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1. Cities and towns by lakes often have a rich cultural history supported by the presence of that lake.
If you really want to visit a place that has it all, and expansive lake with a thriving cultural presence, then Italy’s Lake Garda – the largest lake in the country – is the perfect location. It is located in Northern Italy, about halfway between Verona and Brescia, and is easily accessible from the north by the Brenner Pass. There are many different places to stay during a visit to Lake Garda. There are pricey exclusive resorts, as well as affordable family sized villas for rent. On this south side of Lake Garda lies the ancient Roman city of Sirmione. Here you can visit ancient spa complexes, and Scaliger castle which was built in the 13th century. Gardaland is a theme park that is popular among the locals and tourists alike.

2. Lakes support a wide variety of relaxing activities.
Visiting a lake means that you can take part in lots of different activities. Lakes are excellent places to take part in water sports, like kayaking, canoeing, or sailing. The Masuria region of Poland has over 1,000 lakes in the north western part of the country, and is an extremely popular destination for water sports. These are all glacial lakes, and while relatively deep, they are calm and therefore excellent places to take sailing lessons. There are many rivers and streams that connect these lakes, and these are great for paddling expeditions.

3. Lakes are perfect habitats for nature lovers.
Lakes are large areas of freshwater that attracts many different kinds of animals. Lake Ladoga, one of the largest lakes in the world, and the largest in Europe, also has a very large population of water birds. Freshwater fish are also very numerous, making this lake great for fishermen. This lake, that spans across both Russia and Finland, is perfect for birdwatchers and naturalists. Why not find a local car hire company, rent a car and head over to Lake Ladoga, ecologically a very special lake, and invites all kinds of explorations.

4. Cleaner, more beautiful water.
Lakes are often disregarded over coastal areas in favour of beaches and a beach scene, but savvy travellers know that some lake beaches are even more beautiful and relaxing. Lake Annecy of France is regarded as Europe’s cleanest lake, and also happens to be France’s second largest lake. It is the cleanest because of strict environmental regulations. Swimming, biking around the shore and water sports are the most popular activities here. A visit to France is not complete without a getaway to beautiful, scenic Lake Annecy.

5. Beautiful mountain lakes are a true getaway all year long.
Lakes can be situated in many different habitats, and mountain lakes are especially unique. The landscape surrounding mountain lakes are refreshing, with the forest covered peaks and valleys. Lake Geneva is one of the most popular destinations for lake holidays in Switzerland and Europe. It is the largest alpine lake in Europe, sitting at an elevation of 1,220 feet. Visiting mountain lakes means that even in the winter there are surrounding activities. At Lake Geneva, skiing, as well as mountain and lake scenery make it a great place to visit, even in the winter. In the summer, yachting on the lake and lounging on the shores are very popular.

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As one of the few Italian regions, Piemonte is not washed by the sea, but it is mostly mountainous area. Due to this fact was created also the name of the region, which comes from the phrase “ai piedi dei monti” – at the foot of the mountains. The territory was inhabited already in the Neolithic, but we can see the relics of the Romans and later of the Longobardi and not least the French and the Habsburgs, who were fighting a long for the region.

Mountains and lakes

Piemonte is suitable especially for those loving hiking, because the region boasts the two most famous Italian mountains – the Alps and Apennines. There are many valleys, which are accessible not only in summer but also in winter, so enjoying hiking here is possible all year-round. When you walk down from the mountains, you can stop at the region’s largest lake, Lago Maggiore, which extends also to the region of Lombardy, and even to the Italian canton of Ticino in Switzerland. Like many others in this area it is one of the glacial lakes and is known to influence many artists such as Ernest Hemingway.

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Cities

Mountains and lakes are not the only place that tourists usually visit in Piemonte. The region is also famous for its modern, industrial cities such as Torino, where are the headquarters of the largest Italian automaker Fiat or Ivrea, and where is based famous office equipment manufacturer Olivetti. But those places are also imbued with history and beautiful architecture. Very visited, especially in the summer, is for example Aglio castle.

Specialties of Piemonte, chocolate and Barolo

Lovers of chocolate also come into their own here, as the region’s production of sweet snacks is famous not only throughout Italy, but also in Europe. The secret of making chocolate brought to Piemonte Emanuele Filiberto from Savoy in the 16th century. In cities, you find plenty of shops where you can buy a variety of chocolate candies, nougat, chocolate chestnut, etc. You will find that the Piedmont chocolate may well equal to the Swiss or Belgian.

However, if you prefer salty foods, you should taste il brasato al Barolo – beef with celery, onion and carrots cooked in one of the best wines of Piemonte region – Barolo.

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For those who might not know what is it, should be noted that it is a lake of glacial origin. In the Slovak High Tatras there are in a total of 87 glacial lakes, but the most famous one is certainly Štrbské Pleso. It is not the largest or deepest one, nor the highest situated, but it’s just typical.

It lies at the connected point of Furkotská and Mlynická valley at the altitude of 1346.6 metres above sea level. It covers an area of 19.76 hectares and its maximum depth reaches about 20 meters. The lake is almost half of the year covered by ice.

The lakes were created in the Pleistocene by the action of glaciers, which dug them into the valleys. Due to the remoteness and high altitude such lakes have very clean water and are often a home to quite specific types of plants and animals. Štrbské Pleso is home to a fish called European whitefish (Coregonus lavaretus). This salmon-like fish is still widespread in many countries, but currently it can be found on the Red List of Threatened Species. It has been found yet, that whitefish from Štrbské Pleso is genetically purest of its kind in the world. The lake is also home to several other species of fish, some of them (especially perch and roach) are unfortunately direct food competitors to whitefish. The management of High Tatras national park therefore prepared a program to capture these fish, to save a rare population of whitefish.

In terms of nature is the human presence on the shores of lake negligibly short, but more intense. The first mention of a lake comes from David Frölich in 1644. Later there came hunters, loggers and miners. A lake has almost ceased to exist in 1860. It was due to the residents of nearby Štrba town, who tried to drain the lake and use that “useless puddle” for new pastures! Fortunately, they didn’t do it well …

The same-name settlement of Štrbské Pleso was founded in 1872, when there was a hunting lodge built by Jozef Szentiványi. Other buildings were then built at the instigation of Hungarian Carpathian Association. At present, a town of Štrbské Pleso is a popular winter and summer resort with many hotels and restaurants, and also serves as a climatic spa centre. With its altitude it is also the highest situated resort in Slovakia. There are lots of opportunities for hiking and skiing, including ski lifts and cable cars to Solisko peak.

Despite its mountainous location, you can get to Štrbské Pleso by both road and rail. The main gate to Štrbské Pleso and High Tatras is the city of Poprad where is an international airport as well.

Whether you come to Štrbské Pleso for hiking or skiing, you will be surely surprised with its beauty and surrounding nature. There are lots of hiking trails leading from this place to several important peaks – Kriváň (2,495 m) or Rysy (2,503 m) or you can visit the great 10 metres high waterfall Skok (1,725 m), or another popular lake Popradské pleso (1,494 m).

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It is the home to many endemic and rare species of the Balkan Pleistocene flora. There are also lots of famous and popular ski resorts. Since 1983, the entire area of the Pirin National Park is listed on the UNESCO World Heritage List. Pirin National Park with its caves, waterfalls and glacial lakes should be included on your list of destinations if you are planning your visit to Bulgaria.

Visible is the impact of glaciers from the last Ice Age, which created deep valleys and numerous lakes. The rivers are fed from melting snow on the peaks during the summer as well. Water falls to the valleys in several beautiful waterfalls. Pirin, Rila and Rodopi together form the mass of the southern Bulgarian mountains. Pirin is interesting due to the fact that 45 of its peaks have an altitude of 2600 meters above sea level.

During the hiking to one of the peaks you can meet several islands of more-years-old snow, so-called firn, which is an intermediate stage between snow and glacial ice. As the Pirin National Park is relatively far from inhabited areas, many European wildlife species found their home here.

Pirin National Park has well-marked hiking paths and trails for the ski runs. You can choose the level of difficulty according to your physical abilities. However most of them belong to less demanding routes. Rest and food for tourists provide several huts, which offer the possibility of overnight accommodation in a beautiful and romantic landscape. The chalet Vichren, which lies at an altitude of 1950 meters can even be reached by car. From there, visitors can walk to the highest mountain peak in just 2-3 hours. The Pirin National Park has just very few tourists throughout the year, which also has its charm. The reason is probably its remoteness, but the park offers unique world of majestic mountain, which is certainly worth a visit.

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Šumava National Park is situated at the southwest border of the Czech Republic with Germany and Austria and is located in three different regions – Český Krumlov, Prachatice, and Klatovy.

There are many river springs. The major rivers in the area are the Vltava, Vydra and Křemelná, which create the river Otava at their confluence, then Volyňka, and Blanice. There are eight glacial lakes at about 1000 – 1100 m above sea level. On the Czech side of the Šumava they have an area of 42 ha, their names are Laka, Prášilské, Plešné, Černé, and Čertovo.

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Triglav National Park is located on the northwest edge of Slovenia, near the border with Italy and is easily accessible from all directions. It is a paradise for nature lovers, who can enjoy intact alpine world here full of rare plants and animals. Therefore, there applies stricter rules than in other protected areas of lower status. The park area is covered with alpine karst, from the steep cliffs you can see falling great and powerful waterfalls and in the deep valleys are hidden glacial lakes. The largest lake Bohinj, which have tectonic-glacial origin, is situated at an altitude of 523 meters above sea level. With an area of ​​3,18 square kilometres and a depth of 45 meters it is the largest natural freshwater area in Slovenia. But they are also other minor lakes such as Kriška Lakes, Black Lake and Krn Lake (Krnsko jezero).

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The first a proposal to protect the area around Triglav was submitted in 1908, and in 1981 the region was declared a national park. It now occupies an area of 838.07 square kilometres wich is about 3% of the total area of ​​Slovenia. There are springs of two major Balkan rivers – the Sava and Soča. Soča rises at an altitude of 1050 m and flows into the Adriatic Sea. In contrast, Sava river is formed by the confluence of the Sava Dolnika and Sava Bohinjka streams, and flows into the Danube before Belgrade and then into the Black Sea.

The heart of Triglav National Park is formed by the dominant mountain Triglav, which, after recognition of an independent Slovenia became a kind of a national symbol, as is depicted on the flag, as well as the national emblem. Today it is a popular destination for climbers, adventurers and lovers of adrenaline. Its steep and clouds shrouded cliffs seemed to be insurmountable for a long time. Triglav’s north wall is with its width of 3 km and height of 1 km even the largest wall of the Eastern Alps. On top of Triglav over the north wall climbed the German-Austrian expedition for the first time in 1906, after which the route is now called the “German way”. Otherwise, it is possible to climb to the summit by following more than twenty other routes. A relatively simple and therefore most often used is that one from the southern side of Bohinj Lake.

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If you want to know Triglav National Park a little more it is good to stay here for at least a week, otherwise you can miss many of its attractions and beauty. Park crosses over 7000 km of marked and maintained paths, where you encounter many inns and lodges for tourists providing quality and adequate facilities. Triglav National Park offers excellent conditions for hiking, recreational, as well as mountaineering. Prepare yourself, however, that the biggest attractions such as waterfalls are charged. It is not allowed to camp or bivouac in the park.

The best starting point for tours is the town of Bohinj, Kranjska Gora, Bovec and Kobarid. The largest information center of the park is located in the town of Bled. For hiking trips along the most beautiful valleys such as Vrata, Kot and Krma are the best starting points in the villages Dovje and Mojstrana. Just beyond the north edge of Triglav National Park you can find a mountain valley Planica, which is a place of famous Championships in the ski flying.

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In the valley Vrata, which leads to the northern wall is a memorial dedicated to the local partisans from the World War II. Other attractions in the valley, but this time with the natural character is a waterfall Paričnik, falling in two stages – one from a height of 52 meters and the second from a height of 16 meters. The largest waterfall in the park is Zapotok waterfall (Zapotoški slap) measuring 73 meters, third largest then is the Savica waterfall with the height of 50 meters.

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