the Crémant fondue in the evening.

Tips

Bring two large towels, because you sit on terry cloth in the saunas and a cotton voile cloth does not replace it. Synthetic fibre fabrics are no longer allowed in the sauna areas, so ask at the desk what to wear before your first round.

Keep your voice down, because silence is the rule in every room. For a table in the wood-heated winter cabin, book ahead.