Aare River Swimming, Marzilibad, Marzilibahn & the Matte Quarter

Fed by the glacial meltwaters of the Oberaar and Unteraar glaciers via Lake Brienz and Lake Thun, the Aare river rushes past Bern in a clear turquoise curve before continuing north to join the Rhine. Down on the narrow alluvial banks thirty to forty metres below the sandstone cliffs of the Bundeshaus and the Münsterplattform, two distinct riverside districts reveal a completely different side of the federal city: the sunlit lawns and river chutes of the Marzili quarter upstream to the south, and the historic artisanal peninsula of the Matte quarter downstream to the east. Check our seasonal weather guide to plan a summer visit.

Descending from the upper streets to the riverfront feels like stepping out of an urban capital into an alpine valley. The sound of trams fades behind the high sandstone retaining walls, replaced by the roar of the river weir, the clatter of funicular cables, and shady paths lined with poplars and willows.

Summer Aare Swimming and the Free Marzilibad Lido

Opened in 1782 as the Marzilibad (the oldest river bath in Switzerland) and continuously expanded with grassy sunbathing lawns, a 50-metre lap pool, diving boards, children's paddling basins, and separate women's and men's wooden enclosures (the Paradiesli and Männerbad), the municipal lido on the left bank of the Aare charges no admission fee, a civic right defended by Bernese voters for more than two centuries. When July and August sunshine warms the snowmelt river to between 17 and 22 degrees Celsius, thousands of locals pack dry clothes into brightly coloured waterproof roll-top bags (Aaresack), walk upstream along the wooded riverbank toward the Schönausteg footbridge or the Eichholz camping lawn in Wabern, and float downstream on the swift current back to the red-painted iron handrails of the Marzilibad exit stairs.

Along the riverside promenade between Eichholz and the lido, wooden changing cabins, cold showers, drinking fountains, and shady plane trees create an effortless summer ritual where office workers, parliamentarians, and students cool off together after work.

River Safety Rules Above the Matteschwelle Weir

Because the Aare carries a strong mountain current with cold eddies, floating the river is suitable only for strong, confident swimmers without inflatable boats in the bathing zone: always cool your body before entering, never leap from bridges, and exit at or before the final Marzilibad steps marked by the large blue Letzter Ausstieg / Last exit sign, just 140 metres before the dangerous foaming weir of the Matteschwelle.

Newcomers who prefer calm water or want to observe the river tradition safely can swim in the still 50-metre pool inside the Marzilibad grounds, sunbathe on the expansive lawns looking straight up at the copper dome of the Federal Palace, and watch experienced local swimmers pull themselves up the red exit ladders along the bank.

Riding the 105-Metre Marzilibahn Funicular

Linking the Marzili riverside directly to the Bundesterrasse beside the Federal Palace is the Marzilibahn, opened on 18 July 1885: at a track length of just 105 metres overcoming a 32-metre vertical drop on a 32-percent gradient in roughly one minute, it is the second-shortest public funicular in Europe after Zagreb's and operated as a water-ballast railway until its electrification in 1973 to 1974. Covered by the overnight Bern Ticket, its twin carriages spare walkers the steep climb up the cliffside steps.

The Matte Quarter (Schwarzes Quartier)

Downstream of the Kirchenfeldbrücke and the 150-metre Matteschwelle weir, first dammed in the fourteenth century to divert mill streams into the workshops of the lower town, sits the Matte (the Black Quarter of 1798). Documented since 1327 as the boatmen's, raftsmen's, and tanners' district beside the medieval Untertorbrücke, the Matte built Bern's first hydroelectric power station in 1891.

Because timber rafts and cargo boats arriving from the Bernese Oberland unloaded their goods along the Schifflaube, the quarter developed a rugged, industrious character distinct from the patrician streets on the ridge above, with low wooden arcades and workshops straddling swift water channels.

Mattenenglisch and the 1897 Mattelift

For generations the working-class youth of the quarter spoke their own secret Pig Latin sociolect known as Mattenenglisch. Today its arcaded Schifflaube and Mattenenge lanes house riverside cafés, craft workshops, the 183-step wooden Mattentreppe, and the 1897 electric Mattelift up to the Minster terrace.

Walking the Aare Bank from Marzili to the BärenPark

Even outside the summer bathing months, a flat riverside walk from the Schönausteg footbridge through the Marzili lawns, past the foaming Matteschwelle weir, and through the Matte lanes to the Untertorbrücke and BärenPark offers uninterrupted water views away from city traffic.

For visitors experiencing the summer river culture around the Marzilibad, the atmosphere on the grassy lawns is relaxed, egalitarian, and unmistakably local. Swimmers of all ages hang their colourful dry bags over their shoulders, walk upstream along the shaded footpath toward Eichholz, and wade into the cold, clear current for a refreshing drift past the willow banks. Even if you choose not to enter the fast-moving river channel yourself, cooling your feet at the water's edge, swimming laps in the calm outdoor pool, or ordering an ice cream and cold drink at the lido terrace lets you share in the city's favourite warm-weather pastime.

Downstream in the Matte quarter, the mood shifts from sunny recreation to historic river craft. Walking beneath the low timber-and-stone arcades of the Schifflaube and listening to the constant rush of water over the Matteschwelle weir recalls the centuries when raftsmen, millers, and tanners worked along this narrow alluvial strip below the Minster cliff.

When you are ready to return to the upper town, riding the vintage electric cabin of the Mattelift straight up to the chestnut trees of the Münsterplattform or boarding the short Marzilibahn funicular up to the Federal Palace terrace completes a memorable riverside loop.

In spring and autumn, when the water is too cold for bathing, the flat riverside towpaths through Marzili and the Matte remain popular with joggers, cyclists, and afternoon walkers enjoying the sheltered microclimate along the southern base of the sandstone cliffs. Small neighborhood cafés along the river channel serve coffee and pastries beside the historic mill race throughout the year, and benches along the weir provide quiet places to watch the water.