Looking for adventure stories, travel tips & hacks? You are in the right place!
6 stunning lakes in Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland is probably one of the most instagrammed and bucketlist worthy destinations in Europe. With its picturesque villages, stunning blue lakes and green meadows covered in Alpine flowers it’s not a surprise that people from all over the world want to visit this country.
Swiss lakes
The lakes (See) in Switzerland are amongst the best and most beautiful in the world and make Switzerland such a popular and versatile destinations for everyone. We’ve explored the country and made a list of the best lakes in Switzerland that you shouldn’t miss on your trip!
1. Oeschinensee
This is probably the most beautiful and most popular lake in Switzerland! The blue tones on a sunny day make you feel like you’re looking at a painting. Oeschinensee is located in between three 3.000 m. plus mountains just above Kandersteg.
Vanlife tip
At the bottom of the trail you’ll find the gondola and a big parkinglot, which costs about 2FR/H. But, a few 100 meters back towards Kandersteg, there’s roadside parking by a communal centre. If you come early (like 7-8 am) you will be able to park here and pay less.
Parking app
Just like in a lot of other countries, you can use an app for parking in Switzerland. There’s multiple ones, but the one we came across very often is Easypark. Just find your parking on the map, set a timer, stop the timer when you leave and pay afterwards by creditcard.
2. Gelmersee
The Gelmersee is a beautiful blue reservoir lake in Bernese Oberland, surrounded by mountains and waterfalls. In spring and summertime the water has a perfect blue tone and all the flowers make it pop even more.
Pack a bag with food, water and swimwear, because you’ll definitely will be tempted to jump in on a summer day!
Hiking or Gelmerbahn
There’s two ways you can get up to the Gelmersee. One is by hiking for about an hour from a free parking and the second is by taking the famous Gelmerbahn.
The hike is doable for any age, but has some steeper parts in it with less to no shaded spots. The Gelmerbahn is basically a rollercoaster taking you up the steep mountain. It’s not for the faint hearted, but it will give you beautiful views!
Go here for up-to-date pricing and tickets for the Gelmerbahn.
Vanlife tip
If you are planning on hiking up to the Gelmersee, make sure you arrive early at the parking. There’s about 10-12 parking spots on the larger parking and maybe about 5 spots on the smaller parking in the corner of the road.
3. Verzasca river
This one is not a lake, but we couldn’t leave the Verzasca river out!
The emerald blue water of the Verzasca river is one of the most beautiful things you’ve ever seen.This 30 km long Swiss alpine river is perfect for a cold dip in summer and is so incredibly clear, that you probably can’t resist to jump in.
Lavertezzo
There’s multiple places along the river where you can jump in, but the best spot is in Lavertezzo. This place is particularly popular for its double arch bridge called ‘Ponte del Salti’, where people can jump off!
Keep in mind that the water of the Verzasca river is really cold with an average temperatuur of 7-10 degrees Celsius.
Vanlife tip
There are multiple parking spots along the river ranging from max 3 hours (2FR/H) to full day parking (10H/day). The second one is 500 m. up to road from the famous arch bridge.
4. Lake Lucerne
Not to be confused with Lake Lucerne in the United States, this lake is located in central Switzerland and is locally called the ‘Vierwaldstättersee’. It’s a beautiful blue lake with a lot of curves and edges hidden around every corner.
Lucerne
There’s a lot of places from which you can enjoy this huge lake, but a great way to see this beautiful lake is by visiting the city of Lucerne (Luzern). Walking across the old Chapel bridge lined with colorful flowers and overlooking the blue lake, is one of the things you need to see on your trip to Lucerne.
Vanlife tip
There’s multiple car parks that are suited for campers and are close to the city at the same time. The one we used is right on the water, just a 10 minute walk from the city centre. we found was on park4night, or go to app!
5. Thunersee
Thunersee or Lake of Thun is a big lake in the canton Berner Oberland in Switzerland. The lake got its name from the city of Thun on the northwest side of the lake. The stunningly blue water of the Thunersee invites you to jump in or do some water sports!
Things to do at Thunersee
There’s a lot to do around the Thunersee. For instance try some supping, kayaking or spend the day hanging on the shores of the Thunersee. Also visit one of the many beautiful castles along the lake’s shores and walk around the picturesque villages in the area.
Vanlife tip
If you want to spend the day on the lake in summer, make sure to go super early. With a van it’s not easy to find a parallel parking spot along the lake and most of the spots are taking very early in the day.
For sleeping we recommend to use the PARK4NIGHT app and find to find a spot. It’s not easy!
6. Blausee
This intensely blue lake can be found in Kandersteg and is world famous for its clarity and color! People from all over the world come to visit this place in Switzerland. Walking around the lake you can see the trout swimming in the clear blue water, while you’re surrounded by beautiful greenery.
What to do here
The Blausee naturepark has something to offer for everyone and every age. Take a boatride over the lake, wine and dine in the fine restaurants or pick a spot to bbq or picknick with the family. Children can enjoy the playgrounds and looking at the beautiful fish. There’s even a hotel within the park!
The water color
They say the blue color comes from minerals in the bottom of the lake, that filter the color red when light hits the water. This makes for this beautiful green-blue color. There’s also a romantic legend about a young girl that lost her boyfriend and her tears made the water turn blue.
Tickets
You can buy either tickets online or at the entrance of the Blausee park. Weekend & holiday summer tickets are CHF 12 for adults and weekdays in summer are CHF 10. You can also buy an evening ticket which are a bit cheaper.
Vanlife tip
There’s a large parking at the entrance with enough space to park your van. The park has a restaurants and some take away stations, but you can also bring your own picknick.
Hi! We’re Tim & Ilse
Together with our fluffy cat Snowy we travel around the world searching for adventures.
Related Posts
