Seven of the best spots for open-air swimming in Frankfurt

This article is part of a guide to Frankfurt from FT Globetrotter

In the early 20th century, the banks of Frankfurt’s Main were dotted with swimming spots, but they were all closed in the postwar period as the river became ever more polluted. Taking a dip in the Main almost anywhere within sight of the city’s skyscrapers is now strictly forbidden. For a refreshing riverside experience, you are best off stopping for Kaffee and Kuchen at the Ponton LiLu café (which is incidentally on the site of the last swimming area to be used by the entire Frankfurt population, before the Nazis forbade minorities from bathing in public) or the Oosten restaurant, in the shadow of the ECB.

Unlike Berlin, Frankfurt is lacking in an abundance of surrounding lakes. The nearest popular natural swimming spots are in the neighbouring state of Bavaria. Luckily, the city and its environs offer several superb and safe outdoor-swimming options, including no fewer than seven well-maintained public lidos, and artificial lakes that are almost indistinguishable from their natural counterparts. Soaring summer temperatures have made these venues more popular, and a tight labour market has left a few of them struggling to find lifeguards for the busiest months of the year, forcing occasional closures. Nonetheless, the number of options means outdoor swimming in the vicinity of Germany’s financial capital is arguably more accessible than ever — for those in the know.

Booking, especially given the recent scorching weather, is recommended. But once you’re admitted, most pools are fairly relaxed about dress codes and the like.

Stadionbad

Mörfelder Landstrasse 362, 60528 Frankfurt am Main

• Good for: Family trips, diving, serious swimming 

• Not so good for: A quiet swim on weekends

• FYI: It gets busy on sunny days, especially when children are off school, but can be really quiet on weekdays and during normal working hours 

• Website; Directions

As its name implies, this enormous outdoor pool is situated in the shadow of Frankfurt’s football stadium, on the side of a busy and drab motorway that links the city to its airport. Beyond the grey concrete exterior, however, is a 97-year-old leisure complex with some of the best outdoor facilities in Germany. It contains a 50m Olympic-sized pool, surrounded by a learners’ pool, a diving pool with boards up to 10m high and a semi-circular shallow pool for children and non-swimmers to safely throw inflated toys at each other. Behind the pools lies a large lawn for sunbathing and picnics (I have seen some patrons get takeaway delivered, although I am unsure if that meets the approval of local authorities), a toddler’s playground and a winding water slide. All of this for €5 per adult.

Best to check if there is a match or concert on to avoid crowds, and opening times vary, especially in recent weeks as staffing shortages have caused several pools to restrict hours.

Langener Waldsee and Walldorfer See

• Good for: Refreshing dips and wild swimming 

• Not so good for: Those seeking solitude 

• FYI: Avoid driving, especially on weekends when parking is at a premium. Cycling is the best way to get there 

• Website; Directions

A welcome by-product of decades of gravel mining to the south-west of Frankfurt, these former quarries have been transformed into artificial lakes that now provide suburban havens for wildlife and city swimmers alike. Both are maintained by the local municipality, and are thus remarkably cheap — the Walldorfer charges only for car parking, while the Langener offers a full day’s entry for €6 during the summer season.

The two lakes offer similar amenities: sandy beaches and sunbathing areas, snack and drink kiosks, volleyball courts and table tennis, as well as toilets and changing facilities. With 750,000 square metres of water, the Langener, nicknamed the “Hessian Mediterranean”, is the larger of the two, but gets busy on weekends and holidays.

The best way to get to the lake is a 45-minute bike ride via the vast forest to the south of Frankfurt, bringing your own deckchairs and/or picnic. Serious swimmers will always find enough free space further away from the shore (do make sure someone is watching your belongings, though, especially valuables), but come early for a more Zen-like experience. Oh, and as with most places in Germany, bring cash if you plan on purchasing anything at all.

Pinta Beach Raunheimer Waldsee

Aschaffenburger Strasse 2, 65479 Raunheim

• Good for: Family trips, diving

• Not so good for: A quiet swim on weekends

• FYI: Must be pre-booked, and gets booked up well in advance of summer weekends. From €6 for entry, up to €50 for a daybed

• Website; Directions

Another Waldsee (forest lake), this time catering for those who want to pretend they are nowhere near Frankfurt. Not being a natural member of this group, I had to be dragged to Pinta Beach by a friend visiting from London, who wanted something approximating the seaside experience. It was, I reluctantly admit, a delight. There are several seating/lounging sections on the imported sand, providing various levels of luxury (from deck chairs, to sunloungers to bamboo huts with large beds). Food and drinks, including hot dogs, pizzas and poke bowls, can be ordered via a QR code and brought to your side. Choose an area away from the boating and children’s activities, and you can swim quite happily out into the 80,000 square metre lake. A secluded nudist section is also available, should that be your thing.

Don’t expect serenity. This is more of a Baywatch tribute act than a beauty spot, complete with water-sports options such as paddleboarding and strategically located, Instagram-friendly palm trees. But on a scorching day, with headphones and a good book, it offers a “beach” day that is better than anyone living in the landlocked heart of Germany has a right to expect. Squint and you could almost be in Spain.

Opelbad

Neroberg 2, 65193 Wiesbaden

• Good for: Alternating between sunbathing, actual bathing and fine (ish)-dining

• Not so good for: Exercising, or any activities geared towards weight loss

• FYI: Gets busy on weekends, but often practically deserted on workdays; €12 entry fee 

• Website; Directions

This pool is not, strictly speaking, in Frankfurt but in nearby Wiesbaden. However, your correspondent considers it worthy of inclusion on the grounds that 1) it is only 30 minutes’ drive from Germany’s financial hub and is still part of the Rhine-Main metropolitan area; and 2) the complex is a suburban Bauhaus paradise to rival Slim Aarons’ most-admired Californian vistas.

Nestled above a vineyard in the hills to the north of the Hessen capital, the Opelbad was created by one of the founders of the eponymous car brand in the 1930s, and offers panoramic views of the city and its spires. The 65 by 12 metre pool (there’s also a paddling pool) is kept at a lovely 24C, and since stainless steel walls and new pumps were installed, consistently contains a spectacularly clean and clear body of water.

The Opelbad’s pleasures are not restricted to swimming, or sunbathing on the large terrace and grassy knoll. It offers a Finnish sauna for adults, a playground for children and playing areas for chess, volleyball and table tennis. A canteen serves up passable poolside snacks and drinks, while the adjacent Wagner restaurant does a hearty German menu.

When the sun is out, you can make a day of your visit by taking the Nerobergbahn funicular railway up into the hills, stopping by the gold-domed 19th-century Russian Orthodox church next to the Opelbad, taking in some of the trails through the surrounding forest and (perhaps after swimming) enjoying a glass of Riesling at the nearby Château Nero Weinstand.

Rheinstrand Rheindiebach

• Good for: A cooling dip

• Not so good for: A proper swim, or any larking about

• FYI: There are several smaller spots dotted along the Rhine; the same warnings apply

• Directions

Yes, this is a list of swimming spots near Frankfurt, which is a mere half an hour away from the picturesque Rheingau wine region. But — and I cannot emphasise this enough — DO NOT swim in the Rhine. If you need convincing, google “schwimmer Rhein tot” (swimmer Rhine dead) and spend a few minutes perusing the grisly results. The great river may appear docile, but is riddled with unpredictable currents, partly because it remains a busy commercial route.

That said, it is not illegal to swim in certain sections of the Rhine, and the prospect of a safe paddle in one particular spot is hard to pass up. The Rheinstrand Rheindiebach is a small patch of sand on the west bank of the river, smack bang in the middle of wine country. Cycle down from the towns of Sankt Goar or Oberwesel in the summer, and stop along the way for a taster from local vintners in the Weinprobierstände (wine-tasting booths). You will not be alone in proceeding to don a pair of Speedos and take a cautious dip close to the sand, with sloping, verdant Riesling vineyards in full view on the opposite bank. Just don’t go in alone or wade in beyond waist height.

Honourable mention: Schwedlersee

This small artificial lake in the heart of the city’s industrial east end is for members only, and said members tend to be more dedicated to the sport than your correspondent (many are triathletes in training). But those serious about their swimming should seek it out for its location alone — an oasis of green and blue in a grey wharf stacked with shipping containers. (Website; Directions)

Where’s your favourite spot for a swim in Frankfurt? Tell us in the comments

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