The Most Beautiful Alpine Lakes To Visit This Fall

Late summer and early fall are some of our favorite times to visit the Alps. Not only are the hiking trails picturesque, but also most mountain lakes are actually still warm enough to swim or rent a boat. Expect crystal clear waters, snowy peaks and fewer crowds than in the Mediterranean.

Below, we take you through ten of the most beautiful alpine lakes that you should consider putting on your must-adventure list.

Here is our hit list, starting in the Italian Dolomites:

Lago di Braies (Pragser Wildsee), Dolomites, South Tyrol, Italy

• Where to stay: At Hotel Petrus, half an hour away.
• How to get there: Bolzano, served by smaller airlines, is 1 1/2h away.

Lago di Carezza (Karer See), Dolomites, South Tyrol, Italy

• Where to stay: At Parhotel Mondschein in Bolzano.
• How to get there: Bolzano is a 30 minutes car drive.

Attersee, Upper Austria, Austria

• Where to stay: At the iconic Schloss Fuschl at Fuschlsee, the neighboring lake to Attersee.
• How to get there: Fly into Salzburg, a quick drive from Attersee.

Wörthersee, Carinthia, Austria

• Where to stay: Stay at Falkensteiner Hotel Velden.
• How to get there: Nearest airport is Klagenfurt, 20 min by car.

Chiemsee, Bavaria, Germany

• Where to stay: Chiemgauhof in Übersee.
• How to get there: Fly into Munich (1 hour by car) or Salzburg (35 minutes drive).

Walchensee, Bavaria, Germany

• Where to stay: Schloss Elmau Retreat.
• How to get there: Fly into Munich, 1 1/4h drive.

Lake Lucerne (Vierwaldstättersee), Switzerland

• Where to stay: Bürgenstock Resort.
• How to get there: Nearest airport is Zurich, roughly an hour drive.

Arnensee, Bernese Alps, Switzerland

• Where to stay: Chalet Gstaad, 15 min drive.
• How to get there: Fly into Geneva, 2 hours drive.

Lac d’Annecy, France

• Where to stay: L’Auberge du Père Bise - Jean Sulpice.
• How to get there: Nearest airport is Geneva, less than an hour drive.

Lake Bled, Slovenia

• Where to stay: Stay at Adora hotel.
• How to get there: Ljubljana airport is a 30 min drive, Klagenfurt in Austria one hour away.