TOP ROW:
1. The Badeschiff, in Berlin, is a public pool on a barge in the River Spree, overlooking the city. During the winter, the pools are covered so swimming can continue year-round. Image from Arsema. Entry is only 4 euros.
2. The Poças do Gomes, a natural rock pool in Madeira, Portugal, is open to the public for a small fee.
3. The Gellert Baths, in Budapest, dates to 1912 and features thermal baths and a swimming pool. Image from OpenTravel.
4. The Crater at the Homestead Resort in Utah is a geothermal spring, located in a crater in a limestone cave, that stays at a constant 90-96 degrees year round. Swim for $11 during the week and $16 on weekends. Scuba diving is also available (the pool is about 70 feet deep).
5. The Icebergs, in Sydney, Australia, is a public pool located right next to the ocean. So close, in fact, that waves often break over the saltwater pool, which means that the water is often quite cold (hence the name). Entry is only 5 AUD. Image from Design Crave.
BOTTOM ROW:
6. Twice a year, in September and December, the water level at Victoria Falls, on the border of Zambia and Zimbabwe, is low enough to reveal a natural swimming hole, called the Devil's Pool, at the top of the waterfall. Brave souls can swim to the very edge of the pool, where a submerged lip of rock is all that separates you from a 360-foot drop. Image from the Huffington Post.
7. The Grotta della Poesia (Grotto of Poetry), Roca Vecchia, Italy. Image from Conde Nast Traveler.
8. At Johnson's Shut-Ins, a Missouri state park two hours from St. Louis, water cascades over jagged rocks, forming hundreds of tiny natural swimming holes. Photo from About.com St. Louis.
(Images: as linked above)









Sprout Side Table
I'd like to add Szechenyi Baths and Pool in Budapest. Public, around $10 for the day. The architecture is outstanding; a big yellow palace surrounds the pools. There are indoor pools too.
Whoa! Johnson's Shut-Ins got a shout out.
You still haven't posted on San Alphonso Del Mar in Chile, the largest pool in the world. It is pretty amazing to see.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=zytITb0GEs4
Bota Bota in Montreal should be added to this list of great pools. It is a spa, but they have very reasonable prices for the water circuit if you go on Tuesdays or check in before 11 am on weekdays (30$ Canadian).
Also worth noting is the Grotto in Saipan... beautiful natural swimming lagoon hidden on island in the Northern Marianas Islands.
In Monaco there's a public swimming pool at the harbor, it's on my to do list.
Oh. My. God. The Victoria Falls picture gives me the heebie-jeebies!!! Beautiful, but absolutely terrifying!
The icebergs isn't reallu a public pool, it's a licensed club. Visitors from outside a 5km range can visit and pay $5.50AUD to swim but it is considered a members club. To get a swimming membership you have to meet strict restrictions but good for tourists!
How about the amazing Barton Springs in Austin TX?
#2 is breathtaking.
#3 is beautiful. I'm sure I've seen it in movies - was it in the Unbearable Lightness of Being,
#4 just makes me hyperventilate with claustrophobia. Too closed in.
I was fortunate enough to visit Papillote Wilderness Retreat in Roseau, Dominica which, in addition to having several waterfalls on its property, had beautiful pools with both hot and cold mineral springs. Pricey to get to, but pretty resonable once you're there.
Strawberry Park Hot Springs in Steamboat Springs, CO! I went at night with my bf and friends, it was -18F but man! The springs were HEAVENLY! Also, in the winter, it's 4X4 only to get there, I thought I would need a big truck or something, but it's just a snowy road all the way there. I made it fine in my WRX w/ AWD. Bring a flashlight if you go at night! Clothes are also optional at night, but required during the day.
Also, Glenwood Springs Hot Spring, in Glenwood Springs, CO... HUGE hot springs pool, massive, I've never swam in it but have driven by many times.
I wish I would have gone to Johnson's Shut Ins when I lived in STL! I've been to the Offsets many times. It used to be a mine, and it got flooded and now it's a great cliff jumping place.
Yeah, yeah, my shout-out goes to Therme Vals (also a spa, but what a swimming hole!) in Graubünden, Switzerland. What church is supposed to feel like-- it was definitely a religious experience. Just make sure to get your towel when you come in-- there aren't any to be had once you're inside.
It haunts my dreams.
the public hot-springs pool in Ouray, CO, surrounded by snowy peaks! and Jemez Springs, NM, ain't bad either...
the devil's pool would make me poop my swimsuit! who takes a baby to an edge like that!!
I'm going to have nightmares about that Devil's Pool, thanks for that! :0
The one in Italy is like a vision of heaven.
Can I add the thermal pools in pamukkale (Turkey)? Goin there in a couple months and although people say it has become too touristy over the years it still looks STUNNING!
http://www.troysan.com/pamukkale
Can I add the thermal pools in pamukkale (Turkey)? Goin there in a couple months and although people say it has become too touristy over the years it still looks STUNNING!
http://www.troysan.com/pamukkale
Balmorhea State Park in western Texas.
Huge spring-fed swimming pool.
http://www.tpwd.state.tx.us/state-parks/balmorhea
Why you would swim in the icebergs pool when you can swim at the beautiful beach it's located on is beyond me. That and it's not really a public pool.
The Blue Lagoon in Iceland is pretty amazing, too!
Hamilton Pool outside of Austin Texas is pretty breathtaking. It was good enough for Tree of Life, which is nothing *but* visuals!
https://parks.traviscountytx.gov/find-a-park/hamilton-pool