Lakeside holidays in the Alps: five good reasons

Summer is approaching and the question arises: Where to spend the few days of vacation?

Spontaneously, we think of the sea, for the sun, swimming, life in freedom. But for some, it will be the mountains, with their sports activities, fresh air and landscapes. Finally, culture lovers will visit cities rich in museums and curiosities. What if a vacation on the shores of an Alpine lake allowed all of this?

Enjoy the coolness of the shores of an Alpine lake

In summer, it's hot, and unfortunately getting hotter. So sometimes, the beaches of the Mediterranean become stifling, and the beaches of the Atlantic don't allow you to shelter from the sun. What if it were different on the shores of a lake in the Alps?

Indeed, large expanses of water allow for good ventilation, with the establishment of breezes that cool the air on the shores of lakes. A bit like sea breezes.

The water of the lake, whose temperature is between 20 and 25 degrees in summer in the main Alpine basins, sometimes a little more during periods of intense heat, contrasts with the hot air outside, which causes these breezes which come to lick the faces and bodies of bathers and walkers.

Especially in the evening, when after a day spent in the sun, we feel the need for a drop in temperature, the proximity of the mountains accelerates this cooling effect, and it is not uncommon that at the end of the evening we need a small jacket to return home. Which is appreciable to spend a good restful night, without mosquitoes and without air conditioning.

Evenings by the sea Lake Geneva, a lake so large that sometimes it looks like the sea, on the side of Montreux ou Evian for example are very pleasant in the middle of summer.

When you wake up, the dew on the flowers and lawns keeps the air fresh for a while longer before the summer heat takes over during the central hours of the day. You can really feel this morning freshness on the Bout du Lac reserve side. from Annecy.

Thanks to this climate and humidity, the vegetation is often very dense and very green around the lakes, which allows you to walk in the shade of the trees when the sun is too strong.

And above all, when the heat sets in, what could be better than diving into clean, cool waters?

Summer on the shores of an Alpine lake allows you to spend a few days in the sun without the inconvenience of extreme heat.

All water activities are possible on an Alpine lake

In summer, we want to go swimming.

Yes, it is the only time of year in Europe when you can enjoy swimming somewhere other than a pool. Beach holidays are therefore the main destination for holidaymakers.

But what more can you do at the seaside than at the edge of an Alpine lake? Nothing!

A holiday on the shores of an Alpine lake offers the same seaside and water activities as on a beach.

The first of these, swimming, is practiced in calm waters. The beaches, made of sand, gravel, or rock, like at the sea, slope gently towards deeper waters and allow safe bathing, on supervised beaches.

The lagoon-coloured waters of the beaches of Lake Annecy and the warmer waters of the lake d'Aiguebelette are so inviting that you can't resist.

And what about the sandy beach of Excevenex, at the gates of Geneva?

No salt in your eyes! Swimming in the lake doesn't sting your eyes!

And when you go out to enjoy the sun on the beach, you don't have that unpleasant feeling caused by salt on your skin. You always feel clean!

Other water sports that can be practiced on an Alpine lake include canoeing, kayaking, pedal boats, windsurfing, kitesurfing, sailing boats, motor boats, etc.

Kitesurfers love the lake of Serre-Ponçon, the Achensee and the lake of Guard, but also a high altitude lake, that of Silvaplana, in Engadine.

In short, everything that makes a seaside holiday enjoyable is possible on the shores of a lake!

Diving? Yes, there are also diving schools and activities, sometimes around caves, sometimes around wrecks. It is clear, however, that you will not have colorful fish or corals here!

Whether on the Chillon side, on the shores of Lake Geneva, or towards Beatenbuch on Lake Geneva, Thun, the spots are among the favorites of enthusiasts.

On the other hand, you can have fun diving from a boat in the middle of the lake without fearing the presence of fish that will terrorize you... This last sentence is dedicated to all the movie buffs traumatized by a certain well-known film...

Seaside stays on the shores of an Alpine lake are possible and offer all the pleasures associated with seaside holidays.

Stays on the shores of an Alpine lake are a favorite of all.

In a group of friends or a family, the most difficult thing is to find a compromise to please everyone during the holidays.

There are those who enjoy sports activities: running, cycling, hiking, climbing...

There are those who love water sports: we saw in the previous paragraph that everything was possible at the edge of a lake, as at the seaside.

There are those who prefer visits to cultural sites, exhibitions, museums.

There are those who go on vacation to let go and who prefer to be pampered in wellness centers, spas, thermal baths, etc.

There are those who like to take beautiful photos, those who like to walk without getting tired, those who like to stroll through the markets or shops in the alleys of small tourist villages...

On the shores of an Alpine lake, everyone finds something to suit them.

The cities of Geneva, Lucerne, Zurich, Como and the villages of Stresa or Sirmione allow you to combine a cultural visit with a seaside stay.

And what about a cruise around the villas of Como lake or the Borromean Islands on the lake maggiore ?

Never far from a tourist center, never far from a large city rich in monuments and history, never far from reliefs to explore on beautiful panoramic hikes, holidays on the edge of an alpine lake allow you to vary the pleasures during the day or the week.

And for those who enjoy the well-being of the mountains and water, many spas and thermal centers have developed on the shores.

Yes, but there are also those for whom summer holidays rhyme with palm trees and tropical vegetation... Well, the nice surprise is that most of the shores of the great lakes have beautiful promenades lined with palm trees or tropical plants: the Riviera of Lake Geneva, Lake Garda, and the promenades of Ascona and Locarno on Lake Maggiore are proof of this!

The beautiful landscapes around the Alpine lakes.

Aesthetically, the lakes of the Alps are all marvels.

The brightness and colors of the landscape change depending on the time of day, the shadows cast by the mountains, the color of the sky.

The shades of blue of the lakes of Serre-Ponçon, Holy Cross and Brienz seem almost artificial, so much do they contrast with the surrounding vegetation.

You can sit on a bench and contemplate all day long the details that border the alpine lakes, more or less distant. Sometimes, it is perched villages that attract our attention, or a church hidden in the greenery on the slopes of a mountain.

Sometimes our gaze is caught by a glacier sparkling in the distance, or a boat gleaming in the sun in the middle of the lake.

The ripples created by the lake breeze play with the sun's rays and make the surface of the lake sparkle.

The evening humidity makes the landscape glow red at sunset.

And all this can be observed only by sitting on a bench.

Or on a restaurant terrace while tasting local specialties caught in the lake, cultivated or raised on its banks or produced in the surrounding mountain pastures.

So let's imagine all that we can discover by walking, cycling or making forays into the surrounding valleys or plateaus!

Dominant landscapes plunging towards the lake, crowns of mountains, forests as far as the eye can see.

But it is impossible to mention all the magnificent spots in this article.

It is all this beauty that makes a stay on the edge of a mountain lake so rich.

Images that you will not forget, because they are unique moments, in unique places.

Our favorite landscapes are near the Chambotte belvedere, above Le Bourget, the Forclaz pass, on the Annecy side, Beatenberg, above Interlaken, the Rigi, above the Lake Lucerne, from the heights of Lugano and each of the mountains that surround the lakes of the Salzkammergut.

The Alpine lakes are easily accessible nearby destinations

The good news for planning your vacation on the shores of the Alpine lakes is that all the lake destinations are very easy to access.

In the current context of attention to the carbon footprint of each journey, the possibility of reaching your destination by train is certainly a positive point.

Whether on the shores of French, Swiss, Italian, German, Slovenian or Austrian Alpine lakes, there are train stations in most of the villages on their shores, or in a very nearby village well connected by a coach network.

Let's take a few examples.

In France, you can take the train stations of Aix-les-Bains for Lake Bourget, Annecy for its lake, Evian and Thonon for Lake Geneva, Lépin for Lake Aiguebelette, to reach your destination on the edge of a lake. But you can also reach Embrun and Chorges by train a few kilometers from Lake Serre-Ponçon.

In Italy, Arona and Stresa on Lake Maggiore, Como, Lecco and Colico on Lake Como, Iseo and Pisogne for the Lake Iseo, Desenzano and Peschiera on Lake Garda are accessible by train.

In Switzerland, needless to say, all the shores of the lakes are crossed by trains!

In Austria, the region of Salzkammergut is crisscrossed by railways, which radiate around Bad Ischl. Lake Constance can be reached by train, stopping in Bregenz. Near Villach, the Ossiachersee is also accessible, as is the Worthersee near Klagenfurt,

In Germany, Lake Constance is accessible along its entire northern shore, between Constance and Lindau, the Ammersee, Starnbergsee, Tegernsee, Schliersee, Chiemsee are bordered by the railway directly from Munich, and the magnificent Königsee is accessible from Berchtesgaden a few short kilometers away.

Finally, in Slovenia, we reach the very picturesque Lake Bled via Bled Jezero station on its northern shore, a stone's throw from the village centre.

An easy-to-organize stay, easy-to-reach destinations, a climate that combines sunshine and mildness, breathtaking landscapes, endless activities, and often a festive Riviera atmosphere, like those of Montreux or Ascona-Locarno, rich in events that immerse you in a holiday atmosphere.

Still doubts?

If you have any, don't hesitate to take inspiration from the AlpAddict guides, or get advice from your Travel Planner, read the other articles on the lakes of the Alps in this blog and admire the magnificent photos in the Story of the Instagram account.

See you soon, by a lake!

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