Even if summer holidays in other EU countries are now allowed again, many Germans prefer to stay in their own country. The ideal time to explore the beautiful nature of Germany. FOCUS Online presents the most beautiful lakes in the whole country – from the Alps to the North Sea.
1. Bavaria: Eibsee
Starnberger See, Ammersee, Chiemsee, Königssee, Wörthsee, Walchensee: This list could go on forever, because there are more beautiful lakes in Bavaria than anywhere else. Our favorite: the Eibsee on the border with Austria, about an hour's drive south from Munich.
Here you will find everything your heart and brain need for relaxation at the weekend: emerald green water, crystal clear, refreshing 18 degrees cold, clean pebble beaches and a phenomenal view of the Zugspitze. What does not exist: crowded lawns, chic beach clubs and annoying beach vendors.
2. Baden-Württemberg: Lake Constance
Lake Constance on the four-country corner between Baden-Württemberg, Bavaria, Austria and Switzerland reliably warms up to a pleasant 25 degrees every summer – so no one needs to go far for pleasantly warm water.
Another plus point of the "Swabian Sea": Lake Constance is one of the cleanest waters in Germany – and because of its size it offers bathing spots for all types of bathing: families and larger groups can best relax on the large lawn in the Horn beach at the end of Constance Bay, best There are conditions for windsurfers on the west bank of the island of Reichenau and if you like it quieter, open your towel in the smugglers' bay.
3. Saarland: Losheim reservoir
The reservoir in Losheim between Saarbrücken and Trier looks pretty much like a bathing lake should look ideal: clean water, a large lawn, surrounded by shady trees, and a diving tower and a slide for all little bathers.
Particularly fine: if you want, you don't even need to go to the supermarket after a day at the lake, but can bring your dinner directly from here. Because fishing is allowed in the Losheim reservoir – and very popular: visitors can fish for trout, zander, carp, pike or tench almost all year round.
4. Rhineland-Palatinate: Laacher See
Laacher See is not an ordinary bathing lake, because: it is of volcanic origin. The Laacher See volcano erupted almost 13,000 years ago. The almost circular crater from that time is now flooded and a popular destination for excursions and bathing in the region.
Around half an hour's drive northwest of Koblenz, bathers can reach the lake via a campsite on the north shore. Directly on the lawn there are showers, changing rooms, a children's playground, ping pong tables and a small snack for the hunger in between – and thus everything you need for a relaxing day at the lake.
5. Hesse: Edersee
The Edersee lies around 50 kilometers southwest of Kassel, is 27 kilometers long and is one of the most beautiful reservoirs in Europe. But at Edersee you can not only swim and splash wonderfully, there is much more to experience along the shore. Whether you enjoy the view from Waldeck Castle, jet down the summer toboggan run, wander through the maize labyrinth between Basdorf and Vöhl or take a tree-top walk on the south bank through the treetops of the beech forest in the Kellerwald-Edersee National Park: it will definitely not be boring at the Edersee.
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6. Thuringia: Bleilochtalsperre
And also in Thuringia there are beautiful lakes, our recommendation: the Bleichloch dam in the Saale-Orla district, about 50 kilometers southwest of Gera. With a length of around 28 kilometers and 215 million cubic meters of water, the dam is Germany's larger reservoir.
The highlight of Lake Saale, however, is what surrounds it: since the dam was built in 1932, it has nestled into the surrounding lead mountains like a small fjord. Since then – according to popular belief – the city of Saalburg-Ebersdorf has been by the sea, at least on the “Thuringian Sea”. You can also go swimming at the monastery bathing area or in the Remptendorf Bay.
7. Saxony: Kulkwitzer See
By bus from the city directly to the Kulkwitzer See: This is how local recreation is in Leipzig. And also for those who have to drive a little further, a visit to "Kulki" is worthwhile, as the flooded lignite mine is colloquially called.
Located on the western edge of the largest city in Saxony, there is not only bathing fun here, but due to its clear water there is also one of the most important diving areas in Germany to discover – including an underwater park with a sunken ship and a plane wreck. Those who still have energy afterwards will also find a water ski facility on the north bank – with a sun terrace for afterwards.
8. North Rhine-Westphalia: Silver Lake
Lakes with a sandy beach that feel like the sea are rare in Germany. The North Rhine-Westphalian Silbersee near Haltern, around 50 kilometers north of Gelsenkirchen and Dortmund, is one of them.
Spread over 80,000 square meters there is pure relaxation on the shimmering silvery sandy beach. The lying area is huge, but somehow small: word has got around in the Ruhr area that it is easy to relax on a hot day at the Silver Lake. Therefore, especially at weekends, be there early, otherwise it will be full and difficult with the most beautiful places.
9. Lower Saxony: Steinhuder Meer
The Steinhuder Meer is actually not a sea, but only a lake – but it is still beautiful, especially on the “White Dune” beach. Because the name says it all: A fine sandy beach that gently drops into the water and shallow waves that can sound with a little imagination, as if the sea were rolling on the coast.
Tip: pack enough food and be sure to stay until sunset. Most of the evenings, the sky over the Steinhuder Meer turns from golden yellow to deep red to a postcard motif.
10. Bremen: Stadtwaldsee
If it's summer in Bremen there are two alternatives: Werdersee or Stadtwaldsee. But the Werdersee is actually not a lake at all, just a branch of the Weser. Our lake tip: the Stadtwaldsee or Unisee, as it is also called due to its proximity to the University of Bremen.
But not only students like to spend their breaks here, the lake is also popular with the rest of Bremen. Created during the construction of the Autobahn in the 1970s, it is ideal for swimming and chilling along the shore. There is also a large barbecue area on the south bank. If you like it a little quieter and also like to drop the covers, you will find a separate nudist beach in the east.
11. Saxony-Anhalt: Großer Goitzschesee
With a size of 1860 football fields, the Goitzschesee in the Anhalt-Bitterfeld district is one of the largest swimming lakes in the Republic. In addition, it is pleasantly warm in summer, a lifeguard is careful and there is a kiosk for in-between hunger that sells ice cream and small snacks.
What makes the lake so special, however, is the Goitzsche wakeboard park. Opened in 2015 as the most modern wakeboard facility in eastern Germany, beginners and professionals can jet across the lake and various obstacles at up to 30 km / h. If you still need a little instruction, you can book different course packages – and then hop into the lake again for relaxation without a board.
12. Berlin: Wannsee
Pack your swimming trunks and then head off to the Wannsee: Berlin doesn't exactly stand for the perfect lake idyll with an unobstructed view of nature. But relaxing by the lake is also possible in Germany's capital.
The most famous and probably the most beautiful lido in the city: Wannsee in the Zehlendorf district, southwest of Berlin. On a hot summer day, up to 50,000 people make a pilgrimage to Europe's largest inland lake resort. Instead of a simple sunbathing lawn, there is even real Baltic Sea sand over a length of one kilometer. Original imported from Travemünde – including beach chairs.
13. Brandenburg: Great Stechlinsee
There are no more lakes in Brandenburg than in Brandenburg. One of the most beautiful of them is the Große Stechlinsee in Neuglobsow, 90 kilometers north of Berlin, on the border with Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, in the middle of the Ruppiner Seenland.
It is one of the cleanest lakes in northern Germany and is so clear in some places that you can look up to ten meters deep.
14. Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania: Müritz
The Müritz is the largest lake in the Mecklenburg Lake District – and thus the center of a wonderfully beautiful holiday region, the largest networked water sports area in Europe with 1117 natural lakes. Whether swimming, canoeing or kayaking, stand-up paddling or windsurfing: pretty much every water sport you can do on the Müritz.
But deceleration also works wonderfully on the Müritz: Those who have a little more time stay overnight and rent a houseboat. You can then comfortably sail across the water while a phenomenal starry sky spans across you. Because the air in Müritz National Park is particularly clear due to the low air pollution.
15. Hamburg: Allermöher See
The Hanseatic City of Hamburg also has some beautiful lakes to cool off or simply spend a nice summer day there. But the best and easiest to reach by public transport is Lake Allermöher in the southeast of Hamburg in the Bergedorf district.
The audience is mixed: families with children, couples, seniors or students – almost all of Hamburg meets here to relax. No wonder: there is a beautiful lawn for sunbathing, the lake is clean and slopes gently flat on the shore. However, parents should always keep an eye on their children as the lake deepens relatively quickly.
16. Schleswig-Holstein: Big Lake Plön
The Großer Plöner See lives up to what it claims to be, because it is the largest lake in all of Schleswig-Holstein: 28 square kilometers in size, up to 56 meters deep and if you want to walk around the lake, you should take enough time, leisure and provisions with you : You don't even run 36 kilometers that way. The environment in the Holstein Switzerland Nature Park, southwest of the holiday resort of Plön, is beautiful for this – and offers various swimming areas for different needs.
If you want to lie on the sandy beach, the best place to go is the Prinzenbad bathing area in the west, barbecuing and swimming on the southwest bank in Dersau and windsurfers are best catered for on the west bank at Aschberg Castle.