Hi, all. I’m headed to Frankfurt next week (ironically enough for work, not for IM Frankfurt). I was planning on trying to get some swimming in at one of the pools in Frankfurt, and I’ve seen reference in places to specific rules and customs for lap swimming in Germany. I’d rather not offend anybody or break the rules. Can anybody shed any light on this? Or is it the type of thing you pick up when you get there? Fwiw, I’m looking at the Stadionbad in Frankfurt and might try to get in an OWS at the Waldsee where the IM is later in the week. Thanks.
You have to buy an E-Ticket online beforehand.
Rules seem to be available only in German: https://frankfurter-baeder.de/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/20200605_Erweiterung_der_HBO_Badoeffnung_unter_Pandemiebedingungen_Genehmigt.pdf
Just ask the staff when you get there, they will be able to help you.
I’ve been swimming a few times in Germany. Inc at the First Fitness pool in Frankfurt (it’s innthe city centre adjoined to the Hilton).
For a country steeped in rules for everything… I’ve found swimming utterly chaotic. Utterly random use of lanes (direction or speed etc, and had near head-on collisions a few times when despite 2 or 3 or 4 people going the same way in a lane, someone else gets in and does the opposite!).
And another time / place where it was utterly random with no lane markers, just different people doing different things.
I was with someone else also wanting to train (both of us having IMs coming up at that time). Our approach there was to basically pick a lane marker on the pool floor / pick a direction and plough our own furough, being extra splashy and thrashy for the first 6 or 8 lengths to ‘put a marker down’ . And not stop much otherwise you lose it.
Quality structured sessions they were not ! And using toys / tools, beyond a pull bouy would have maimed many people so were verboten.
Otherwise… don’t go in early to the change rooms if it’s when the pool 1st opens (no common sense there), and defo shower 1st. + a swim hat etc removes that issue as some municipal pools expect them.
Best of luck and hope it comes good for you !!
At my local pool, when there is a lane rope, we usually swim anti-clockwise. Usually in the sport swimming lane there is a board showing the direction that should used. If there are no lane ropes, then it’s a free for all, good luck, hold your line and don’t let grannies intimidate you! The earlier you swim the better! This also applies if you swim inside, but usually in summer most swim outside in the heated 50m pools!
Thanks so much. It’s the “grannies intimidating you” that I’ve heard about plus the chaos of no lane lines. I guess I’ll treat it as a triathlon open water swim! 
My parents and sisters and their families live in Germany and I spent my teens there. I have no problems with the lane issues described above when I am visiting and at municipal pools. There is definitely less structure in terms of scheduled times for lap swimming etc but generally people are respectful and just trying to get their exercise in. In fact, I find the participation by “regular” (non-competing) people pretty high and appreciate that they are exercising for their health. The concept of a “Freibad” is something I wish they had more of here in America where I live now.
As for Frankfurt, you could always swim down the Main.
As for Frankfurt, you could always swim down the Main.
I suspect I might need more than just a COVID test after that!
As for Frankfurt, you could always swim down the Main.
I suspect I might need more than just a COVID test after that!
Covid will have been out-competed by plenty of other stuff in that water !!
You can use the path down the side of the river for a no-navigation run too. Out and back for as far as your legs will carry you pretty much. Lots of folks (at least in pre covid times) running, walking, roller blading etc along there.
Swimming here can be frustrating, outdoor pools rarely put up lines and so it is a free for all. Without lanes just pick a black line near other swimmers and try to stay away from the elderly. Most of the time things self-organize surprisingly well and since lockdown I’ve found people to be more considerate towards others, everyone is just grateful to be swimming again.
Most public pools don’t have specific rules for lane swimming, so saying Hi and asking how others want to share goes a long way.
Also note that the area is on summer break until Aug-27th so on average weather days and better pools will be flooded with kids splashing around, on those days you will find many pools split between the shallow and deep end. Best to go swimming early in the morning or on rainy days.
Agree with all the posts.
Chaotic in the pool especially the older Germans unless you get there at 6am and become a wildebeest swimming across the zambezee !
I have swam multiple times at the Bad Homburg pool prior to IM Frankfurt.
They have 3-4 50 meter lanes set up for your 100 m times, just pick your lane for how fast you are, never a problem.
Been here 5 years now. The German swimming culture is sadly insufficient. And yes, the Oma’s are the worst!
I would only swim in a lined lane, and after confirming with the others in that lane we stay on the right (rechts). Look for times that certain lanes are open only for lap swimmers. Otherwise you can hop in the water to a lane all to yourself, and 5 minutes later there a group of kiddies or grannies that take over all the lined lines for classes.
And check for signs that say slow (langsam) or fast (schnell).
I open water swim in a local river (Aller) and never had a single gi issue
CC
You need to prove that you are fully vaccinated or provide a negative test certificate.
No, you don’t. Not anymore.
https://frankfurter-baeder.de/allgemein/einlass-ohne-negativ-test-in-die-freibaeder/
Hello Proftri,
To swim at pools in and around Frankfurt, neither full vaccination nor a negative test is necessary. All that is required is an E-ticket for most – but not all – pools. The Langener Waldsee also requires an E-ticket. And if you come by car or motorcycle, you need to purchase an E-park ticket as well (which I know from first-hand experience). Right now, the water there is quite warm (22.5 degrees), so a wetsuit is not necessary.
While there are a number of very nice pools with 50m lanes in the area, I really enjoy the Seedammbad in Bad Homburg (ca. 15km from downtown Frankfurt). The one in Oberursel is also quite nice.
Please let me know if you have any further questions.
Ciao
Frankfurt resident of ca. 19 years here.
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Cloudy days as a lap swimmer are your friend. The pools only get really crowded when it’s sunny and 75 degs +
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Check out the Brentanobad if you can. 200m long with a 120m swimmable length. I think it’s the longest outdoor pool in Germany, and there’s only one longer in Austria.
Unfortunately I’m in Brussels this week, otherwise I could’ve lent you a bike. Next time.
Have a great stay in Frankfurt.
Thanks, all, for the advice. I’ll aim for cloudy days. And I’d love to try Brentanobad, but it’s a little far away from where I’m staying. I can easily run to Stadionbad, get in my swim (steering clear of the grannies!), and run back to my hotel.
yes! it is absolutely crazy swimming here and seems to go against all else in the orderly german culture. still can’t get my head around it.
i moved to northern germany from the uk a few years ago expecting the swim possibilities to be great, but as you say, utterly chaotic. most commonly no lanes and just a free-for-all mess in the pool making it impossible to do swim training as old people float all over the place, children jumping in and playing wherever, or on the rare occasions that there is one solitary ‘swim lane’ they are clueless on how to use it - both the users and the pool attendants who are supposed to be organising the pool.
it is just so odd, that of all countries, it is like this here. swimming has become a painful experience each and every time.
(replying to last post, so comments not addressed to you personally)
I feel for those who are just on a short stay in Germany and can’t find a good opportunity to get a few spontaneous swim training sessions in. I see that it can be difficult if you are used to other customs elsewhere.
For those who live in Germany permanently, however, I have little sympathy. If you want to get structured training in, stop bitching and join a Master’s program or some other form of training group. There are hundreds of clubs with thousands of training groups for all levels of ability and ambition, and they all have lanes/pool time reserved specifically for them. No grannys ruining you sessions. That’s the way it works in Germany: reserved pool time for the “serious” swim groups, otherwise it’s open season for the general public. Why should your desire to swim circles be more important than the kids’ desire to splash around and have fun in the pool?
That said, even for the folks planning only short trips to Germany, it may be a good idea to contact a local club beforehand and ask if you can join in for a handful of sessions. Many clubs welcome guest swimmers; I know my training group does.
yeah this point of ‘why should your desire to swim circles be more important than the kids’ desire to splash around and have fun in the pool’ is the same attitude of saying cyclists on the road are asking for ‘preferential treatment’ when asking for the same level of space and respect on the road as any other road user, and to not be runover by car drivers.
no one has said that swimming laps in the pool is more important than children playing in the pool - only that the whole pool shouldn’t be dedicated to one group. if the pool is divided up so that all can use it, it works better for everyone.
and if the pool is open for all to use, then that includes swim training as well. and swim training is not possible with grannies aimlessly floating across you or kids jumping on top of you. if there are areas of the pool separated for swimming, playing and floating, it works for everyone - and not, as is usually the case in germany, just for those who don’t want to actually swim.
for example the pool in my area, even ironically called ‘Sportbad’, has 2x 8 lane 25m pools, plus a separate child’s play pool. instead of simply putting lanes across one of the 25m pools for swimming and leaving the other 25m pool open for a free-for-all do as you like, both 25m pools are just left as a free-for-all - which often makes swim training there impossible, even with so much space available, as the grannies and children will spread out across all of both pools - when they could all still get what they want from a visit to the pool if one pool was for non-swimming and one pool for actual swimming. it is a swimming pool after all.
so please spare us the ‘your swimming is not more important than children playing’ clownery.
on the point of ‘well you should just use the clubs and swim at those times’ - well then you are at the mercy of the quality of those clubs, the members, the trainers and the times they ‘train’ - which i can tell you from personal experience can all be well below a sufficient level.
as i have said before, if pools are open to all users at general opening times, then this includes swim training as well and not solely the preserve of the non-swimmers, which is unfortunately often the case in the chaotic german swimming pools.
yeah this point of ‘why should your desire to swim circles be more important than the kids’ desire to splash around and have fun in the pool’ is the same attitude of saying cyclists on the road are asking for ‘preferential treatment’ when asking for the same level of space and respect on the road as any other road user, and to not be runover by car drivers.
Actually, the correct analogy would be roads that are open for group rides only and completely closed to all other traffic at specific times, but you’re complaining that outside those times you have to share the road with other traffic and can’t ride uninterrupted.
on the point of ‘well you should just use the clubs and swim at those times’ - well then you are at the mercy of the quality of those clubs, the members, the trainers and the times they ‘train’ - which i can tell you from personal experience can all be well below a sufficient level.
Well, I guess life can be tough if you’re sooo special.
ah yes, sorry you’re totally right, how unreasonable of me to expect that I too can go to a swimming pool and also use it as i wish to, as non-swimmers do.
of course the entire 16 lanes available at the pool should be prioritised for non-swimmers!
while i’m at it, when i’m cycling on the road, i’ll also apologise to any drivers who are ‘forced’ to overtake me and then immediately slam on their brakes right in front of me because they suddenly want to turn off the road into a junction, since apparently simply my presence there as another road user is asking for preferential treatment!
and sure, i’m totally special right - because of course, there aren’t any bad swim/ tri coaches out there, are there!
My apologies, you’re right of course. There are nothing but bad swim/tri coaches in Germany, self-organized (un-coached) masters training groups don’t exist, and all public pools should be required by law to always reserve at least half of their space for serious lap swimming (strictly enforced!) at all times in case some bloke who can’t be arsed to join a training group shows up for an extremely important training session at some random point in time.