As the cold winter winds blow across Austria with increasing animosity and the temperature starts to mock your long-forgotten shorts and t-shirts, summer fun can start to feel like a sentimental dream. What happened to those days lying in the sun by the Alte Donau? Where did those warm afternoons swimming in the outdoor Freibäder disappear to?
For those residents of Vienna who want to keep those memories alive or who are looking for some extra exercise during the winter months, there are fortunately a great selection of public swimming pools around the city. They all have slightly different characters and facilities but luckily there are enough dotted around the city that no matter which district you live in. You won’t be far away from a local pool.
For more info on the public pools, you can find all the information you need here.
Swimming for style
Unsurprisingly in a city that is world-famous for it’s influence on art, even some of the swimming pools reflect the high level of style, design and architecture that have become synonymous with Vienna. Many of these facilities are not only spacious and conveniently located but are also incredibly beautiful. When I visited these historic swimming pools for the first time I was shocked to be swimming in a building that I would’ve likened more to a museum.
The 1920’s Art Deco style (clearly influenced by Viennese Jugendstil) are most apparent in the Amalienbad (10th district), Theresienbad (12th district) and Jörgerbad (17th district). I highly recommend going for a dip in one of these pools, if only for the opportunity to imagine yourself sculling peacefully through gorgeous architecture, a hundred years in the past.
Image source: Wikimedia Commons.
Swimming for sport
Of course, not all of the pools can be museum-quality. Many of them are functional 1960’s-1980 sports facilities, but they all have a lot to offer from a focus on sports and exercise to being more family-friendly. Most of the sport swimming pools are an average 25 meters long and provide different environments and facilities depending on which of the 38 public swimming pools you choose. However, I definitely have my favourites for finding places that are either large enough or empty enough that you don’t feel like you are swimming in the midst of a stream of traffic.
If you are looking for a larger pool for more serious sport swimming, the Stadthallenbad pool is the largest at 50-meters long, and so also has the most space for moving around in the water. The architecturally gorgeous Amalienbad and Theresienbad are also quite large at 33 meters, and so offer a good size to accommodate a higher number of people.
These three pools also have a selection of high diving boards if you fancy a little adrenaline between your relaxing breaststroke. Although modest in style and size, I also enjoy visiting Ottakringerbad which is perched on the side of the Wilhelminenberg in the 16th district. The style and size are underwhelming compared to the glory of the Art Deco pools, but the best part is that it is nearly always quiet. As it is off the beaten track and does not have much to offer apart from a leisurely swim, it is less visited than the other pools and so nearly always peaceful.
Swimming to relax
Nearly all of the public swimming pools in Vienna reflect a cultural part of Austria that is enjoyed nationwide, the sauna. Most of the pools have a selection of saunas (not included in the regular swimming price), either mixed or separated by gender. By checking out the directory of swimming pools above, it is easy to find which facilities have the right choice of sauna for you.
If you are looking for an even more relaxing aquatic experience without leaving the city too far behind, Therme Wien is a fantastic option for more of a spa experience. Easily accessible with the U1 train to Oberlaa, the Vienna thermal spa has multiple heated pools for relaxing and swimming and a large selection of saunas and massage facilities. The building and design of the space is beautiful and it is a fantastic way to warm up on a cold, grey winters day. The only drawback is the price – 24 euros for 3 hours compared the 8.50 euros for the more basic pools. However, the difference and size of the facilities more than makes up for it.
Slightly north of the city in Klosterneuberg (only an 8-minute walk from Klosterneuberg-Kierling train station) is the water and sports complex of Happyland. This facility also has many options for saunas, quiet rooms and aquafitness, plus different pools for swimming. Being out of the city and slightly less fancy than Therme Wien the price is also more reasonable at only 12.90 euros.
Hütteldorferbad swimming pool.
Swimming for kids
Unfortunately, one of the things that is missing most from the Viennese public pools is that there are not many designed for kids. Stadthallenbad and Brigittenauerbad both have small shallow pools for learners and Jörgerbad even has a slide that winds from the second floor terrace to the pool below. But if you are looking for a really family-friendly pool, the only choice is Hütteldorferbad.
The pool in Hütteldorf is really fantastic for families, featuring multiple areas for children of different skill levels, paddling pools, fountains and slides. But because it is the only pool really designed with kids in mind, it can get incredibly busy in the winter months.
I recommend arriving early, or late, to enjoy the time there without it being overly crowded.
The swimming pool is open 8 a.m. to 9 p.m., six days a week (and until 5:30 p.m. on Sundays) so there is plenty of time to enjoy the place while avoiding the lunch-time or mid-afternoon rush.
Other great options with a lot of variety for families are Therme Wien and Happyland Klosterneuberg (mentioned above). As they are larger and more accommodating to younger kids, these are also perfect places to visit if you have a little more time and are looking for something with more to offer than the regular swimming pool.
So whatever aquatic itch you are looking to scratch, there are possibilities all throughout Vienna. As with so many other activities in Vienna, many of them are beautiful, well-designed and available for a fair price. Grab your towel, your swimsuit and googles, and get ready to warm up those frozen fingers and toes!
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See more here about Vienna here in Dispatches’ archives.
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Thom Harding was born and raised in the UK and USA, sharing his time between Bath and Boston. Upon completing his studies in Art History and Painting in Florence, Thom travelled around Mexico and India before moving to New Mexico to start his career as a Primary school teacher.
After completing his MA in Education, he now lives and works in Vienna, Austria and enjoys spending his free time hiking, reading, travelling and exploring around Europe.
See more of Thom’s work here in the Dispatches archive.
You can read more about Vienna here in the Dispatches archives.
