The 50-metre outdoor pool at Eriksdalsbadet in central Stockholm was built for the 1962 European Aquatics Championships and is an oasis in the summer heat for children and adults alike. But what makes this pool so special is what happens the last weekend before it closes for the summer, when it’s transformed into Popaganda; a two day festival with an impressive line-up. Artists this year include Robyn, Hot Chip, Elle Goulding, Belle and Sebastian, The Concretes and Shout Out Louds. Where else can you go for a cool swim whilst watching some of the hottest bands around, all in the heart of a capital city?

www.eriksdalsbadet.se/
Hammarby Slussväg 20, 118 60 Stockholm, (400m from Skanstull underground station
Skanstull)
Google map: tinyurl.com/2vsqkj4

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This is an amazing pool in Stockholm. It's got a roof, so whether it can be officially classed as outdoor could be debated. However, as it's built on a pontoon floating on the Hornstullstrand in southern Stockholm, it definitely feels like an outdoor pool. However, it comes with one overriding advantage: the water is maintained at a balmy 30C, so perhaps it's more of a bath. You can certainly swim in it though, at nearly 20 meters in length. It's as popular as ever, despite being over 80 years old and is still maintained in the original late-20s style. They also have regular sessions with classical music accompaniment. Very Swedish and very civilized.

Bergsunds Beach 2
117 38 Stockholm
www.stockholm.se/KulturFritid/Sim--och-idrottshallar/Liljeholmsbadet/

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Bristol's Lido, tucked away in the heart of Clifton, predates the nearby famous suspension bridge and is more than just an outdoor pool. Since its stylish transformation you can also relax in the poolside bar, savour food from the Italian wood-fired oven in the restaurant in the former Victorian viewing gallery, or be pampered in the spa. It's a perfect place for a swim all year round in the solar panel-heated pool. But go at night, under the stars, and you're in heaven.

Oakfield Place, Clifton, Bristol, BS8 2BJ.
www.lidobristol.com
Google map: tinyurl.com/2vuaphf

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There is nothing so wonderful and bizarre as walking outside in February in your bathing suit and getting into an outdoor thermal pool. At Szechenyi you can swim, relax or even play chess on the tops of stone pillars. It is open from 6am to 10pm every day, but the thermal pools close an hour earlier. A variety of fitness and spa treatments are available but it is rejuvenating just to be there.

www.szechenyibath.com/
The bath is situated in the City Park, on the Pest side of the capital. By public transportation, it is easy to reach on metro line 1 (yellow line). By car, it is close to where the M3 freeway runs into town. From downtown, the Andrassy Boulevard stretches out to Heroes Square, and the bath is a few hundred metres beyond the square.
Address: H-1146 Budapest, Állatkerti krt. 11.

Google map: tinyurl.com/3ye5dak

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Swimming in the inky dark pool at Bristol's recently renovated lido is a delicious winter's evening pleasure(summer lovers may disagree). If the chill air gets too much, jump into the hot tub or sauna for heat then plunge back into the dark pool to start the cycle again. Deckchair-striped, curtained shower/changing rooms line one side of the pool and a tasty glass fronted caff borders the other. All in all sublime.

lidobristol.com
tinyurl.com/37n23mw

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Swimming in the inky dark pool at Bristol's recently renovated lido is a delicious winter's evening pleasure(summer lovers may disagree) if the chill air gets too much, jump into the hot tub or sauna for heat then plunge back into the dark pool to start the cycle again. The gaily, deckchair striped, curtained shower/changing rooms, line one side of the pool and a tasty glass fronted caff borders the other. All in all sublime.

lidobristol.com
Oakfield Place, Clifton, Bristol BS8 2BJ
0117 933 9530

Google map: tinyurl.com/2v9wgw2

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Converted from an old barge, the Badeschiff pool in Berlin floats on the river Spree. Open air in summer the wooden decks heave with sun and fun seekers. In winter the pool and decks are covered with cocoon like white canvas pods. You can chill on loungers, indulge in a sauna and dive into the cool blue in the nude if that takes your fancy.

badeschiff.de
Eichenstraße 4
12435 Berlin

Google map: tinyurl.com/34qhpop

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Jesus Green Swimming Pool is situated in the heart of Cambridge alongside Jesus Lock on the picturesque River Cam.
Built in 1923, this is Cambridge's oldest pool and is one of the 50 or so remaining examples of the lidos which were built during the 1920/1930’s. With a 100 yard lane length and 15 yard width, it is also one of the largest such pools still in operation today.
The pool is unheated with daily temperatures chalked on a blackboard at the entrance gate. For my visit today, the pool temperature was a heady 20 deg C but be warned temperatures can be much lower out of season.
Surrounded by trees, this is a great place to visit on a summer’s day. When you have had enough swimming, there are grassed areas with benches for picnicking, reading and sunbathing. The lifeguards are friendly and accommodating which gives the pool a laid-back, relaxed atmosphere.
On cooler days, you can almost have the pool to yourself – ideal for serious lane swimmers.
There are spacious changing rooms with hot water showers and a basket room for storing clothes. The daily entrance fee covers multiple entries so it is possible to venture out into Cambridge for lunch or a spot of shopping and return later in the day.

Chesterton Road, Cambridge, CB4 3PX
Phone: (01223) 302579.
Web: www.everyoneactive.co.uk/Home/tabid/663/Default.aspx
jesusgreeninfo@everyoneactive.com

Google map: tinyurl.com/38paas8

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I can't think of any place I would rather be on a warm summer day than jumping into the cool clean water of the outdoor pool in Oslo's lovely Frogner Park. You can admire the statues by Gustav Vigeland while dangling your feet in the water, and watching your children splashing about in the children's pool one level down. The pool is a full 50m long and there are also diving boards at 1, 3, and 5 meters. Entry is by single admission or "klippkort". Can't wait to get there!

Frogner Park
Entry to pool on Middelthunsgate, in Majorstuen
Take tunnelbane to stop 5 min walk away.

Google map: tinyurl.com/2wod6kr

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A beautiful Art Deco lido to be found across the Cornish moors, on the tail of the country. It was reopened on the 25th of May and is celebrating its 75th anniversary. Sat among its whitewashed walls it’s easy to forget which country you are in and equally hard to care. With a poolside café that looks to St. Michaels Mount and the route of the passenger ferries bound for the Scilly isles. I lay at its reopening, eating bread and cheese and imagined I was on Tracey Island.

The Promenade, Penzance, Cornwall,
www.jubileepool.co.uk/

Google map: tinyurl.com/3aj9hnb

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When the sun shines the Danish really know how to enjoy it. If you manage a trip to Copenhagen in the summer months, do not miss this outdoor swimming spot which pretty much sums up the Danish attitude to design: simple, effective and beautiful. Kastrup Søbad literally meaning sea bath, is a large wooden pavilion leading from the beach. The structure undulates and curves creating a buffer from sea winds and various points for sitting, sunbathing and diving into the Baltic Sea. The lowest level steps down into the water and contains showers and lockers. The highest point gives fantastic views of the beach and Sweden across the sea. The surroundings are brilliant for walking, biking and roller-skating. There is also a marina and facilities nearby for wind surfing, kite surfing and canoeing.

An easy ten minute walk from Femøren underground station along the beach. The station is on a line between Copenhagen and Copenhagen airport, it takes a maximum of 15 minutes from the centre of town and trains are frequent.
Amager Strandvej 301, 2770 Kastrup

Google map: tinyurl.com/3xnu6ge

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Best pool in the region. An eight-lane 50m heated outdoor pool at the foot of the jagged Tien Shan mountains. An oasis of clear blue water and some peace in the heat of Central Asia's busiest city. Great for laps, sunbathing, watching the national teams train and local beauties parade. Bring flip flops and shower before swimming - the attendants are old Soviet sticklers for cleanliness.

On Abay Avenue next to the Central Stadium (bus stop 'Centralni Stadion'). tel Almaty 2924053.

Google map: tinyurl.com/3xh4e7f

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Right on Napier's sea front, Ocean Spa is a great place to spend a relaxing couple of hours. With the sea on one side and some of the city's best Art Deco buildings on the other, there are lots of distractions for swimmers doing their daily laps or for those simply taking it all in while having a hot soak. It's also an ideal spot to watch the sunset on a summer evening. If you've worked up a hunger after your swim, the onsite cafe does tasty snack food and good coffee.

42 Marine Parade, Napier, New Zealand
Phone +64 6 835 8553

Google map: tinyurl.com/2g79yg9

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The venue for the diving events at the 1992 Olympics, the Piscina Municipal is set into the Montjuic hillside overlooking Barcelona, so you get unbeatable views of the city while you're sunbathing. There's a large swimming pool, a separate diving pool and a small bar. A short walk away is another pool complex, the Piscinas Bernat Picornell, which hosts naked nights and 'film & swim' evenings during the Grec festival (Jul-Aug). Both cost €5.30 for the day and are a great way to cool off from the heat of the city.

Piscina Municipal de Montjuic: opposite the Parc de Montjuic funicular station. Piscinas Bernat Picornell: further up the hill on Avinguda de l'Estadi, almost directly under the spiral white tower of the Torré Telefónica.

Av. Miramar, 31, Barcelona - 08038
archivo.marca.com/natacion/mundial2003/sedes_montjuic.html

Google map: tinyurl.com/398nmvs

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This salt water pool has been built into the Bondi cliffs overlooking Bondi Beach. The pool was created to service local life guards wanting to maintain their fitness during the winter months. You can swim in the open air pool while taking in the amazing views of Bondi beach and afterwards head upstairs to relax in the fabulous restaurant.

1 Notts Ave, Sydney, 2026
Australia
www.icebergs.com.au/

Google map: tinyurl.com/39a6ur7

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For one of the best outdoor pools in cities, you can't beat the Tinside Lido in Plymouth. Beautifully  & lovingly restored. A place for all ages to enjoy a swim, have a lazy relaxing time, as well as, meet and make new friends. It has those beautiful Art Deco lines you would expect and so much more.  A must see sight for swimmers and Art Deco lovers alike.

Hoe Road, Plymouth, PL1 3DE
01752 261915

Google map: tinyurl.com/2wuun34

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This public outdoor swimming pool complex is set below a raised promenade off Beach Road in Sea Point, Cape Town, South Africa. Situated between Table Mountain and the Atlantic Ocean it comprises an Olympic sized, filtered seawater pool, two splash pools and a diving pool.
Above and alongside the sea, the spray from breaking waves that occasionally land over the boundary railing reminded us of our location, at the southern end of the African continent.
The sound of seagulls overhead, the visual pleasure of seemingly limitless open ocean as you cool off on a hot Cape summer's day and the imposing yet restful backdrop of Table Mountain make this outdoor pool quite special.
The aromas from BBQs on the adjacent grassed area encourage locals and tourists from all walks of life and is the ideal spot to relax after a refreshing dip beneath blue skies.
Whatever your swimming level it is an affordable day out and costs adults around R9,50 while children pay R6,00. Die-hard swimmers meet in the winter months as it is open all year round from mid-April to mid-October (08:30 -17:00) and in the more popular summer season from mid-October to mid-April (07:00 -19:00) when swimming just prior to sunset and the onset of the evening precede a lazy stroll along the paved coastal path, ice-cream in hand.

Sea Point Pavilion, Cape Town
Address: Beach Road, Sea Point, Cape Town, South Africa
Phone: (+ 27) 021 434 3341

Google map: tinyurl.com/32momns

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It's got a spectacular view of Kowloon - both by day and also at night - when the neon signs light up the Tsim Sha Tsui shopping district. Part of the top floor health club for guests, this is a great place to relax, unwind and keep fit when enjoying a visit to Hong Kong, and it gives a fresh perspective on the place.

8 Peking Road, Tsimshatsui, Kowloon, Tsim Sha Tsui, Hong Kong, Hong Kong
hongkong.langhamhotels.com
Tel: (852) 2375 1133

Google map: tinyurl.com/32kacuf

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It's on the edge of Verona city centre, 10 minutes walk from Piazza San Zeno and 20 from Via Roma (and the bus into town stops right outside) - but the San Marco's Unique Selling Point is its pool. Squeezed onto the north side of the hotel, it only gets the sun until the afternoon, but if you want to cool off in an outdoor pool in Verona, there's no competition - and by the pool is as good a place as any to eat an evening meal from the restaurant alongside. (There's an indoor pool and spa too for a price.)

42 Via Baldassarre Longhena
37138 Verona, Italy
+39 045 569 011
www.sanmarco.vr.it

City bus 11/12 (95 evenings and Sundays) to the door, from city centre or station.

Google map: tinyurl.com/38uelpn

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