Fuschlsee

The Fuschlsee is about four kilometres long and sits in a wooded trough on the road east from Salzburg towards the Wolfgangsee, and its distinguishing feature is what is not there: most of the shoreline is undeveloped and in public or protected ownership, so instead of a ring of hotels there is forest and reed coming down to clear water, with a path running the full circuit in about two hours. The water is drinking-water quality and cold. Schloss Fuschl, a fifteenth-century hunting lodge on a promontory, is the main building on the lake and is now a hotel. The village of Fuschl is small with a lido, boat hire and a fish farm; there are no motorboats. It is the nearest good swimming lake to Salzburg and fills accordingly on hot days.

What you actually see

• An undeveloped shore - forest and reed rather than a ring of hotels.
• A two-hour circuit - the path running right round the lake.
• Schloss Fuschl - the fifteenth-century hunting lodge on the promontory.
• Drinking-water clarity - clear and cold, with no motorboats allowed.

When to go

June to September for swimming. Half a day.

Honest expectations

The water is cold even in August. Hot weekends fill the small lido and parking. The village is tiny with limited food options. Shore access is limited where reeds run out.

Nearby

St Gilgen and the Wolfgangsee are east; Salzburg is twenty-five minutes west.