Here are our top 4 lido hotspots

4 great lidos and natural pools near Swiss Youth Hostels 

Lido with a view of the Federal Palace  

If you’re look­ing to have lots of fun with lit­tle effort, Bern is the place for you. It takes no more than five min­utes to reach the local Marzilibad from Bern Youth Hos­tel. It was recent­ly ren­o­vat­ed and offers a spa­cious sun­bathing lawn, a long swim­ming pool and a pad­dling pool for the lit­tle ones – all free of charge. With a view of the dome of the Fed­er­al Palace, you can relax in one of the many shady spots. Best of all, the Riv­er Aare flows right past in beau­ti­ful turquoise blue. Here, too, you can cool off, as long as you’re a con­fi­dent swim­mer, as the riv­er is known for its strong cur­rent. Even the locals don’t usu­al­ly go in with­out a flota­tion aid. At recep­tion, you can ask for a Swiss Youth Hos­tels dry bag, which is avail­able for just CHF 14. Relax and drift down the riv­er on your home­made buoy with all your valu­ables and clothes stowed away safe­ly in it.  

Lidos around the moated castle  

Let’s be hon­est: Why spend hours trav­el­ling to the sea when one of Switzerland’s most beau­ti­ful nat­ur­al par­adis­es is prac­ti­cal­ly on your doorstep? A stone’s throw from Brugg Youth Hos­tel, the rivers Aare, Lim­mat and Reuss flow into each oth­er at the Swiss moat­ed cas­tle. Here, you can look for­ward to refresh­ing riv­er water, shady banks and the feel­ing of being sur­round­ed by nature. The best way to explore the area is on a short hik­ing or cycling tour. The tours are marked on Aar­gau Tourism, for exam­ple, and can be eas­i­ly com­bined with the Vin­donis­sa Muse­um or a vis­it to Hab­s­burg Cas­tle. The Rüss­bädli in Geben­storf is a small but charm­ing bathing spot. A spa­cious lawn with pic­nic tables, fire pits and a vol­ley­ball court right next to the Reuss, which usu­al­ly flows calm­ly by. The lido is free and unstaffed, which means: Bring your own water and snacks. Cloak­rooms and toi­lets are avail­able.  

Lido on Lake Constance 

Birds singing and crick­ets chirp­ing accom­pa­ny you on your walk from the Youth Hos­tel in Kreu­zlin­gen to the lido. It takes around ten min­utes from the hos­tel housed in the for­mer manor house to the shim­mer­ing waters of Lake Con­stance. Lake Con­stance has every­thing sports enthu­si­asts could wish for: Canoes can be hired at the youth hos­tel, there are sta­tions for stand-up pad­dling and ped­a­lo along the shore, and there are even surf­ing and div­ing schools in the vicin­i­ty of the youth hos­tel. The per­fect­ly groomed bicy­cle paths that pass right in front of the youth hos­tel are also a great way to ped­al from one place to the next. The near­est lido is about a three-minute bike ride away and is called Schwimm­bad Hörn­li. This lido is very spa­cious and has two swim­ming pools, a div­ing plat­form, water slides, table ten­nis tables and a vol­ley­ball court. But best of all is plung­ing into the blue waters of Lake Con­stance, which almost feels like swim­ming in the sea.  

A lido with a beach-like feel 

A relax­ing start to a summer’s day in Zug: The lido is just a ten-minute walk from the youth hos­tel. Zug lido boasts a sandy beach, for true hol­i­day vibes. Walk­ing along the water bare­foot, the sand between your toes, tak­ing a dip in the cool water from time to time – who needs the sea? The Swiss Youth Hos­tels slides are prac­ti­cal for your trips back and forth. Sim­ply slip them on and head to the kiosk. You’ll only need prop­er footwear for the walk along the lake to the sec­ond lido: It’s a half an hour to See­liken lido, which is a bit small­er than the beachy lido, but has a spa­cious wood­en jet­ty where you can sit back and unwind. Make sure to take the right path by the lake and you’ll pass a charm­ing alley, spots to stop for an ice cream and the boat land­ing stage. On the way back to the youth hos­tel, you can stroll through Zug’s beau­ti­ful­ly pre­served old town.