The tripto catalogue lists 22 lakes – Alpine lakes, glacial lakes in the Black Forest, reservoirs and a brilliant blue karst spring. All are family-friendly, and access to the shore is usually free.
Königssee in Berchtesgaden National Park is hemmed in by mountains like a fjord; electric boats take you to St Bartholomew's, with the trumpet echo along the way. Titisee in the High Black Forest is a glacial lake with a lakeside promenade, boat tours and a circular path. The emerald Eibsee below the Zugspitze has eight islands and a 7.5-kilometre loop trail. Edersee in Hesse is Germany's second-largest reservoir, with a walkable dam wall and the "Edersee Atlantis" ruins at low water. The Blautopf in Blaubeuren is a deep blue karst spring on the edge of the Swabian Jura, and Forggensee near Füssen, Bavaria's largest reservoir, offers boat trips with views towards Neuschwanstein.
Most lakes in the catalogue are in Bavaria (seven) and Baden-Württemberg (four), followed by Lower Saxony with the Steinhuder Meer.
In practice: plan anything from two hours to a full day. Costs are usually limited to parking, boats and lidos: parking at Eibsee costs €10 for up to four hours, or €2.50 for early arrivals; the Königssee boat to St Bartholomew's costs €23.40 return. The swimming season runs from June to September; mountain lakes stay cool even in summer.
Lakes
Schönau am Königssee
The Königssee in Bavaria's Berchtesgaden region is one of the most beautiful lakes in Germany, a deep, emerald-green, fjord-like lake hemmed in by sheer mountain walls. Gliding across it in a quiet electric boat to the red-domed chapel of…
Lakes
Titisee-Neustadt
Lake Titisee in Germany's Black Forest is one of the country's most famous lakes and a favorite day trip from Freiburg. Carved by an Ice Age glacier and surrounded by dark fir forests at about 845 meters (2,770 feet) above sea level, it of…
Lakes
Grainau
Eibsee is an emerald-green mountain lake near Grainau in the Bavarian Alps, set directly beneath the north face of the Zugspitze, Germany's highest mountain. Its clear water, a scatter of small wooded islands and the wall of rock rising al…
Lakes
Edertal
Lake Edersee in northern Hesse is one of Germany's largest reservoirs, winding for almost 18 miles (28.5 km) through the wooded hills of the Kellerwald-Edersee National Park. Its massive stone dam at Hemfurth became world famous in May 194…
Lakes
Blaubeuren
The Blautopf in Blaubeuren is a spring of almost unreal color: a funnel-shaped pool on the edge of the Swabian Alb that glows turquoise to deep blue, about 10 miles west of Ulm in Baden-Württemberg. It is the source of the Blau River, the…
Lakes
Schwangau
Lake Forggensee near Füssen in the Bavarian Allgäu is Bavaria's largest reservoir, with the Alps as a backdrop and Neuschwanstein Castle just beyond its shore. It is a lovely add-on to a visit to the castle: you can take a boat trip, walk…
Lakes
Schönau am Königssee
The Königssee in Bavaria's Berchtesgaden region is one of the most beautiful lakes in Germany, a deep, emerald-green, fjord-like lake hemmed in by sheer mountain walls. Gliding across it in a quiet electric boat to the red-domed chapel of…
Lakes
Titisee-Neustadt
Lake Titisee in Germany's Black Forest is one of the country's most famous lakes and a favorite day trip from Freiburg. Carved by an Ice Age glacier and surrounded by dark fir forests at about 845 meters (2,770 feet) above sea level, it of…
Lakes
Münster
Fifteen minutes on foot from the Prinzipalmarkt and suddenly there is open space: the Aasee stretches for about 2.3 kilometres from the edge of the old town to the south-west, lined with meadows, plane trees and lakeside paths. For locals…
Lakes
Attendorn
Lake Bigge looks as if it had always been there: a branching body of water between wooded Sauerland hills, with sailing boats, swimming bays and a protected island. In fact it has only existed since 1965, and whole villages lie beneath its…
Lakes
Blaubeuren
The Blautopf in Blaubeuren is a spring of almost unreal color: a funnel-shaped pool on the edge of the Swabian Alb that glows turquoise to deep blue, about 10 miles west of Ulm in Baden-Württemberg. It is the source of the Blau River, the…
Lakes
Nohfelden
Lake Bostal (Bostalsee) near Nohfelden is Saarland's largest leisure lake and a favorite for anyone who wants water, forest and open views in one trip. The reservoir lies in the Saar-Hunsrück Nature Park and offers sailing, stand-up paddli…
Lakes
Edertal
Lake Edersee in northern Hesse is one of Germany's largest reservoirs, winding for almost 18 miles (28.5 km) through the wooded hills of the Kellerwald-Edersee National Park. Its massive stone dam at Hemfurth became world famous in May 194…
Lakes
Grainau
Eibsee is an emerald-green mountain lake near Grainau in the Bavarian Alps, set directly beneath the north face of the Zugspitze, Germany's highest mountain. Its clear water, a scatter of small wooded islands and the wall of rock rising al…
Lakes
Schwangau
Lake Forggensee near Füssen in the Bavarian Allgäu is Bavaria's largest reservoir, with the Alps as a backdrop and Neuschwanstein Castle just beyond its shore. It is a lovely add-on to a visit to the castle: you can take a boat trip, walk…
Lakes
Berchtesgaden
Little rocky islets with a few spruces, clear green water and the walls of the Hochkalter behind: Lake Hintersee in Ramsau is one of the most photographed lakes in the Bavarian Alps. Right next to it lies the Zauberwald ("magic forest"), a…
Lakes
Kochel am See
Lake Kochel (Kochelsee) is a clear Alpine foothill lake in Upper Bavaria with views of the Herzogstand, Heimgarten and Jochberg mountains. It lies about 70 kilometers south of Munich and works as an easy day trip: you can swim, walk the sh…
Lakes
Glees
Lake Laach (Laacher See) in the Eifel is a round, deep-blue crater lake ringed by forested slopes, right beside Maria Laach Abbey. It is the only water-filled caldera in Central Europe and a popular spot for walking, volcano geology and a…
Lakes
Hannover
Maschsee is the lakeside heart of Hannover: an artificial lake just south of the city center, ringed by a shoreline path, sailing clubs, a beach bathing area and beer gardens. Locals jog, cycle and stroll the roughly 6-kilometer loop, ride…
Lakes
Seebach
Mummelsee is the best-known mountain lake in the northern Black Forest, set right on the Black Forest High Road at more than 3,300 feet above sea level. This small, dark glacial lake, ringed by spruce forest beneath the Hornisgrinde, is wr…
Lakes
Heimbach
Green slopes, bays, sailing boats and a dam holding back the water at a height of 77.4 metres: the Rursee, officially the Rurstausee, holds 203 million cubic metres and is the second-largest reservoir in Germany after the Bleiloch reservoi…
Lakes
Schluchsee
Lake Schluchsee in the southern Black Forest is the largest lake in the Black Forest and the second-largest body of water in the state of Baden-Württemberg after Lake Constance. Set at about 3,050 feet (930 m) between the Feldberg and the…
Lakes
Starnberg
Lake Starnberg (Starnberger See) is Munich's favorite lake, stretching about 12 miles (19.5 km) south from the town of Starnberg toward the Alps, only 15 miles (25 km) from the city. Germany's fifth-largest lake is lined with villas, beach…
Lakes
Wunstorf
Steinhuder Meer is the largest lake in Lower Saxony, about 30 kilometers northwest of Hannover, and a favorite day trip for cyclists, sailors and families. Covering roughly 29 square kilometers but only a few meters deep, it feels like a s…
Lakes
Lenggries
The Sylvenstein Reservoir (Sylvensteinspeicher) near Lenggries is a turquoise mountain lake in the Isarwinkel region of Upper Bavaria, framed by the Karwendel range. It lies about 75 kilometers south of Munich on the road between Bad Tölz…
Lakes
Tegernsee
Lake Tegernsee is one of the most popular Alpine lakes in Upper Bavaria, set in the foothills of the Bavarian Alps about 30 miles (50 km) south of Munich. Five villages ring its shores, including the town of Tegernsee with its former monas…
Lakes
Cloppenburg
A reservoir in the lowlands sounds like concrete banks, but the Thülsfeld Reservoir in the Oldenburger Münsterland looks more like a Swedish archipelago: branching bays, sandy beaches, pine woods, bog and one of the largest heathlands in L…
Lakes
Kochel am See
What surprises everyone is the colour: on a sunny day Lake Walchensee glows a turquoise you would expect in the Caribbean. Yet it lies at 801 metres in the Bavarian Prealps, about 75 km south of Munich, framed by the Herzogstand, the Jochb…
St Bartholomew's return costs €23.40, one way €11.70; Salet return €29.80. Tickets are sold at the kiosk or online.
Among others Titisee, Schluchsee, Eibsee, Tegernsee, Bostalsee and Edersee – with bathing spots or lidos. Only swim at designated spots.
In Bavaria (seven) and Baden-Württemberg (four), plus Edersee, the Steinhuder Meer and Bostalsee, among others.
Updated: · Opening hours and prices can change — check the attraction page before you go.