Even a quieter swimming year has its highlights. While it’s snowing in Antwerp, let me take you through some of my favourite swims of 2025. Perhaps they’ll inspire a trip or two in 2026.
In June, I travelled to Malmö to visit O. To break up the long train journey, I spent a few days in Hamburg. There, I discovered an interesting type of pool: a surprisingly large complex with both indoor and outdoor facilities, all housed in historic buildings.
Holthusenbad (Hamburg, built between 1912 and 1914)
My first day in Hamburg, I took the metro to the impressive Kellinghusenstraße stop. The complex of pools is right next to the station, giving swimmers a great view of trains coming and going from the outdoor pool. The whole place feels rather grand, much like many of Hamburg’s large brick buildings. It includes an indoor leisure pool with a small café, a heated outdoor 25m pool with deckchairs, and a large section with warm baths and a sauna area. For a leisure swimmer who’s been on the train for hours, it’s a wonderful place to unwind. For a proper training session, you might get lucky with a lane in the outdoor pool, but you may want to consider a more sports‑oriented venue.
Apparently these baths have so much space (and such lovely symmetrical floor plans) because they once housed separate male and female wings, each with its own basin. In this case, as in the Kaifu‑Bad, one side now contains the wave pool, while the other houses the spa facilities.
Kaifu-bad (Hamburg, built between 1893 and 1895)
The next day, I visited another pool of the same type: the Kaifu‑Bad. It’s a colossal monument, shaped by additions and upgrades from different eras. The building was recently renovated and reopened in 2016, and you can sense that blend of history and modernisation as soon as you walk in. Beyond a lovely Matisse‑themed indoor pool, the complex includes a heated outdoor pool, a spa, and a large salt bath (which I didn’t get to try). And perhaps the most striking feature is the 50m outdoor pool, paired with a diving pool and bordered by the building’s historic brick façade. Along one side, broad stone steps offer space for towels and sunbathing; on the other, a wide grass lawn provides room for swimmers to spread out. There’s also a café and a playground - the whole place feels a bit like a park.
Ribersborgs Kallbadhus (Malmö, built in 1898)
O. and I visited the sea bath at Ribersborg, a wooden complex built on a pier stretching out into the Øresund. Like the historic pools in Hamburg, it follows a symmetrical floor plan, but here the separation between the men’s and women’s sections is still very much in use. The bathhouse combines several saunas with direct access to the open sea, where you can step down from the back of the structure and swim with a view of the bridge between Copenhagen and Malmö. On the inner side, there are sunbathing areas and dressing rooms arranged along the two wings. The whole place has a quiet charm, and at the entrance, set between the two sections, there’s a café - a cosy place to eat or drink after a visit to the saunas.
Pålsjö Kallbadhus (Hellsingborg, built in 1902)
From Malmö, O. and I took the train to Helsingborg to visit another Kallbadhus. Pålsjö is also built on a pier and follows the same symmetrical floor plan, though recent renovations have given it a more modern feel. The waves were quite significant during our visit, which added an unexpected dimension to the experience. The baths offer several small saunas and have sea access only from the back of the structure. It’s a quiet and cosy place, with an outdoor hot tub as well (unfortunately out of order when we were there). The view across the Øresund toward Denmark is especially nice, whether you’re sitting in the saunas or in the bright café between the two wings.
When we stopped for a coffee and a sandwich after bathing at Pålsjö, we found a wonderful book about pools and saunas in the Nordic countries. If you’re considering a trip, I recommend looking for Nordiska Bad by Ulrica Nordström.
What struck me on this trip was how these older bathing infrastructures continue to be part of contemporary city life. Their scale, their symmetry, and the way they’ve been adapted over time make them feel historic without becoming museum pieces.
On my way back, I made a quick stop in Copenhagen and swam outdoors at Kalvebod Bølge, which offers an easy place to get into the water right in the city centre. I just parked my bike, left my things on the edge, and got in - a fitting end to the trip.
I visited a few other lovely swimming spots in 2025, which I’ll try to share next time. Let me know if you visited any spots I need to add to my 2026 list!
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