AnswerChecked 6 Sep 2026
Where can you swim outdoors in London?
Lidos and the Hampstead ponds. Most lidos open at weekends from May and daily from June to September, a few are heated and open all year, and the Oasis in Covent Garden is the only heated public outdoor pool in central London.
The season
Most outdoor pools open at weekends from May and daily from June to September. Each one sets its own dates and confirms them in the spring, so a May trip needs checking first.
Heated, or not
A few are heated and stay open all winter. The rest, and all of the ponds, are whatever the weather has made them, which is the whole appeal for some people and the whole objection for everyone else.
Booking
It varies by pool and it changes. On a hot Saturday assume you need a timed slot booked online, because the popular pools fill by the middle of the morning.
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