By Puja Gupta
New Delhi, Jan 20 (IANSlife): Switzerland is known as the home of the mountains but did you know that Switzerland also has more than 1,500 lakes and water bodies!
Almost all Swiss cities are located on the shores of lakes. Whether it's the altitude, the crystal-clear water or the beauty of the surrounding landscape, there's something extraordinary about the sparkling lakes of Switzerland.
Switzerland holds six per cent of Europe's entire fresh water stock, which the country works hard to preserve! From swimming, fishing and water skiing to sightseeing cruises, each lake offers a unique set of fun-filled activities. Switzerland's excellent transportation system makes it easy to access almost all lakes in the country!
Lakeside resorts, villages and cities feature a host of cultural attractions too, including medieval castles, one-of-a-kind museums and picturesque public gardens. No visit to Switzerland is complete without a tour of the country's most scenic lakes. Here is our list of the 5 best lakes in Switzerland.
Lake Geneva
The largest lake in Central Europe, Lake Geneva is a crescent shaped deep lake in Switzerland overlooked by the Swiss Alps. One can book a cruise or a culinary trip to comfortably enjoy notable sights, such as the emblem of the city of Geneva, the "Jet d'eau", a 140 meter high water fountain that is illuminated at night. It's also a great place to go rowing, sailing, windsurfing, water skiing, wakeboarding and even scuba diving.
If one spends time around Chillon Castle and the Montreux promenade, sooner or later they will be tempted to take a cruise on the "Haut Lac" between Vevey, Montreux, Chillon, Villeneuve and Le Bouveret!
Lake Lucerne
Encircled by popular excursion mountains, Lake Lucerne is the lake with the greatest scenic variety in the country. Boat cruises on board five historic paddle wheel steamers and 15 elegant salon motor vessels count among the highlights of this region. A boat trip can be ideally combined with a walk, on the Swiss Path, a themed trail on the history of Switzerland.
The lake shores also tempt travellers with multiple cycling and skating paths as well as numerous bathing and rest areas!
Lake Brienz
The turquoise Lake Brienz is set amid the spectacular mountain scenery of the Bernese Oberland. Travellers wanting to explore swiss culinary specialities can book special cruises available like the "Fondue boat", the "Breakfast boat", the "Alpine-style brunch", the "Halal Cruise", the "Hooked on fish"! "Swiss BBQ Cruise" is particularly a popular choice among Indian travellers. Another destination for a boat trip on Lake Brienz is the Giessbach Falls. The roaring waterfall thunders in a number of different stages down 500 metres into the lake. Immediately beside it is the historic Grand Hotel Giessbach, which looks like a fairytale castle.
Lake Lugano
Located in Ticino, Lake Lugano is a glacial lake at the southernmost tip of Tessin, the holiday region at the southern end of the Alps! The Lake has many different branches and is surrounded by mountains, Monte Generoso being the highest at about 1700 metres. Stunning views of the lake can be experienced as one goes up the mountains surrounding the lake in Funiculars.
Numerous parks around the lake also tempt travellers to wander and take in the idyllic setting of Lake Lugano.
Lake Thun
Embedded within an imposing backdrop of mountains, the deeply-blue Lake Thun lies on the northern periphery of the Alps, between the Bernese Oberland towns of Thun and Interlaken. A cruise on Lake Thun is an experience that also relaxes: whilst enjoying a fine meal, a glass of wine or simply the glorious sunshine on deck, your gaze will travel pass along the attractive shore with its romantic villages, majestic historic castles right up to the peaks of the Eiger, Monch and Jungfrau!