Berlin's outdoor swimming season for the year 2025 comes to an earlier close
Berlin, August 14, 2025 — Outdoor pools in Berlin are set to close earlier this year, with all public outdoor pools closing on September 7 due to budget cuts, marking a significant deviation from previous years when pools often remained open until late September or even October.
The Berlin Baths Operations (Berliner Bäder) have been compelled to reduce operating costs, including the discontinuation of heating for most outdoor pools, except for a few facilities with minimal heating maintained.
Despite the official early closure, there is a possibility of extending the swimming season if the summer weather remains favourable. Pool management has expressed a willingness to keep certain pools open longer, given the increased visitor numbers in the final week of operations. However, this extension is contingent on weather conditions and is not guaranteed.
The decrease in visitors could be attributed to the unheated pools and the increased entrance fees, which have risen for the first time in over ten years as part of a new dynamic pricing system. The pricing system varies by pool type, duration of stay, and booking period.
The early end is not final, as the Berlin Baths Operations are considering a weather-dependent extension of the season. However, there has been growing pressure in some boroughs regarding the closure of outdoor pools in the summer of 2025.
According to the German Association for Bathing, Berlin has the worst swimming pool provision in Germany, with only 22 of the total 73 pools being outdoor pools. Affected outdoor pools include Sommerbad Pankow, Insulaner-Bad, Sommerbad Humboldthain, and outdoor pools in Kreuzberg, Neukölln, and Mariendorf, among others.
The authority has €3 million less for energy costs this year, leading to measures such as unheated pools and price increases. The early closure is due to budget cuts in the Berlin budget.
From the end of April to the end of July, around 760,000 visitors used Berlin's outdoor pools and the Strandbad Wannsee, which is about 110,000 fewer than in the same period last year. If the summer remains stable, some pools are likely to stay open.
[1] Source: Berliner Bäder press release, August 10, 2025.
Despite the budget cuts, certain outdoor pools might be kept open longer under favorable weather conditions, given the increased visitor numbers in the final week of operations. This is in line with the trend of outdoor-living and lifestyle preferences, as people seek to enjoy home-and-garden activities even when swimming.
