Six beautiful outdoor pools in Düsseldorf

We say only one thing: Off into the basin! 

For the greatest pleasure, you often need very little in the summer months: a bathing suit or bikini, towels, a few euros for chips and a cold drink, and you're off to the outdoor pool of your choice - which can also serve as your second living room from May to September. Whether you take your first swim at six o'clock in the morning to get through an eight-hour workday at your desk, enjoy the hustle and bustle between the five-meter tower and the plunge pool in the afternoon, or the evening hours are just right for you because it's more peaceful, everyone can find the perfect outdoor pool in Düsseldorf. Here are our six suggestions - for which it's best to book your tickets in advance to avoid queues. 

Rhine bath in Stockum 

The much-vaunted bikini figure? Certainly negligible as a reason to do sports. It's more about keeping body and mind healthy through regular exercise - and where better to do that than in the shade of the Düsseldorf Arena? It's not just that the fitness of the Fortuna players who play there creates an incentive. The opportunities to let off steam on 2,000 square meters of water should also be reason enough to enjoy the outdoor pool season at the Rheinbad (Europaplatz 1) to the fullest. From Monday to Friday, as well as on Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays, all the highlights are available to you between 8 a.m. and 8 p.m.: Swim against your inner pig on the 50-meter lane (of which there are six!), and then feel as young as if the summer vacations were six weeks long again in the diving pool with a one-, three- and even five-meter tower. In the pool right next door, you can whiz down the wide slide. After all that adrenaline, you can relax under the water mushroom. By the way: If for some reason you don't want to go into the water, just cheer your friend on. Perhaps the grandstand will even awaken in you the desire to compete in the Olympics as a coach or, even better, as a participant.

Lido in Lörick 

Choosing a favorite among Düsseldorf's outdoor pools would be roughly equivalent to the challenge of choosing one's favorite child among several sons and daughters. Absolutely impossible, of course! Nevertheless, Strandbad Lörick (Niederkasseler Deich 258, Mondays to Fridays, 6 a.m. to 8 p.m.; Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays, 9 a.m. to 8 p.m.) always occupies one of the top spots when it comes to the total package of "perfect time in the open-air pool." On a fabulous 100,000 square meters, which is equivalent to almost 15 football pitches, you can sunbathe (well-screened up, of course) until dusk, and as often as the high summer temperatures allow. Whereby: Even at barely above 20 degrees fans can be found here - and not only because of the size of the bath. The keyword that explains another plus point: location, location, location! Barely 100 meters from the Rhine, surrounded by lush meadows, you can swim in the 50-meter-long pool on eight lanes with your loved ones. Or you can splash around with the kids in the children's area, whose awnings and water fountains will delight the whole family. If the sandwiches you've just eaten temporarily prevent you from jumping into the water again, let your bikini and swimsuit dry while you compete in beach volleyball or table tennis. Then it's back home by bike along the Rhine. Jackpot, right?

All-weather pool in Flingern 

If the asphalt is burning under your soles and you're already experiencing mirages of outdoor pools in the middle of the city due to the heat, you may have already arrived in Flingern! Because it's here, at the Allwetterbad (Flinger Broich 91 a, Mondays to Fridays, 6 a.m. to 8 p.m.; Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays, 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.) that swimming wishes come true. The revolving doors, virtually the gates to swimming bliss, open up a multitude of possibilities: At a minimum of 22 degrees, swim one 50-meter lane after another in a straight line or at your leisure, or summon all your courage to conquer Düsseldorf's only ten-meter tower from dizzying heights - and enjoy the panorama over a seemingly endless horizon. Of course, there are professionals who master the jump as if it were a walk in the park! The scaredy-cats among us prefer a somewhat shorter free fall of exactly one meter, which is made possible by the short slide. Speaking of scaredy-cats: don't worry, the water snake in the children's area is definitely not Loch Nessi. Or is it?

Outdoor pool in Kaiserswerth 

You want to really switch off, without constant cell phone ringing and city horns? Then off to Kaiserswerth! As if the district in the north of Düsseldorf wasn't already bursting with idyll, the outdoor pool located in the middle of a residential area (Kreuzbergstr. 33, Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, 7 a.m. to 8 p.m., Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays, 8:30 a.m. to 8 p.m.) also demonstrates an incomparable charm. Run by members of the "Fins Away" association, this little outdoor oasis is the "grande dame" of pools, with nothing to prove to anyone. Super-long pool? No way! Elaborate counter-current systems or other frills? Not necessary! Instead, women, men and children can unwind here at a water temperature of 26 degrees - especially since, in the shade of the trees that have been growing there for ages, an hour feels like a minute. It's a pity that summer can't stop here! Volleyball and table tennis are available, as well as a "four wins" (and a pirate ship climbing frame for the youngest) for a brief change of pace when your hands are already all wrinkly from hours of swimming.  

Swimming in Unterbach Lake 

The smell of suntan lotion in your nose, the taste of strawberry ice cream on your tongue and sand between your toes? Sounds good? Then off to Unterbacher See! Two natural beach baths - one in the north (Großer Torfbruch 18, daily 10 a.m. to 7:30 p.m.) and one in the south (Am Kleinforst 300, same opening hours) are waiting for you, so that at 30 degrees in the shade you only know one goal: get into the water! This way you can spend days, if not weeks on site, whereby the only distance you should cover is between the lake and the towel - or just to say hello to the neighbors who happen to be three rows away. And if you do feel like a little exercise in between: Sailing, stand-up paddling and boat rides are also high on guests' list. The happy ending: fries that have perhaps never been more golden. 

New outdoor pool in Benrath 

After four years of renovation, Benrath will finally be able to enjoy swimming again this summer. The Benrath outdoor pool (Regerstrasse 9, 40593 Düsseldorf, Monday to Sunday, 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.) has become a top-class "temple of sport" in recent years. The multigenerational health pool leaves absolutely nothing to be desired with its 25-meter pool including diving area, teaching pool and course pool with lifting floor (i.e. height-adjustable), a vital warm water pool including massage jets, outdoor brine pool as well as whirlpool and toddler pool! The beach volleyball court and the large sunbathing lawn with old trees also provide the perfect vacation feeling. So nothing stands in the way of your relaxing outdoor pool summer in Düsseldorf!

Cover picture: Bädergesellschaft Düsseldorf mbH