It’s a hot day in Zurich, on the cusp of summer, and many of the locals have emerged with their swimming gear under their arms. Indeed, bourgeois Zurich, set atop the podium of the cities with the best quality of life in the world, does not only display economic prowess, picture postcard beauty and a national pride for the punctuality of its transport. Zurich is, above all, the paradise of “badis”, which is what they affectionately call their open-air public baths dotted across the whole city on the shores of the Zürichsee (Lake Zurich) and the Limmat and Sihl rivers, like some sweetwater alter ego which rises year after year when the temperatures hits the highs.

Be Water my Friend!

You only need about five minutes to realise that here water is king. They keep it clean, flaunt it and pay homage to it. Not only is this the city with the most drinking water sources in the world – about 1,200 of them. The water that is dispensed is also of unbeatable quality and its flavour up there with the top gourmet mineral waters.

With some thirty bathing facilities, plus nearly twenty open-air swimming pools, no other city in Europe can boast such a high concentration of public baths per capita. Open daily from May to September at sunrise, the badis are the focal point of social life. Each facility has developed its own character over time and there are options to suit all audiences and pockets. And, there’s more! At nightfall, a large number of these pools take on a new life, being transformed into badi-bars serving drinks and dinner, as well as hosting film screenings and providing music until well into the wee hours.

Inspired by the modest size of this small-scale metropolis and determined to save a few francs on transport, we decide to hire a bike at Züri rollt, the free municipal service which, by depositing 20 francs, enables you to enjoy the city on wheels. In the spirit of “do as the locals do”, we set out on our tour.

The Romans Bathed Here!

Zurich’s bathing tradition is no recent fad. Its history goes back 2,000 years, when the Romans unveiled the first public baths in ancient Turicum, Zurich’s Latin name. The ruins of Thermengasse, in the heart of the old town, can still be visited, and detailed information on this ancestral tradition is provided there.

But, it was not until the early-19th century that the bathing scene really took off and the city became swamped with badis. What to begin with emerged as an alternative to providing homes with running water soon spread like wildfire, and by 1900 there were already 20 public baths in existence, although with gender separation, of course!

With such precedents, no wonder that open-air bathing has become ingrained in Zurich’s DNA. The locals take visits to their badis very seriously, while visitors soon find their niche amid such alluring offerings.

Women and Men and Vice Versa

We went on a stroll through the calm waters of the historic centre. The first stop on our route was the veteran Frauenbadi. Built in 1837 on the banks of the river Limmat and reserved exclusively for women ever since its inception, there is no better place to sunbathe if you want the finest views of the Grossmünster, Zurich’s striking cathedral. Rebuilt in Art Nouveau style, the baths preserve all the character of the Belle Époque, with a large timber cloister surrounding the pool, sunbathing platforms and accesses to the crystal-clear waters of the river. By night, this classic badi turns into an elegant Barfussbar, featuring live music, literary nights and dancing, where men and women sip their cocktails, on condition they go barefoot.

And, just as opposite poles attract each other, a few minutes away stands the Flussbad Schanzengraben, the latter’s male counterpart, an oasis of tranquility for men only. This charming badi is the oldest bathing facility in the city as it has been operating since 1864. Surrounded by the remains of an old city wall, the current here is slow and swimming is risk-free. Outside of swimming hours, the premises turn into the Rimini Bar, a highly popular restaurant with an intimate atmosphere in summer, when men and women relax in the chill-out area while dinner is being barbecued. The venue, in discrete, glamorous, 100% Swiss style, is the perfect spot for snacking and having something to drink al fresco, dancing to the rhythm of guest DJs and shopping in their weekly market, featuring local designs and vintage apparel.

Alps, Sand and Sport at the Zürichsee

After a dip in the heart of Zurich, we head for the lake, where you can swim in the company of ducks and swans. The history of the Zürichsee is closely linked to that of the city. The jetties and walkways fringing the shores, inaugurated in 1887, marked Zurich’s entry into the modern era – the city thereby reclaimed land from the lake, decongesting the crowded medieval city.

On the right bank, having passed by the Opera and the emblematic Bellevueplatz, stands the coolest badi of all, the Seebad Utoquai. A bathe in its waters is like travelling back to the 19th century. Having first opened in 1890, this historic badi is a veritable institution in Zurich. Stretches of the original timber building are still intact and the set of pools there makes up one of the trendiest corners in town. There are areas for men, women and mixed, direct accesses to the lake, floating platforms and terraces for sunbathing, all patronised by seemly guests sipping on drinks, chatting congenially or heading to the massage area. If you’re feeling peckish, the restaurant serves dishes and tapas with Mediterranean aromas. But, if what you’re seeking is peace and quiet, you won’t find it here. The surrounding area throngs with boats, yachts and stand up paddles until well into the night. But, it is definitely the place to be for sybarites eager to catch the last shafts of sunlight before the sun sets into the lake.

Cut to a different setting as we switch to the opposite, left bank. We bathe while gazing at the Alps in the Seebad Enge! Open all year around, in summer guests can enjoy mixed pools and floating platforms on the lake, while the sauna is set aside for the colder months. Truth be told, not much swimming gets done here. What with beauty therapy and yoga sessions, relaxation techniques and stand up paddle classes, this badi is first and foremost a social precinct for folks in their thirties where they can show off their latest models of swimwear as well as stare and be stared back at. At the weekend it fills up with youngsters who come for brunch. The badi does not close at night – the bar and barbecue grind into motion, while open-air concerts, poetry slams and cocktails take over.

A beach of fine sand with a Mediterranean air? You have come to Strandbad Mythenquai, the ideal spot for families with children, as it boasts shallow waters and a deep-green lawn where you can lay down your towel, have a picnic or read. The bravest among you can leap off the formidable diving boards, with 1, 3 and 5-metre-high platforms, into the outrageously crystal-clear waters in this urban lake.

Downstream in Zürich West

Welcome to the freestyle paradise! We have arrived in Zurich West, the hyper-creative district and bastion of the young, cool set. Here, anything goes although, if you don’t fancy sticking out like a sore thumb, jump in and let the current carry you downstream.

The badi par excellence is the Flussbad Oberer Letten, an urban venue plastered with graffiti on the banks of the Limmat where there are no written rules – follow the locals and judge for yourself. Whether you choose to sunbathe on the platforms, have a picnic or a refreshing spritz at the Primitivo at Happy Hour – coinciding with afterwork at around 5 p.m.– make sure you are sporting a very fit body and dressed in line with the latest trend. You have come to the heart of hipsterland! If you’re feeling hot, leave your “rags” right where you are and leap into the water – you have four hundred metres of free swimming ahead of you. By night it is the turn of the highly popular Panama Bar to come alive. They serve food and DJ dance music at what is one of the best rave-ups in town.

If you still have an ounce of energy left, continue downstream with your sights set on the Silo, a concrete behemoth unveiled in 2016 for grain storage which is now the second tallest tower in the city. Half way along you will come to the Flussbad Unterer Letten. Here, the current is faster, as attested by the hordes of youngsters who descend on the spot with their airbeds and inflatable dinghies ready to sail downstream. Bathers who jump in are abandoned to their fate, being willy-nilly dragged along by the current. Some struggle in vain against the current in an attempt to swim upstream, but few achieve this. Those who remain on the riverside sit around chatting, drinking wine, unwrapping their picnic baskets or relaxing on the lawn. Oh, yes – in summer, the badi hosts two weeks of open-air independent cinema.

This is Zurich’s “dolce vita”, which reaches its peak during the bathing season – a microcosm which first-time sightseers are amazed at. If you’re thinking of visiting Switzerland’s biggest city in summer, book your Vueling here.

Text by Núria Gurina i Puig

Photos by Zürich Tourism/Caroline Minjolle; Tourism/Elisabeth Real; Zürich Tourism/Martin Rütschi; Roland Fischer; Núria Gurina

On the far side of Bearpit lies Stokes Croft, the bohemian area seething with music bars, clubs and cafés with multi-purpose basements like the one in Cafe Kino or The Art House, where what caught our attention on their menu were the paninis christened with the names of the most popular local electronic bands. For a rather quick, nutritional eat – even in vegan variety – we can also recommend the nearby restaurant in the local Biblos chain where we tasted the wraps and shared food trays. The same street features one of Banksy’s first murals, “Mild Mild West”, a teddy bear brandishing a Molotov cocktail as a group of bobbies approaches, painted after clashes between riot police and ravers in 1999. The graffiti is at the entrance to Hamilton House, a building housing cooperatively managed artists and start-ups with a spacious, crowded bar called The Canteen. There we had arranged to meet Euan Dickson, the young sound engineer of Massive Attack, celebrated Bristol citizens and the most prolific survivors of so-called Trip Hop. Dickson has overseen the gestation of their music since early 2000, including the albums “100th Window”, “Heligoland” and the recent EP “Ritual Spirit”. He also operates as a keyboardist in their world tours, although he admits having reached music by a different route: “When the band released ‘Mezzanine’ in 1997, I was only 10 years old! Oasis prompted me to take up the guitar, but it was PJ Harvey and Radiohead that opened up a new world for me. I was lucky enough to have my Dad recommend me as a porter in the Massive Attack studio, where I also learned to use Pro Tools and, thanks to my enthusiasm, ended up helping them with their music”, Euan Dickson revealed to us in the company of two friendly mates of his and a few pints we shared in good cheer.

We chatted about the racial diversity in the city, the result of immigration in the fifties, which has also seen some conflict. Nowadays “it’s just taken as normal because you grow up with people from everywhere. Bear in mind that 70% of Bristol voted to stay in the EU in the Brexit referendum”, Dickson explains. In fact, the origins of the group he plays in is deeply rooted in the vibrant scene born of that cultural mix. Since the 70s, the Jamaican diaspora has left its musical mark on the St Pauls suburb, an area where riots broke out in 1980 in response to a police raid. It would also have been the haunts of the young DJ Andrew “Mushroom” Vowles, Grantley “DaddyG” Marshall and the then graffiti artist, Robert “3D” Del Naja, later recognised as the original core members of Massive Attack. In the eighties, they jointly founded one of the first “sound systems” in the United Kingdom, the legendary Wild Bunch, which also included such illustrious Bristolians as Tricky, a future collaborator of the group and, subsequently, a star in his own right, and Nellee Hooper, a star producer of Soul II Soul, Björk, Madonna and Gwen Stefani. Between steamy reggae and punk activism, the first New-York-style spray and lettering, sweaty MCs and incisive scratches, dark nights and cold rain, the original foundations of Trip Hop were laid. The controversial label was applied to the scene sparked by Massive Attack, together with other local groups that achieved global recognition, like Smith & Mighty, Kosheen and the acclaimed Portishead, the latter named after the nearby town and birthplace of their lead, Geoff Barrow, who met Beth Gibbons when he was earning a living as a singer in Bristol’s night spots.

As if Massive Attack’s ties to the local underground were not enough, there is even a theory which identifies Del Naja as the face behind Banksy. Although we had been warned that the group were fed up with the subject, we couldn’t help slipping the question. “If 3D were Banksy, I would have found out long ago”, Dickson asserted. He added that the headlines came out the day before the band were due to hold a big concert in their hometown and that, “when 3D turned up at the rehearsal, Daddy G began to shout, ‘Look everybody , Banksy’s arrived!’, and we fell about laughing”.

We said goodbye to Dickson and started reviewing the development of local electronic music. At the same time Trip Hop was flourishing, another native of Bristol was coming to the fore – Roni Size who, together with the collective, Reprazent, would define drum and bass, spawning a host of sub-genres that continue to feed the city with breakbeats. For instance, while London is regarded as the nerve centre of grime, Bristol is the birthplace of renowned DJ and producer Joker, said to have a spectacular home studio here. Another local figure is DJ Blazey, from the Bodynod collective. He has managed countless clubs dedicated to urban sounds combining rap, electronic and reggae. Unfortunately, we didn’t coincide with any of them, but we were able to attend a whole night of dub, dubstep and grime sound featuring two beacons of UK Urban Music, The Bug and Flowdan. They performed for a radically young, totally devoted crowd in the gigantic, multi-space Lakota, in the Stokes Croft area. Other clubs where fans queue up at the weekend are the neighbouring Blue Mountain and SWX, in Broadmead. Sure enough, electronic seems to well up by spontaneous generation in a city which is also home to the boisterous Fuck Buttons and The Third Eye Foundation, the alter ego of Matt Elliot, also a singer of dark folk.

Well, music is just everywhere in Bristol – in the transhumant buskers who entertain tourists with their guitar playing, in the numerous shops selling instruments and in the new record stores – like Idle Hands, a must-visit for electronic devotees – that have emerged in place of the plethora of forerunners that closed down during the previous decade. However, the sound is experienced above all in the endless array of music bars and concert halls like The Lanes, where that weekend various members of Fun Lovin Criminals DJ’ed. On Saturdays they host Mod nights, currently featuring DJ Andy Crofts of Paul Weller Band fame at the helm. Others include the famous venue Louisiana – “The Louie”, among friends – or the large syndicated auditorium O2 Academy, used for big occasions. Pubs, too, notably the seedy The Surrey Vaults or The Crofters Rights where, apart from tasting a huge number of craft beers, we spent an evening organised by the London label Trashmouth Records and caught sight of Big Jeff, an endearing local figure whose presence at a concert acts as an endorsement of your choice of venue from among the endless offerings in the city.

All music is welcome and, if one day it is electronic that blares out, this doesn’t mean the next day  guitars shouldn’t prevail. No wonder, then, that Bristol is also the city of Wayne Hussey, the former Sisters of Mercy guitarist, and singer of The Mission, both beacons of gothic rock. Also hailing from Bristol are rockers like The Alligators and Rob Ellis, the drummer, producer and arranger known for his close collaboration with PJ Harvey for over two decades. The band Airbus is from nearby Portishead and is actually a spin-off from the group of the same name and with whom they recorded the B-side track “Sour Times”. But, if you’re looking for harder sounds, there are the small standout classics by Onslaught who were part of the thrash metal explosion in the eighties and split up shortly afterwards, only to reunite in 2004. Then there are Jaguar, part of the New Wave of British Heavy Metal, and the hardcore punk group Disorder. So, Bristol begets a penchant for sharp riffs, as evinced in the crowded 3-storey pub, Mother’s Ruin, or at the venue Stag and Hounds, where that weekend happened to feature a performance by Olanza whose bassist is the son of the Black Sabbath drummer.

And, of course, we can’t overlook the fact that some seminal post-punk groups like The Pop Group and Glaxo Babies were founded in Bristol in the late seventies, followed the next decade by such acolytes as The Agents, The Escape and Rip Rig + Panic, whose members include the selfsame Neneh Cherry who would subsequently let Massive Attack use the kitchen in her London flat as a studio during the group’s initial forays in the metropolis. Bristol also witnessed the birth of two members of the popular Bananarama. And, another yardstick of mainstream eighties, the sorely missed Tears for Fears, came together in nearby Bath, where the Propellerheads also emerged. This is clearly fertile ground for music.

The rain never let up throughout our time in the city and, while we never quite grasped the rationale behind some locals – obviously used to such downpours – calmly strolling about in shirtsleeves or jerseys, we did come to appreciate the early nightfall and stimulating cold of Bristol in winter. We admired the city while recalling the verse by Beth Gibbons: “All mine / you have to be / from that cloud / number nine”. And, although soaked through, we felt lucky to be treading its streets.

Did that catch your fancy? Inspiring, isn’t it? Well, don’t leave it at that – get a flight and experience it for yourself. Check out our dates and times here.

Text by Mondo Sonoro and Los Viajes de ISABELYLUIS

Images by Los Viajes de ISABELYLUIS