Photos: Wladyslaw Sojka, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 3.0 WikiEuropian, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0 Ermell, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
Photo credits
Photos: Wladyslaw Sojka, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 3.0 WikiEuropian, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0 Ermell, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
Swimming with the Rhine's current
Your local guide
Livia Suter
View profile
Highlights
- A local habit built around the current
- A sealed bag for dry belongings
- Swimming with the river, not against it
- A generations-old summer routine
- Basel's river, seen as locals use it
About this tour
This session looks at one of Basel's most distinctive summer habits. You see locals preparing to swim downstream with a sealed bag for their belongings, then the point further along where most climb back out. It stays along this one stretch of the river throughout.
I explain the current and the local routine first, then follow the same stretch down to the usual exit point. Questions about the habit and the river itself are welcome throughout.
This suits anyone curious about everyday local life here rather than the city's monuments. It also suits anyone planning to try the swim themselves and wanting to understand it first.
Included
- Live video walk with a local guide
- Questions to your guide all the way
- A short list of places to visit later
Not included
- Internet connection
- Travel to the city
Itinerary
-
Welcome and sound check 5 min
The guide joins the video call, checks the picture and sound with you, and gives you a quick sense of Basel before heading out.
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Rhine Swimming Spot 15 min
You see locals arriving with a sealed floating bag for their clothes and belongings, ready to swim downstream with the current rather than against it.
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Downstream Exit Point 15 min
Further along, I show where most swimmers climb back out, and explain how the current here has shaped this local summer habit for generations.
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Your questions 7 min
Time to ask anything about Basel: prices, safety, food, or whatever you are curious about.
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A short list to keep 3 min
Before you go, the guide sums up with a few things worth remembering: a dish to try: Cheese fondue and Gundeldingen, worth a slower look.
Good to know
- A stable wifi or mobile connection makes the picture smoother than a shaky one.
- Any phone, tablet or laptop with a camera works. You watch, the guide does the walking.
- Times are shown in Zurich time, so check the time where you are before you book.
- The session is not recorded, and recording it yourself is not allowed. Feel free to take your own notes.
- Ask questions any time, out loud or in the chat. The guide will pause to answer.
- Sessions run in small groups, up to 10 people, so there is room for everyone to ask something.
Questions about this tour
What will the session cover?
The guide walks through Basel, showing you Rhine Swimming Spot and Downstream Exit Point live on camera, plus whatever else you would like to see.
What happens if my connection drops?
Rejoin with the same link within a few minutes and the guide will catch you up on anything you missed.
Can I ask the guide questions during the session, or is it a fixed script?
Anything, any time. Sessions leave room for your own questions throughout, not just at the end.
How it works
- You get one join link after booking.
- Join from any device: phone, tablet or laptop.
- We meet on Google Meet and the link comes with your booking. I trained as a zookeeper here, so I explain the animals in as much depth as anyone wants.
Times shown in Zurich time (CET)
Cancellation
Flexible
- Cancel up to 24 hours before the start: full refund.
- Cancel less than 24 hours before the start, or no-show: no refund.
- If the guide cancels or the date does not reach its minimum group: full refund.
- Cancel in My Account → Bookings; the refund is calculated from the start time in the tour's local time.
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Next: Sun 22 Nov · 10 seats left From 17,00 €
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