In Switzerland, perhaps all Swiss people love water activities in the summer. And with the awesome landscape in Switzerland, this country is gifted with lots of natural lakes and rivers that have always been popular for people to swim and have fun. Therefore, in this article, I will be sharing some of my top choices of places to spend time in the summer in the water that is mainly known by locals only.
Katzensee is located at the border of Zurich city, with a maximum deep of 8 meters. It is in the middle of the forest so either if you choose to take the bus or tram, you will still have to take a 10-minute walk to the lake. Lots of people will also choose to walk or bike to the lake. This is personally one of my favorite lakes in Zurich. Most people who are at the lakes are locals and barely will be foreigners. There are no facilities or jumping boards on the lake but a small playground on the side for younger children. In Katzensee there is also a section for naked swimming on the other side of the lake, lots of elderly people will choose to go to that section. So it might be an experience for people who want to try. Overall, I would recommend a family with toddlers or younger than toddlers or elderly to come to this lake, this would be a good lake for you guys.
Schwarzsee is a small lake in the Canton of Fribourg, its name is translated into Black lake (schwarzsee) in English because the lake water is very dark. Schwarzsee has a great view of the mountain and the surrounding landscape and is a tranquil and relaxing place. From my experience in Schwarzsee, I think most people there are on family trips. Therefore, there are a lot of facilities for both children and adults. There are playgrounds, SUPs, paddle boats, Jumping boards, and much more. I highly recommend taking a paddle boat on the lake. You can simply rent it by the lake for 10 Euro per hour, and take the boat to the middle of the lake and jump in. It was super fun! Besides, there are also lots of restaurants with dishes, snacks, drinks, and ice cream around the lake for you to try. Overall, Schwarzsee is also a lake I like a lot, and I will recommend family to take a look at the lake together.
This lake is located in Interlaken and has become more like a water park than just a natural lake. You will have to pay for tickets to go in, and there are two main parts to the park. A swimming pool part and a lake park. The swimming pool section is just an average swimming pool and is also really fun, there were lots of kids having fun there. The lake section is further away from the pool and has A LOT of facilities to play with. There is a whole surface of trampoline, a balloon bed, and fun challenges to run around on the lake. Kids and adults all go crazy on this lake. It is one of the most entertaining lakes I ever saw because there is just so much to play with. As with most of the lakes in Europe, there is a small snack and drink bar next to the lake as well. Overall, I would recommend families with children from toddler age to teenage to visit, and also for groups of friends who want to have fun together.
This lake is located in Lunezia, in the mountain. Due to the location of this lake, lots of people will choose to go to the lake as a resting spot after hiking because there are lots of hiking paths that will be connected to the lake. They have a nice restaurant and a very clean showing and changing room, with lots of facilities such as a volleyball court, sand pit, and children's lake to play with. I would really say that the children's lake (more like a pond) is awesome for parents with toddlers because the water is very shallow so parents wouldn't have to worry about their children too much. You would be able to sit back and relax while checking on them. Overall, I think this is a great place to take a small hike, have a refreshing swim, and have some nice food and drink.
Rheinschlucht/ Ruinaulta
In order to get there, you could check out the information here and take the bus.
This canyon is located on the eastern side of Switzerland, created by the Anterior Rhine by Ilanz and Reichenau in the debris of the Flims Rockslide just upstream of its confluence with the Posterior Rhine at Reichenau in the Grisons. Unlike the other places I have introduced, this is a river, where people can go swimming and even river rafting. It would be an absolutely fabulous experience to go river rafting here, so for people who are looking for something more challenging or exciting, you should definitely take a try. Nevertheless, I would still want to remind people who are going here to always be aware of how the water speed and other factors are changing, because compared to the lakes, this river is still a bit more dangerous for both adults and children.
All these places I’ve mentioned above are all places I really enjoyed and find interesting so I would like to share them with other people and hope you guys will also have a chance to visit them once.