The best lidos and outdoor swimming pools in London

Best for: A social swim. Book brunch before or after your swim at the Lido Café.

Brockwell’s 50-metre pool is surrounded by art deco Grade II-listed buildings that house the Lido Café and exercise studios that offer year-round dance and pilates classes and activities for pre-school children. Once you’ve perfected your backstroke, enjoy an eclectic range of events on site, from film nights to furniture fairs. 

Price: £8, £5 concs for a 50-minute slot. Book here. 

Best for: This lido wins the award for best location. It’s right next to one of the best views of the London skyline. On a clear day, be sure to take a walk up Parliament Hill post swim.

Built in 1938, the Grade II-listed Parliament Hill Lido has a certain aesthetic charm to it; think Wes Anderson set crossed with a Soviet municipal building. The unheated pool is a generous 60 by 28 metres, and has a stainless steel pool liner (the only one in an outdoor pool in the UK) which gives the water a metallic shimmer. The lido is unheated and there’s also paddling pool for under-fives and a quaint little vegan café that serves up baked goods and Lebanese-inspired salads and sandwiches.

Price: Adults £4.80 off-peak, £8.40 peak. Concessions £2.90-£5. Book here.

Best for: Year-round dips, whatever the weather. 

Hampstead Heath’s swimming ponds were originally dammed-off clay pits. Three pools are open, to ladies, men and mixed groups. The Men’s and Ladies’ Ponds are open all year round but to use the Mixed Pond in the winter season you must join the Hampstead Heath Winter Swimming Club. Even in the summer, the water is chilly, and it’s an unfiltered pond so don’t expect crystal clear water. You have been warned. 

Price: Adults £4.80, concessions £2.90. Book here.

Best for: A post-swim bite – the stalls and trendy cafés of Broadway Market nearby are the perfect place to refuel afterwards.

London Fields’ hugely popular lido first opened in 1932, and was in use until 1988, before reopening in 2006 after a dogged local campaign to save it. One of London’s few heated lidos, it’s open year round and now welcomes over 340,000 visitors annually (be warned: securing a slot here on a sunny summer weekend is somewhat akin to trying to get Glastonbury tickets). Facilities currently include gender neutral changing rooms and toilets, a sundeck and cafe, with refurbishments promised in the near future to add a training pool, accessible toilets and a viewing gallery. 

Price: £6 for non-members, £3.50 for non-member children 3-15 years. Various discounts for members. Book here.

Best for: Incredible Royal Park views that are worth braving the wrath of the swans for. 

Early mornings and the winter months are the preserve of the Serpentine Swimming Club – but from June to September there’s a warm welcome for everyone in this section of the Serpentine lake.The water is not heated or chlorinated, and you may find yourself sharing a dip with the local ducks and swans. But still, we’re really glad to have the opportunity to get back in the water. 

The lido will be operating until early September from 10am to 6pm, you can book full day or morning and afternoon sessions. 

Price: £7.50 full day, £5.95 morning/afternoon session, £4.20 off-peak session. Book here.

Best for: Open-water swimming

Hidden in a picturesque corner of Green Lanes, this facility is a sports and environmental education centre that offers regular courses in sailing and kayaking for all ages and abilities, as well as year-round cold-water swimming. Previously, swimmers had to wear a wetsuit when the water temperature was below 16C, but you can now hop in at all times of year wearing nothing more than some speedos, a swimsuit or a bikini (if that’s your thing) but remember, it’s an English reservoir, not some tropical beach. Facilities are currently being refurbished to include a new cafe, changing rooms and reception area, plus an accessible green space and wildflower meadows. For now, visitorsa are advised to arrive in their swimming gear ready to strip off by the water’s edge.

Price: £13.15 for non-members, or get a monthly Better Swim membership for £41 for unlimited swims. Book here.

Best for: Trying something new.

City-dwellers hungry for their alfresco swim fix now have a new expanse of chilly open water to throw their shivering bods into. The Borough of Lewisham’s largest green space is officially London’s newest wild-swimming spot. Only technically, it’s pretty ancient. The park has refilled its lost Georgian lake, which was originally created by Beckenham Place Mansion’s former resident John Cator in 1800. Now, the lagoon has been brought back to its former glory. 

Swimmers have to book in advance and pay electronically before wading in. Not into swimming? It also offers regular paddleboarding and even SUP yoga. 

Price: From £4.30 for a one hour session. Book here. 

Best for: Awesome kids facilities and the impressive cascades.

Formerly known as Uxbridge Lido, the Grade II-listed, 50m, open-air swimming pool has been recently restored to its 1930s glory, complete with cascades (fountains) at either end and a new, heated shallow splash pool for children. The outdoor pool is now part of a new leisure centre that includes an indoor pool of the same size.

Price: £11 for non-residents, £7.70 for non-resident concessions, £5.50 for non-resident kids aged 4-15. Discount available for residents. Book here.

Best for: Added value. You’d be a fool not to take advantage of the spoils of the rest of the complex – catch a movie or grab a meal at one of the many restaurants onsite. 

Finchley’s lido is housed in a complex which includes an indoor pool, cinema and bowling alley. The lido is petite (and unheated) with a grassy terrace for lazy days in the sun. Opening is weather dependent – you won't get an alfresco swim if it’s less than 20C outside. Indoors, swimmers can plough up and down the main pool or enjoy the leisure pool’s wave machine.

Price: £8.30 for non-members and £5.20 for children aged 5-15. Various discounts available for members. Book here.

Best for: A fun-filled splash mere minutes from the West End. 

A 27.5m expanse of blue, the outdoor pool at the Oasis in Covent Garden is a revelation to the uninitiated. Once you’ve discovered the open-air heated pool, sun terrace and adjacent indoor pool you’ll be hooked, just like everyone else who’s in on the secret. The Oasis is so popular at hot summer weekends and at peak times that getting any serious swimming done is difficult – best go with the modest aim of splashing about to cool down. 

Price: £8.10 for non-members, £2.70 non-member children 5-15. Various discounts for members. Book here.

Best for: A brilliant community feel.

This south-facing, 36-metre open-air pool, with grassy areas for sunbathing, is open and heated to a balmy 28C all year round. Built in 1922, it was saved from closure in the 1980s by a group of local residents, who continue to take part in fundraising activities. The group has rebranded itself as the Poolside Swim & BBQ Club and holds swimming and social sessions outside of normal pool hours – anyone is welcome to join. It’s also possible to book moonlight swim sessions. Which is cool.

Price: £9.50, £6.80 for concessions, £6.30 for children 3-11. Book here.

Best for: A good, long swim. Swimming lengths in this one isn’t for the faint of heart.

Tooting’s vast pool, with its multicoloured changing huts, has been treasured by fortunate locals since it opened as a bathing lake in 1906. At just over 90m, it’s the largest outdoor freshwater pool in whole of the UK and inspires devoted swimming all through the year. To swim in winter you must be a member of the well-established South London Swimming Club, which has been based at the lido almost as long as it has existed. Facilities include a paddling pool for kids, a café, and lockers for small valuables.

Price: £9.40 for adults, £5.20 for juniors. Book here.

Best for: A well-rounded day of workouts and poolside relaxation.

After an extensive, £2 million refurbishment, this 50-metre, Olympic-sized pool in the heart of Greenwich reopened to the public in early 2013. The facility is fully heated and has two sun terraces, with a café, gym and fitness studio also on the site. 

Price: £11.50 for non-members, £5.50 for non-member concessions. Member discounts vary. Book here.

Best for: Swimming with London as your backdrop.

You can dive headfirst into the Royal Docks in safety as swimmers are tagged to make sure nothing goes wrong and qualified coaching is available should you feel you’ve thrown yourself in the deep end. Race distances are marked to help those training for competitive events, but there’s also a casual area for leisure swimmers. Children aged six and over are permitted but they must be able to swim 200m without stopping, wear a wetsuit and a tow float and be accompanied by a parent or guardian.

Price: £9.50 per swim. Book here.

Best for: Long summer days. Pack a picnic and grab a spot on the grass beside the lido. 

On busy weekends and during holiday periods, separate sessions for lane and fun swimming operate at Crouch End’s 50-metre lido, which is heated and dates from 1926. Now run by Fusion Lifestyle, there are diving areas, a children's pool, grassy slopes for sunbathing and a cafeteria. The centre also has an indoor pool, exercise studios and therapy rooms.

Price: £8.50 adults, £4.40 juniors. Book here.

Best for: A warm dip all year around.

Built in the 1960s and featuring both a lido and an indoor pool, the Richmond Pools are part of a complex that includes a spa and fitness centre. The heated outdoor pool opens all day during the summer months, with morning swimming offered for the rest of the year. 

Price: £6.60 adults, £5.10 teens (13-19), £3.10 children (5-15), under-5s free. Book here.

Best for: A water-centric day out in Surrey.

Serving up history and leafy tranquility just outside London, Guildford Lido makes a lovely day trip for outdoor swimming aficionados.

It's just reopened its doors after a £2m makeover which spruced up its changing rooms and cafe. Alongside a  50-metre (Olympic size) outdoor heated pool, you'll find the added lure of three water slides, a mini-golf course, a paddling pool and just over four acres of landscaped gardens.

Price: £8.00 for adult lane swimming; £8.40 for general swimming sessions, £6.30 for juniors. Book here.