Wellness and bathing experiences in winter

Water, warmth and a little time are all you need to increase your own well-being. Pamper your body and soul in beautiful surroundings during the colder seasons.

Säntispark Abtwil St. Gallen

Probably the most exciting adventure pool in Eastern Switzerland is perfect for a relaxing wellness day alone or as a couple, as well as for a day trip to the slide world with the whole family.

How to get there: with the Voralpen-Express or the S-Bahn to St. Gallen

Hammam & Spa Oktogon Bern

The Bernese hammam stands on the foundations of the first gas boiler in Switzerland, an octagonal building known as the Oktogon. The Hammam & Spa Oktogon Bern is the setting for a ritual straight out of the Arabian Nights and offers a unique bathing experience over four floors.

How to get there: take the IR Aare Linth to Bern

Rigi Kaltbad mineral spa

Rigi Kaltbad has been known for 600 years. It offers you a beautiful indoor and heated outdoor pool, a steam bath, a Finnish herbal sauna, a spa lounge with treatments and massages, and the fascinating Kristallbad.

How to get there: take the Voralpen-Express to Arth-Goldau

AquArenA Herzogenbuchsee

Bio and Finnish sauna, steam bath, experience showers, foot bath, cold water plunge pool, relaxation room and bubble pool await you. Combine your visit with an overnight stay in the historic Hotel Kreuz.

How to get there: with the IR Aare Linth to Herzogenbuchsee

Alpamare Pfäffikon

This covered adventure pool was the first of its kind in Switzerland. The pool complex boasts twelve water slides with a total length of 2.1 kilometres, as well as a wave pool, a bubble bath, a saltwater pool and a free-flow river.

How to get there: take the Voralpen-Express or the S-Bahn to Pfäffikon SZ.

Saltwater pool and spa Schönbühl

Relax in Switzerland's largest natural saltwater pool, which is heated to 35°C. A sauna world with an earth-fire sauna and a spa circuit that cleanses body and soul complete the experience.

How to get there: take the IR Aare Linth to Bern

Bernaqua

At Westside Bern, the Bernaqua water park offers fun on Switzerland's longest indoor water slides, wellness in the saltwater pool, saunas and steam baths. The Bernaqua adventure pool has something for every generation. Treat your body and soul to an intense experience of inner balance and pure relaxation in the Bernaqua wellness area, an oasis of enjoyment and well-being. The sauna area offers a wide range of options. A Roman-Irish bathing ritual combines the Roman steam bath of antiquity with the dry Irish hot air bath. Massages and beauty treatments round off the range of services.

How to get there: take the IR Aare Linth to Bern.

Mineralbad, St. Margrethen

This gem, with fresh spring water from the Appenzeller Vorderland, can look back on a tradition of over 300 years and was completely renovated in 2016. One special feature is the pools containing water from various mineral springs around the world. In the beautiful sauna area, all the senses are addressed through sound experiences, light choreographies and infusions. Salt scrubs, ice fountains and massage treatments complete the range of offers.

How to get there: take the S4 to St. Margrethen.

aquabasilea, Pratteln

The pool complex bills itself as ‘Switzerland's most diverse water and wellness world’. It consists of a leisure pool with a wave machine, nine water slides, a toddlers' area and a vitality pool with massage and neck showers. The sauna world offers twelve saunas and steam baths. In the largest hammam in Switzerland, guests feel like they are in the Arabian Nights. The offer ranges from simple, classic hammam tours to extensive day packages.

How to get there: take the Treno Gottardo to Basel, then on to Pratteln.

Hürlimann & Spa, Zurich

In the heart of Zurich, you will find relaxation and warmth in the midst of breathtaking architecture at the Hürlimannbad & Spa Zurich. In the former rooms of the Hürlimann brewery, you can bathe in the Aqui mineral water spring. In the rooftop pool, you can also enjoy a beautiful panoramic view of the city. In the thermal pool, wooden pools are reminiscent of the former brewery. The historic rooms and the limited number of guests give the Irish-Roman area a sense of intimacy and a very special atmosphere. A wide range of massages and treatments, as well as a bistro lounge, complete the offer.

How to get there: take the Treno Gottardo or the IR Aare Linth to Zurich.

Bad Ragaz

Many years ago, hunters discovered a 36.5°C spring in the Tamina Gorge near Pfäfers Abbey. According to tradition, the monks of the nearby Benedictine monastery recognised a healing effect in its water. This is where the long history of Bad Pfäfers and later the Grand Resort Bad Ragaz begins. The luxury hotel ‘Quellenhof’ was opened as early as 1869 and in 1872 the Tamina Therme was built, which was the first indoor thermal water pool in Europe. Today, the Grand Resort Bad Ragaz is considered the best wellness hotel in Switzerland and the publicly accessible Tamina Therme has also won awards.

How to get there: take the IR Aare Linth to Bad Ragaz or the S4 to Sargans

‘Brunnen gehn’ – Fontaines Chaudes, Basel

‘Brunnen gehn’ is a new tradition in Basel that transforms public fountains into winter bathing spots. With water heated to 39°C, social interaction is encouraged and everyday life is refreshed. Fountain heaters heat the water in public fountains to bathing temperature using a mobile wood-burning stove. They bring the neighbourhood to life during the day and create a warm meeting place in the evening. The art and design collective Hotel Regina initiated ‘brunnen gehn’ and the project ties in with the former function of the city fountains as a meeting place.

How to get there: take the Treno Gottardo to Basel

Termali Salini & Spa Locarno

The architecture of the spa is an abstract representation of the Ticino river valleys. With spectacular views of the lake and mountains, the largest natural brine spa in Ticino enchants with its Mediterranean flair and promises peace, warmth and well-being.

How to get there: take the Treno Gottardo to Locarno

For the hardy: ice bathing

Ice bathing, or winter bathing, is swimming in open water at temperatures close to 0°C. Only the coolest and most hardened water lovers brave the wet and cold.