Our top youth hostels by the lake

Every­thing is bet­ter in sum­mer! Final­ly, sun­bathing is on the cards, along with spend­ing after­noons by the water and enjoy­ing deli­cious bar­be­cues in the open air with your loved ones. Every day feels almost like a hol­i­day by the lake.

And because the best days are always over far too quick­ly, why not take an extend­ed break from every­day life by the water? We have numer­ous youth hos­tels that not only offer break­fast with a lake view and stand out due to their spe­cial loca­tion but also plen­ty of action-packed hours around and on the water.

An oasis on the shores of Lake Constance

Kreu­zlin­gen Youth Hos­tel is locat­ed in the mid­dle of the largest organ­ic nature park on the deep blue shores of Lake Con­stance with its white sandy beach. The his­toric manor house from the 19th cen­tu­ry is locat­ed a mere 200 metres from the lake­side, and has rooms with bal­conies fac­ing the lake. Cosy sum­mer evenings around the camp­fire come with the ter­ri­to­ry here.

But there is also plen­ty of fun to be had. Have you ever heard of the kayak roll? A branch of the La Canoa Canoe Cen­tre is locat­ed right next to the youth hos­tel. They will teach you how to get your cap­siz­ing canoe back above the water. Or you can cross the bor­der into Ger­many on a guid­ed tour, which includes a bar­be­cue stop. Or you can set off on your own some­where else, armed with pad­dles. It’s total­ly up to you.

You can play and climb to your heart’s con­tent at the brand-new play­grounds just a few min­utes’ walk from the hos­tel. Or you can vis­it the Lake Muse­um and immerse your­self in the his­to­ry of the three-coun­try lake, which bor­ders Switzer­land, Ger­many and Aus­tria.

By the way, you can eas­i­ly get from Kreu­zlin­gen Youth Hos­tel to Roman­shorn Youth Hos­tel on skates, on your bike or on foot using the won­der­ful paths along the shore.

Enjoy yourself on the shores of Lake Zurich

Even the jour­ney by train to Richter­swil Youth Hos­tel is a high­light. At times it feels like the wag­ons are glid­ing over the water because the tracks are built so close to the shore. A board­walk leads direct­ly from the train sta­tion to the youth hos­tel entrance.

A high­light of this hos­tel is the small pub by the lake. There are refresh­ing drinks, local beers and wines as well as fresh­ly pre­pared cold and hot dish­es with a view of Lake Zurich and the islands of Ufe­nau, Lütze­lau and Schö­nen­wirt.

How about a ped­a­lo tour to work off your meal? You can rent one right out­side the front door, and guests and mem­bers receive a ten per­cent dis­count.

You can also take a boat trip from the jet­ty where the boats are moored. You should def­i­nite­ly plan a stopover in the his­toric lit­tle town of Rap­per­swil-Jona and spend some time at the youth hos­tel.

Have fun with friends and family at Lake Greifen

Do you want to have fun with your fam­i­ly, your best friends or your club? Our rus­tic and idyl­lic group house, Fäl­lan­den Youth Hos­tel, is the per­fect place for this. The house was designed by the renowned archi­tect Emil Roth. The accom­mo­da­tion is locat­ed in a nature reserve, nes­tled in a huge gar­den and sur­round­ed by green­ery.

Ear­ly in the morn­ing, you can jump straight out of bed into Lake Greifen and tank up on vit­a­min D on the raft. Or you can take adven­tur­ous tours in a row­ing boat, chill out on a stand-up pad­dle­board, and explore the shores on your bike or skates. Final­ly, after an excit­ing day, the camp­fire is the per­fect place to share your expe­ri­ences.

Even more reasons for a holiday by the water

Natal­ie searched the Swiss lakes for the most beau­ti­ful beach­es and put her find­ings in a blog post. Read her arti­cle to find out which youth hos­tels offer beach feel­ing.