The 10 best places to swim in Europe

Sometimes you don’t have to go far to enjoy the summer and cool off with a swim: here are the 10 best places to swim in European lakes.

The Müritz is the largest lake in Germany. Its eastern and western shores are dotted with small forests, meadows and fields. The lake is also located right next to the Mecklenburg Lake District and the Müritz National Park. This means there are numerous opportunities to enjoy the summer not far from home.

Tip: There is a little city flair in the nearby town of Waren.

As one of the largest lakes in Europe, Lake Constance is perfect for swimming. Germany, Austria and Switzerland border the 536-square-kilometre, clear lake, which boasts particularly good water quality. On the German side are picturesque towns such as Constance, Meersburg and Lindau, which are also connected to each other by ferry. In Switzerland there is the town of Arbon and in Austria Bregenz invites you to visit. But Lake Constance also offers bathing opportunities almost everywhere on its rural shores.

The famous Lake Garda in northern Italy is one of the most beautiful places to swim in Europe. The lake is surrounded by picturesque villages, lakeside promenades and unique mountain panoramas. Visitors can swim, go boating and enjoy other water sports. A trip along the water is also a highlight thanks to the beautiful views of the shore, with the lake always inviting you to cool off. A trip to Gardaland, the Disneyland of Italy, is also worthwhile.

Between Portugal and Spain, there is a large lake with an area of 250 square kilometers. In the past, you could only swim here at the River Guadiana, but since 2002 there have been many new bathing opportunities with the Alqueva reservoir. The huge lake is laid out in five circles and has many bathing spots. Not only is electricity generated here, but action is also on offer: You can go water skiing or try wakeboarding on the lake, for example. At night, the Alqueva reservoir offers one of the most beautiful starry skies in the EU and therefore received the first “Starlight Tourism Destination” award from UNESCO in 2011.

Slovenia is an underrated destination in Eastern Europe. The country has only a few beaches, but still offers some very good bathing opportunities. Lake Bled in the north of the country, which lies at an altitude of 475 meters, has particularly beautiful bathing spots. A mild climate invites you to take a dip here in the warm months. The small island with the famous St. Mary’s Church in the middle of the lake is also very interesting: some of the most important excavations of the early and high Middle Ages were carried out here. On the shore, there are sights such as Grimschitz Castle and Bled Castle to visit.

The lochs in Scotland are known as “Lochs” and hardly any are more famous than Loch Ness with the legendary monster of the same name. But there are also many other and, above all, lesser-known places to swim in the Highlands. Loch An Eilein, a freshwater loch in the Cairngorms National Park, impresses with its scenic beauty and the ruins of Loch An Eilein Castle. There is also a mysterious island on this loch, which used to be popular with cattle rustlers. This explains why one side of the loch is known as Robbers Way.

Finland is a fairly cool country, but there are swimming opportunities here too. In summer, some of the bays in Lake Saimaa get up to 25 degrees. It is the largest lake in the country, comprising a whole system of smaller lakes, sub-lakes and rivers and covering a total area of 4,370 square kilometers. The coastline measures 14,850 kilometers and there are well over 13,000 islands on the lake. Accordingly, you can discover many beautiful bays and beaches here.

Sweden’s largest lake, Lake Vänern, is just over 5,500 square kilometers in size and is home to 22,000 islands. Numerous beaches and bays invite you to swim in summer. And there is an interesting town to discover in every direction, such as Trollhättan in the south, Åmål in the west, Karlstad in the north and Mariestad in the east.

Thanks to artificial dykes, the IJsselmeer is now the largest lake in the Netherlands. The area used to be part of the Zuiderzee bay. A highway and cycle path run along one side of the dyke, but the other parts of the lake are ideal for swimming in peace and quiet. Water sports are available in the tourist towns of Enkhuizen and Hoorn – and the near-shore wind farm in the north of the IJsselmeer shows that renewable energy can also be generated on a lake with as many as 86 wind turbines.

In Croatia, the Plitvice Lakes National Park of the same name offers a wide range of wonderful swimming opportunities. They were used as a filming location for the old Winnetou films, but these natural wonders also have a lot more to offer. Visitors can look forward to turquoise blue water, babbling rivers, waterfalls and lush green landscapes. Although swimming in the lakes is prohibited, there are plenty of opportunities for refreshment in the nearby Korana River.

By the way: from 2025, it should be possible to go swimming in the Kupfergraben in the middle of Berlin.