Bains des Paquis

The Bains des Paquis occupy a jetty running into Lake Geneva, and they are one of the very few genuinely democratic spaces in an expensive city: entry costs a couple of francs, the crowd is every age and income, and it is open every day of the year. In 1987 the city proposed demolishing the deteriorating structure and replacing it; an association formed to save it, the question went to a public vote, and Genevans voted to keep and restore them. Winter is the local ritual - a wood-fired sauna and hammam operate, and the tradition is to alternate between them and the freezing lake, then eat fondue in the small restaurant on the jetty.

What you actually see

• A jetty saved by referendum - Genevans voted against demolition in 1987.
• A couple of francs to enter - a rare cheap public space in the city.
• Winter sauna and cold lake - the local alternation ritual.
• Fondue on the jetty - the small restaurant that goes with it.

When to go

All year - summer for swimming, winter for the sauna. Half a day.

Honest expectations

It is crowded on hot days and in winter sauna hours. Facilities are basic by design - this is a public bath, not a spa. The lake is cold year round. Fondue seats need booking in winter.

Nearby

The Jet d'Eau is across the water; the old town is south.