07/12/2026
In the Swiss cities of Bern and Basel, the summer commute can take a form that stops visitors in their tracks. Rather than boarding a train or a tram, plenty of people simply get in the river and float home from work.
The whole thing is possible because of the water itself. The rivers running through these cities are clean to a degree most urban rivers are not, clean enough that swimming in them is both safe and hugely popular. Decades of strict environmental standards turned what could have been polluted channels into public swimming routes.
The routine is straightforward once you know it. Commuters pack their clothes, shoes, phones, and other belongings into waterproof dry bags, seal them shut, and slip into the water somewhere near their workplace. Then they relax. The current carries them along, drifting them through the middle of the city while the cool water takes the edge off the summer heat.
Eventually they reach their part of town and climb out near one of the designated river baths or changing areas. They dry off, get dressed, and continue on with whatever the day holds. The commute is done, and it doubled as a swim.
In Basel, where the Rhine runs straight through the center, this is not a stunt or a tourist gimmick. It is a genuine, everyday part of summer life. While much of the world sits sweating in traffic or on packed trains, some Swiss workers are drifting home on a river, and treating it as completely normal.
