Like any bustling city, temperatures in NYC can reach a stifling 86°F during the peak summer months of June-September. This is great news for your summer trip, but when your days are filled with hot Subway rides and sweaty crowds, you’ll also want a go-to way to cool down during your stay. 

Lucky for you, NYC offers some pretty impressive swimming opportunities, each of which is guaranteed to help you cool down and unwind. Keep on reading to find out about the top swimming spots for making a splash you won’t forget in a hurry. 

Public Pools in NYC

Public pools offer the ultimate New York experience and are located pretty much city-wide. Do note that these places get pretty busy, so you might need to fight yet more crowds for a spot. You should also take along a padlock for your pool locker, as many of these pools won’t let you in without one.

However, once you’ve arrived at public pool spots like the stunning Astoria Pool, you’ll see that the effort is more than worthwhile. Here, you can enjoy amazing views of the Robert F. Kennedy and Hell Gate Bridges, as well as Olympic-size lanes and calming poolside greenery. Or, you could enjoy something a little different by heading to The Floating Pool, a seven-lane public pool atop a barge in Barretto Point Park, the Bronx. 

Hotel Swimming

If you can’t face the crowds after a long day in NYC, why not choose one of the city’s many hotels with great pool facilities? This has the benefit of providing a slightly quieter, more chilled-out swimming experience, while also allowing you to keep your valuables safe in your room. 

Most NYC hotels have a pool, so this is a pretty standard option. However, if you intend to value your NYC swimming time, you could look for unique or iconic pools like those at the Arlo. The Arlo Hotel is a Williamsburg Hotel with a difference thanks, in large part, to its 40-foot-long heated rooftop pool which looks out across the Brooklyn skyline. Here, you can book a spot for guaranteed swimming, and could even hire a poolside Cabana for a true waterside oasis. 

A More Natural Experience

Why not soak up those NYC sights and go for a splash at the same time? There are plenty of natural swimming opportunities available across the Big Apple, including beach swimming at spots like Rockaway Beach in Queens and, of course, Brooklyn’s Coney Island. 

Equally, if you’re willing to drive out of the city, you could enjoy some spectacular swimming lakes like 100-acre Canopus Lake (one hour drive from NYC), or Lake Wawayanda (one-and-a-half-hour drive outside NYC). Most of these lakes are near some great off-track walking options, so you could even make a day of it to justify the travel time. 

Your NYC trip is likely to be action-packed and pretty busy, but trust us when we say that you won’t regret taking the time to make a splash at one of these top Big Apple swimming spots.