What's Happening to Outdoor Pools in Moscow

Summer in Moscow is either torrential rain or unbearable heat. Such conditions drive city dwellers further away from the Moscow Ring Road, or even better – to the sea. But what should those do who cannot afford to arrange a spontaneous vacation, adapting to the whims of changeable weather?

In addition to a cool shower at home, you can visit recreation areas with swimming pools in private clubs or new city open-air swimming pools, which began to appear in parks and festival areas the year before last. Let's see what these mini-resorts within the city offer and at what price.

Open city swimming pools began to appear in 2023. There were few of them then - only five in parks and two at festival sites, which was clearly not enough for everyone. In 2024, there were significantly more of them: 12 in parks and seven at festival sites. And this year, five more new pools appeared at such sites. A total of 24 municipal pools for the entire city.

Each pool has its own characteristics. There are very small recreation areas, there are spacious areas for 300 or more people, there are pools with tents for vacationers, jacuzzis or children's paddling pools. Details about the location and features of the pools can be found on the Moscow portal .

City pools in Moscow differ from those at hotels, for example, in Turkey: visits are only possible by sessions. The morning session lasts an hour and a half (from 9:00 to 10:30), the rest - three hours (from 11:00 to 14:00, from 14:30 to 17:30 and from 18:00 to 21:00). Staying in the recreation area during technical breaks is prohibited, so you will not be able to linger on a sun lounger.

Prices have changed since last year: some pools have become more expensive. A morning 90-minute session on a weekday costs 550–750 rubles, depending on the location. And a daytime session on a weekend costs 2,000–2,500 rubles. A luxury lounge chair with a tent will cost 7,000 rubles per session, regardless of the day of the week and time. Such prices do not scare people. In hot weather, lounge chairs have to be booked several days in advance.

If city pools do not meet your requirements and you want something more sophisticated, you can visit private clubs or commercial sports complexes.

Luzhniki has everything for water recreation: a regular swimming pool, water slides and an outdoor pool for relaxing on sun loungers. A real water park not far from the city center. Ticket prices: from 2690 rubles for 2 hours on weekdays to 4390 rubles for the whole weekend.

In Sokolniki, in addition to the city pool, there is a private club The Bassein, which immediately demonstrates its elitism. First of all, by the prices. Renting a large bed instead of a sun lounger costs from 10,000 to 20,000 rubles, depending on the time and day of the week. A bungalow by the pool costs 50,000 rubles per day, and a jacuzzi - 25,000 rubles. These amounts can be divided between four, but it is still impressive.

On the bank of the Moscow River, right behind the Vegas Crocus City shopping center, there is a country club Shore House with an outdoor swimming pool. It offers a standard set of services: a swimming pool, sun loungers, VIP bungalows, a bar and a restaurant.

The minimum cost of visiting has not changed since last year - 3000 rubles on weekdays and 4000 rubles on weekends. For this amount, you get access to the pool for the whole day, a sun lounger and a towel.

Compared to The Bassein in Sokolniki, the prices here are more affordable: renting a bed costs 12,000–14,000 rubles, a bungalow from 14,000 to 16,000 rubles. However, the beds and bungalows are designed for two, not four. A tent for a group of four will cost 30,000–35,000 rubles per day.

To feel like you are at a Turkish resort, you can go to Dream Beach Club, located in the entertainment complex "Dream Island". Here is the largest outdoor pool in Russia (area 1.7 thousand sq. m), surrounded by sun loungers, as well as a wave pool, a children's pool with a slide and a small VIP pool.

There are many options for recreation in this complex, but you won’t be able to move from one pool to another: a ticket is bought for a specific lounger. The starting prices are not small for a public project: 5,000 rubles per day. But for 8,000 rubles you can already feel like a real “VIP”. This is the starting price for seats at the VIP pool. The most expensive is a tent for seven people: 50,000 rubles per day.

Moscow is certainly not Türkiye, but there is still the opportunity to swim and sunbathe. The main thing is to book places in advance and be prepared for considerable expenses.