🇨🇭 Bathing water quality in Switzerland

Also known as Schweiz, Suisse, Svizzera, Szwajcaria. 160 officially monitored bathing sites, tested all season for sewage bacteria.

160monitored sites
88%rated Excellent
4rated Poor
1turned around

Home › Switzerland

Excellent: 135Good: 14Sufficient: 1Not classified: 6Poor: 4

⚠️ Rated Poor in Switzerland — think twice

A Poor classification means persistent contamination across recent seasons. Authorities must advise against bathing, or ban it, at these sites.

✅ The safest bets in Switzerland

Sites that have held the top rating five seasons in a row — not a one-year fluke.

📍 Destinations in Switzerland

Common questions about swimming in Switzerland

Is it safe to swim in Switzerland?
Mostly yes. 88% of Switzerland's 160 officially monitored bathing sites hold the top "Excellent" class in the 2025 assessment, but 4 sites are rated Poor — bathing there is advised against or banned all season.
Which beaches in Switzerland should I avoid?
The 4 rated Poor: Plage de la Graviere, Plage de la Pointe-à-la-bise, Plage Du Creux-de-genthod, Plage Du Vengeron - Aval. Poor means the site failed the minimum standard across four seasons of sampling.
Where is the water cleanest in Switzerland?
114 sites have held the top rating five seasons running — a far better signal than a single good year. Around Lugano, Geneva, Zurich you will find the densest clusters.
How often is water quality tested in Switzerland?
Through the whole bathing season. National sanitary authorities sample each official site for E. coli and intestinal enterococci, report to the European Environment Agency, and the published class reflects the last four seasons combined.

Ratings are the official season-long classification, computed from the last four seasons of sampling — not a live reading. After a storm any site can be temporarily worse; local advisories win.