Marzili Baths

Marzili is a public open-air swimming facility on the bank of the Aare, just below the Federal Palace, and admission is free, as it is at all other public baths in Bern. It is open from May to September; the city announces the exact dates each year. Spread across 10,000 square metres, the facility features an eight-lane, 50-metre pool, a diving pool with one-metre and three-metre springboards, a pool for non-swimmers, and a children's pool. In summer, locals walk upstream to the Eichholz campsite, enter the river, and float downstream to Marzili, where they climb out via steps fitted with handrails. Bern Welcome recommends swimming in the Aare only to experienced swimmers. A small funicular, the Marzilibahn, also connects the city centre to the baths.