7 Lakes You Must Visit In Switzerland
Lake Zurich
Right at the heart of Zurich is Lake Zurich or the “Zürisee”. Stretching along the valley toward the city of Rapperswil and beyond towards St Gallen as the Obersee, the Zürisee is a scenic and beautiful lake. You can take a variety of boat trips on the lake, or swim, pedallo or Stan Up Paddle Board. There are great swimming spots around China Gardens and Bellevue during the Summer time where you can swim for free. Or for a small charge you can use the facilities of one of the many “Badis” that straddle the waterline all the way down both coasts.
If swimming is not your thing why not walk along the wide promenade for picturesque views of the lake and city.
Lake Walen – Walensee
One of the largest lakes in Switzerland, the Walensee dominates the landscape. Most of it is in the Canton of St. Gallen and the rest is in the canton of Glarus. By train it takes roughly and around an hour and 20 minutes from Zurich and by car just over three quarters of an hour. A deep lake, with an average depth of 104.7 meters, it inspired Hungarian romantic composer, Franz List, to write the famous piano piece, “Au lac de Wallenstadt”.
Why not go for a walk around the lake, sunbathe on the little beach area or if you’re brave go for a refreshing swim?
Click here for directions to Lake Walensee
See Google Map of Lake Walensee below:
Lake Lugano
Located between the lakes Como and Maggiore in the canton of Ticino Lake Lugano is beautifully picturesque and is around 134 meters deep. It takes a little more than 2 hours by train from Zurich to get there. Fishing is allowed almost everywhere in this glacial lake and the southern area of the lake is rich in fossils, particularly around Monte San Giorgio.
You can take a walk around the lake, or go for a hike in the surrounding mountains and enjoy the amazing views. Don’t forget to visit the park with its beautiful gardens. While you are there, why not have an ice-cream or visit one of the local restaurants?
Click here for directions to Lake Lugano.
See Google Map of Lake Lugano below:
Lake Maggiore
Lago Maggiore borders both Switzerland and Italy. In fact it is the second largest lake in Italy and the largest lake south of the Alps. You can reach this lake by train in around 3 to 3 and a half hours by train and around 3 hours by car from Zurich. The lake itself is 65 km in length, 10 km wide, and 177 meters deep. The climate is mild all year round with Mediterranean vegetation and plenty of rare and exotic plants surrounding it.
You can swim in the water, play games in the park and enjoy delicious meals in the local restaurants. Don’t forget to take cash with you for water activities, as some as places don’t accept credit cards.
Click here for directions to Lake Maggiore.
See Google Map of Lake Maggiore below:
Lake Constance (Bodensee)
Lake Constance, or the Bodensee is a large expanse of water that connects Switzerland, Germany and Austria together. The lake is a prime swimming spot and also features many swimming places for you to enjoy. As large as a sea, the Bodensee is a must see. Don’t forget to venture into the nearby town where there are lots of great cafés, restaurants and shops.
Photo courtesy of Konstanz Tourism
Click here for directions to Lake Constance.
See Google Map of Lake Constance below:
Lake Lucerne (Vierwaldstättersee)
Lake Lucerne or the Vierwaldstättersee as is known in German, is located in central Switzerland. It is the fourth largest lake in the country and has a very unusual shape with lots of crags and inlets. Surrounded by scenic mountains it is the perfect place to take a boat cruise and of course if you’re setting sail from Lucerne don’t forget to explore the quaint town with its beautiful cobbled streets.
For directions to Lake Lucern click here.
See the Google Map of the lake here:
Lake Geneva (Lac Léman)
Photo by Severin Stalder, Creative Commons
Click here for directions to Lake Geneva
See Google Map of Lake Geneva below:
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Article written by Jan de Boer
Jan is Comment Editor of the Award Winning Student Newspaper “Nouse”
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