The polar opposite to the rather Victorian charms of Kreis
1’s badis, Oberer Letten is an
extended concrete cube set on an island in the Limmat. It’s pretty facility-lite
but on the plus side, it’s free and it’s possible to rent cushions for the
sunloungers (one of the few bathing areas to have them).

The location (near
Kreis 5) and free entry attracts a younger, edgier crowd than the lakeside badis and it has an urban sort of charm,
added to which you can walk up the island, hop into the river and float back
down it. A nice café offers drinks and snacks all day and the party carries on
late into the night at Primitivo opposite.