Buvette Bains des Pâquis | Geneva Stop Over

From wild swimming in Surrey's Rivers to diving off the concrete boards of the Bains des Pâquis into Lake Geneva.  

What's really great, is when you get off a stuffy plane, whizz through customs - hand luggage as your only luggage - and you're swimming in the city within the hour. 
That is really great.

The baths were built of wood in 1872, but they were demolished & upgraded to the smooth lines of concrete in 1932. 
In the 80's there were plans to demolish the baths but luckily outcry came and plans were scrapped.
Since its renovation, its well-being core (i.e massage, sauna, tai-chi, yoga, hammam) has moulded into a cosmopolitan hub of open air concerts, after work drinks on the terrace & sun bathing escapies of the city's grind. 

The food is seasonal, fresh and much of the produce is homegrown on the site and is watered by the spray from the outside shower & lake.

It's a common choice for young, old, students, mothers and bankers. And I think part of its charm stems from the locals and its diversity of customers. 
Buvette Bains des Pâquis is open 365 days a year and is wonderfully cheap & delicious, in what is an eye-wateringly expensive European city.

If you're ever in the city & looking for a relatively cheap bar with panoramic views of Geneva (and even Mont Blanc on a clear day) then I really recommend a visit.  

Refuelled and refreshed, we bundled back into the car, fiddled about with Swiss radio & got comfy for the next leg of the journey.