Lake in Sweden warm enough to swim August?

Are there any additional questions here that can't be found in your other thread? I can't see any, but it's probably easier if we keep the discussion in a single thread.

Thanks. This one is for a general itinerary and the other was in case someone has information on the optimal swimming lake in Sweden in August and knows the water temps and how. Do you want me to combine the threads? Thank you.

I see, but don't you mean the other way around? That this one is for information on the optimal swimming lake?

But as I mentioned there are around 100000 lakes in Sweden (defined as being at least 1 hectare) and I doubt anyone has swam in all of them. I certainly haven't. There are many smaller amazing lakes, as in tens of thousands of them. But if warm water is important you probably want to avoid Vättern, it's rather deep so might be on the chillier side. Vänern on the other hand is shallower and has some nice protected bays that can be great. But Siljan is also a very good option. Fishing in Siljan requires a permit, but it is a pretty lake with nice surroundings.

Yes, thank you. I did mean that. (:
I will take a look at these lakes. This is very helpful and much appreciated. Best, Suzanne

Whether it is warm enough for you is somewhat relative. I’ve been swimming in Lake Mälaren (Stockholm is on this lake) and warm was in the mid 60s F. I haven’t been swimming in any other lakes in Sweden so have no specific recommendations.

I will throw out a completely different suggestion. It is not a lake, but you might consider the island of Gotland. There are opportunities for sea kayaking, biking, and sea fishing. There are some nice beaches and interesting places to explore. The main town of Visby still has its medieval walls. It can be reached by ferry from the port of Nynäshamn which is outside of Stockholm. The one challenge is that it is popular in the summer. Kids in Sweden go back to school in mid-August so if your stay is in the latter half of the month you may be able to find something.

Thank you very much for this information.
Best, Suzanne

Gotland is certainly lovely and a great place to spend a week. But there are not that many lakes on the island and while you can swim in the sea, I would not count on it being warm enough. Depending on how warm "warm enough" is to you. But if the sea is an option you can also consider the west coast.

My family of 6 just did 15 days starting on Stockholm and ending in Copenhagen this month including a lake stay with swimming/hiking! I have a trip report in progress that I'll post soon.

We actually ended up staying on the island in Lake Vättern (Visingsö) and against the advice given here my kids went swimming every day we were there! It helps it was unseasonable warm and sunny, but as Badger says it is VERY cold (like Pacific Ocean off Santa Cruz cold). Our reason for staying here was because my wife's family is from the area so I might have picked a different lake if that was not a requirement.

All my kids said Visingsö was the highlight of the trip, Stockholm was second and Copenhagen was third (even with a whole day at Tivoli). We rented bikes on the island, swan at a couple of different beaches, hiked in the forest and ate lots of fresh strawberries.

DJ

Hi DJ,

Thanks very much. That sounds like a wonderful trip. Have you posted your itinerary? I would really like to see it and try to do something similar. Best, Suzanne

Here is the trip report from our Sweden/Denmark trip June 2023!