Warm weather, not too hot, with lakes to swim in?

[MyOtherProfile]

I'm thinking of a last minute holiday either now or October half term.

We would like somewhere warm enough to swim outside but not too hot, so preferably below 30c. We all love swimming, SUP and boats but prefer a lake to the sea really, especially with mountains around.

Have you been anywhere like this? Can you recommend somewhere specific?

Generally speaking, lakes, especially those with mountains around are not going to be in the hottest of climates, so October is not the time to go because it will be way colder than 30 degrees and not swimming weather at all really.
I know some will say you can swim year round, but most things really die down out of season and it’s not holiday swimming vibe any more.
I’m thinking Northern Italian lakes/ Austria/ Slovenia type thing.

Now would be the time to go really to have all those conditions.

Lakes don’t really have extended seasons like you can find in the southern Mediterranean/ Northern Africa area.

I don’t know about further afield.

We love lake swimming but even in 30+ degrees the lakes in Germany and Italy can be pretty cold so I am not sure I would fancy giving it a go after mid September in Europe

Lake Lucerne in Switzerland has some lovely swimming spots. Go now!

We swim in lakes in the French Alps. About 800m and in July and August the temp is about 22/23 degrees. Perfect. In October it’s dropped quite a lot. I paddled but too cold to swim.

Slovenia. Lake Bled or Bohinj. But in summer. Too cold in October. Or the Italian lakes - Garda, como or Lugano. But again in summer not in October.

Lake Balaton in Hungary is lovely, but Oct will be too cold

Lake Bohinj is stunning. I’ve swum in it in late June and late September. September was on the edge of acceptable.

We’re just back from Lake Constance. Again, great in the summer but not in the autumn.

If you can’t find anything last minute, then have a look at the Blue Lagoon in Oludeniz in Turkey. Temperature isn’t too hot in October, but the water will be warm enough for swimming. It’s surrounded by mountains, and there are canoes and SUPs for hire too.

I was at Olu Deniz recently. The water was lovely but the beach was totally rammed. But would think it would be better in October.

Lac du Montriond is amazing - 10 minutes drive from Morzine with masses for families to do in the area. I can't comment on what the temperature might be like in October though?

Are you prepared to swim in wetsuits / do you already cold water swim?

Some great suggestions here thanks.

I'm sure those who mentioned this are right about October being too cold. I was just wondering if anyone could think of somewhere that wouldn't be.

We do cold water swim in wetsuits in the UK occasionally but I'd rather not take wetsuits with us so will look up some of the specific lake suggestions on here thanks. We have been to a few of them but several that we will look into.

Thank you!

If you're considering Slovenia in the summer at all, I would suggest Bohinj rather than Bled. We went last year - Bohinj was stunning, Bled was pretty to look at for a couple of hours, but hellishly busy and touristy.

Zell am See in Austria. The forecast for the next 14 days is for sun and temperatures in the high 20's and the lake is ideal for swimming, SUP and sailing. There are rental shops by the lakeside towards the SeeCamp and Thumersbach, and a few nice lidos, including one in the centre of the town.

We wanted to swim at Lake Garda then we saw a snake slither into the water and we decided to stick with the pool 😂