Inside Zurich's Quiet Revolution: A Conversation With a Local Who Swims in the Lake Year-Round
Thomas Keller is 41, works in fintech, and has lived in Zurich for 18 years. He's originally from Bern, which he left because "Bern is beautiful but moves at the speed of government." He swims in Lake Zurich every morning at 6AM — including in January, when the water temperature is about 4°C. He thinks this makes him normal. By Zurich standards, it might. If you're exploring the region, is Switzerland's French-speaking rival.
We met at Seebad Enge, one of the city's public Badis, on a Tuesday morning after his swim.
Q: You swim in the lake year-round. Why?
Thomas: (still drying his hair) It started as a summer thing. Everyone in Zurich swims in the lake in summer — it's maybe the most democratic thing about this city. Billionaires and students, side by side in the water. The Badis are free or cost 8 CHF.
Then one October I kept going. And then November. By January, I realized the cold water was doing something to my head — clearing it, sharpening it. The science backs this up now, but I didn't need science. I just needed the 30 seconds of total alertness you get when you enter 4°C water. If you're exploring the region, Interlaken is the adventure capital of the Swiss Alps.
Is it comfortable? No. Is it the best part of my day? Without question.
Q: What do tourists miss about Zurich?
Thomas: The lake. They walk along Bahnhofstrasse, they see the Old Town, they eat fondue. Then they leave and tell everyone Zurich is expensive and not worth it.
But the lake — swimming in it, walking along it, taking a boat on it, watching the Alps across it on a clear day — that's the actual soul of the city. The Badis are where Zurich relaxes. Seebad Enge, Seebad Utoquai, Frauenbad — these are institutions. Locals spend entire summer afternoons there. The sunset from the water is better than any view you'll pay for. If you're exploring the region, Lucerne is a picturesque Swiss lake city just 45 minutes away.
And it's free. In the most expensive city in the world, the best experience costs nothing.
Q: What about the expense? How do locals handle it?
Thomas: We're used to it, which is a terrible answer but an honest one. We earn more, so the proportions feel different. A 30 CHF lunch feels to a Zurich salary what a 12 EUR lunch feels to a Barcelona salary.
But even locals use the supermarket trick. Coop and Migros self-service restaurants are genuinely good for 10-15 CHF meals. I eat lunch there twice a week. No shame in it. If you're exploring the region, Munich is Germany's gateway to the Alps.
For visitors, my advice: don't try to eat cheap at restaurants. Instead, eat well at supermarket restaurants for two meals and then splurge on one proper dinner. Fondue at Le Dezaley (32 CHF) or a meal at Zeughauskeller (traditional Swiss, 20-35 CHF for mains) — these are worth paying for. But three restaurant meals a day in Zurich will bankrupt most people.
Q: Sunday closures — are they as bad as tourists say?
Thomas: (laughs) Yes. Almost everything closes on Sunday. No supermarkets, no shops, many restaurants. The main station has shops open, and some Niederdorf places stay open.
But here's the thing: I love Sundays in Zurich. The city is quiet. People walk by the lake. Families are in the parks. Nobody is shopping or rushing. It's the one day Zurich stops being efficient and starts being human.
Tourists find it frustrating because they're used to everything being available 24/7. But try embracing it. Buy your groceries on Saturday. Sunday, just walk. The lake path from Bellevue to Tiefenbrunnen is beautiful. Lindenhof park is peaceful. The Old Town streets are empty enough to actually see the architecture.
Q: Best food experiences for visitors?
Thomas: Fondue, obviously. Le Dezaley is the classic — small, cozy, no-nonsense. Moitie-moitie (half Gruyere, half Vacherin) is the version to order. About 32 CHF. Don't order fondue in summer — it's a winter food, and ordering it in July marks you as a tourist.
The fondue tram is worth doing once — 75 CHF for fondue plus a tram ride through the city. Book months ahead.
Sprungli Luxemburgerli on Paradeplatz — the tiny macarons. They're lighter and crunchier than French macarons. Buy a box of 12 (about 18 CHF) and eat them by the lake.
Zeughauskeller near Paradeplatz — a former armory from 1487, now serving traditional Swiss dishes (rostli, sausages, Geschnetzeltes). Affordable for Zurich at 20-35 CHF for mains.
For something unexpected: the street food market at Im Viadukt (under the railway arches in Zurich West) has international food at slightly lower prices than the Old Town. Open on market days.
Q: Free Wednesdays at the Kunsthaus — worth it?
Thomas: The Kunsthaus is genuinely world-class. Monet, Picasso, Giacometti — and the new David Chipperfield wing is architecturally stunning. Regular entry is 23 CHF. On Wednesdays, it's free. Obviously, go on Wednesday.
The Giacometti collection is the highlight. The Swiss National Museum next to the train station is also excellent and only 10 CHF. If you visit one museum in Zurich, make it one of these two.
Q: Your perfect day in Zurich?
Thomas: 6AM: swim at Seebad Enge. In summer, the sunrise over the lake is gold. In winter, it's dark and the city lights reflect in the water.
8AM: coffee and a croissant at the Sprungli cafe on Paradeplatz. Yes, it's 6 CHF for a coffee. The pastries are worth it.
9AM: walk through the Old Town. Up to Lindenhof for the view. Through Niederdorf for the atmosphere. Down to the river.
11AM: Kunsthaus (on Wednesday) or Swiss National Museum.
1PM: lunch at Migros restaurant. I'm not joking. 12 CHF for a solid meal.
Afternoon: take the S-Bahn to Uetliberg (20 minutes) and hike to Felsenegg (2 hours, Planet Trail). Or, in summer, take a boat cruise on the lake (from 9 CHF).
Evening: fondue at Le Dezaley if it's winter. Lake swimming if it's summer.
The perfect day in Zurich costs about 80-100 CHF if you're strategic. That's expensive by world standards. But it's a day that includes a museum, a mountain, a lake, and fondue in one of the most beautiful cities in Europe. I'd call that fair.
Q: One thing you want every visitor to know?
Thomas: Zurich is not a party city. It's not a spectacle city. It doesn't have the Eiffel Tower or the Colosseum. What it has is quality. Quality of light on the lake. Quality of infrastructure. Quality of food. Quality of life.
If you come expecting excitement, you'll be disappointed. If you come expecting a city that does everything quietly, precisely, and well — a city where the bus is on time, the water is drinkable from the fountain, the lake is swimmable, and the fondue is perfect — then Zurich will deliver.
Swim in the lake. Even if it's cold. Especially if it's cold.
