Swimming in the Spree

Can you swim in the river Spree in Berlin?

Not in the city centre. Bathing in the inner-city Spree has been banned since 1925, and in 2026 the ban still applies, with no exceptions.

The Tagesspiegel reported on 20 May 2026 that bathing in the central Spree is completely prohibited under the Badegewässerverordnung, the bathing water ordinance, including the Spree Canal. The rules also ban bathing 100 metres above and below bridges, and the city says it can't deviate from them. Even swim demonstrations get no exemption: anyone who climbs into the canal "handelt daher rechtswidrig und auf eigenes Risiko", acts unlawfully and at their own risk (Tagesspiegel).

The city's own swimming page puts it simply: swimming is not permitted in the Spree, the canals and parts of the Havel (berlin.de).

Why is swimming in the Spree banned?

Hygiene. After heavy rain, Berlin's combined sewers overflow into the river, and the health office says the risk stays elevated.

Much of central Berlin drains through combined sewers, which carry rainwater and wastewater in the same pipes. In a heavy storm they overflow into the Spree, carrying germs with them. In January 2026 the Landesamt für Gesundheit und Soziales (Lageso) assessed the Spree Canal and called the health risk "dauerhaft erhöht", permanently raised, and said designating it as bathing water was "nicht zu befürworten", not to be supported. It also doubted that an early-warning system based mainly on E. coli would catch the other pathogens (entwicklungsstadt).

Then there is traffic. The Spree is a federal waterway with tour boats, barges and the locks, and nobody in a small boat expects a head in the water. The GoBoat rules say it outright: no swimming and no getting off the boat.

What happened to the Spree swimming spot planned for 2026?

It did not open. In May 2025 the city planned a pilot spot on the Spree Canal near the Humboldt Forum from summer 2026; the January 2026 health assessment stopped it.

The plan, reported in May 2025, was a test bathing access on the Spree Canal at the Museum Island, from summer 2026, with a budget of about EUR 1 million and strict hygiene conditions (entwicklungsstadt). After the Lageso assessment in January, the Tagesspiegel confirmed in May that no pilot spot was open and the ban stays.

The dated details, with each step of the story, are in the 2026 swimming ban post.

What is the Flussbad Berlin project?

A campaign, since 2012, to make the 1.8 km Spree Canal around Museum Island swimmable, with a natural plant filter. It held a first swim race in 2015.

Flussbad Berlin e.V. wants to turn the side arm of the Spree along Museum Island into a public river pool, cleaned by plants and gravel. Its first Flussbad Cup, on 12 July 2015, drew about 80 swimmers (Flussbad Berlin). The group has monitored the canal since 2023 with the Berliner Wasserbetriebe, and says the water is good enough for safe swimming more than 80 per cent of the season. At its info point by the Friedrichsgracht a green or red flag shows the day's status.

In 2026 it called monthly swim demonstrations on the 20th, starting 20 May at the Schinkelplatz, under the slogan "101 Jahre Badeverbot abwählen!", vote out 101 years of the ban, ahead of the Berlin election on 20 September (Tagesspiegel). Public funding for research and planning has passed EUR 7.4 million without a start date.

What is the Badeschiff in Berlin?

A swimming pool built into a barge on the Spree at Eichenstraße 4 in Treptow. You swim in clean fresh water with the river around you.

The Badeschiff is a converted barge moored in the Spree in front of the Arena, filled with fresh water, 2.05 metres deep, with a lifeguard on duty. Only confident swimmers should use it, children under 16 need a parent, and in summer a beach bar opens on the bank. You need an online ticket for a time slot (visitBerlin). It opened in 2004.

It is a summer place. At the end of October 2026 the Arena says the Badeschiff is on its winter break. It is a few minutes from the GoBoat harbour: buses 165, 265 and M43 stop at Eichenstraße/Puschkinallee (berlin.de).

From the harbour by the Oberbaum Bridge, steer past the Molecule Man towards Treptow. Bring a picnic; swimming stays on land.

★ 4.9 · 1 to 4 hours · from $66

Explore a self-drive boat → Tour details

Where can you swim in Berlin instead?

At 39 official bathing spots on the lakes and the Havel, checked by the health office from 15 May. Strandbad Wannsee, the Müggelsee and the Schlachtensee are the easiest.

The Lageso tests every official spot during the season and posts a traffic-light rating on a map at badegewaesser.berlin. At the start of the 2026 season, 38 of 39 spots were cleared (Lageso).

Sources: Berliner Bäder for Wannsee and Berliner Zeitung for the Müggelsee lido, whose 2026 season ended on 31 August. The lidos close at the end of summer; the lakes don't, but the official season runs 15 May to 15 September.

Can you combine a lake swim with a boat trip?

Yes. The BVG ferry F10 crosses the Wannsee to Kladow in about 20 minutes on a normal AB ticket, and the Potsdam palace cruise sails the Havel lakes next door.

The F10 ferry leaves from the big pier by S-Bahn Wannsee and crosses 4.4 km of the Großer Wannsee and the Havel to Alt-Kladow, hourly. It is the cheapest boat trip in Berlin: a single AB ticket, EUR 4, or your day ticket. A swim at Strandbad Wannsee and the ferry make a good hot-day plan.

Further out, Weisse Flotte's Potsdam palace cruise runs about 1 1/2 hours past Babelsberg and under the Glienicke Bridge to Pfaueninsel. For the inner-city river, stay on deck: the 1-hour live-guide cruise passes right by the Spree Canal where the Flussbad wants its pool.

Frequently asked questions