Glarus Klöntalersee: The Most Beautiful Lake in Switzerland
Since the weather got cold, I was looking at the photos from the summer to warm myself up. Then I realized that I hadn’t prepared a guide about Klöntalersee yet. I immediately started writing because why should those who will come to Switzerland be deprived of this beauty!? In this article, I tried to include all the information about Klöntal Lake. I hope I can persuade you to visit!
Swiss Nobel Prize-winning poet Carl Spitteler was right when he said, “Klöntalersee is one of the incredible natural beauties that no imagination can predict”. This is truly a legendary place. The clarity of the water, the reflection of every image that falls on it like a mirror, the fact that it is surrounded by some of the most beautiful mountains of Switzerland…and the list goes on.
This lake has been used for electricity generation since the dam was built on it in 1908. It is the oldest water reservoir in Switzerland. Even before ice machines were invented, ice was extracted from the Klöntalersee when it was frozen. The work of obtaining ice from the lake ended in 1953.
Our acquaintance with the Klöntal lake is actually relatively new. We’ve been visiting it for 2 years whenever we find time. We like to take our visitors here. When Stefano’s uncle and aunt came from Italy and when my aunts came from Germany, we took them to this lake first thing. Because it needs to be seen, walked around, and swim in its water friends!
Where is Glarus Klöntal Lake?
Klöntalersee (see means lake in German), or Lake Klöntal, is located in the Klöntal valley in the Swiss canton of Glarus.
The lake is 848 meters above sea level and about 5 kilometers long. This makes Klöntalersee one of the largest lakes in Switzerland.
How to Get to Glarus Klöntal Lake?
As usual, I will explain the transportation by starting from the Zürich Main Train Station. Even if you start from another place, the train station you need to arrive at is Glarus.
Departure Station: Zürich HB
Intermediate Station: Glarus
Arrival Station: Klöntal, Rhodannenberg (Beginning of the lake) or Klöntal, Plätz (backside of the lake)
Whether we go by bus or by car, we always preferred to stop at the Klöntal, Rhodannenberg stop. Because we always find this part of the lake more beautiful. It is quieter and we like the view more.
From Zurich train station, you take the first train to Glarus train station and get off at one of the two stops I mentioned above by bus 72.504 departing from Glarus. You don’t have to walk to go to the lake. Bus stops are right next to the lake. However, the hours of these buses are very bad. It can be 3 buses in the morning and 3 in the evening can leave, or it can be hourly. So be sure to check the bus times in advance here.
You can buy both your train and bus tickets here.
If you’re coming by car, there are parking spaces right along the edge of the lake. And it’s free. However, it can be very difficult to find a place on crowded days, but you will definitely find a place even if it takes a bit time.
What to Take with You to the Glarus Klöntalersee
Towels for swimming, swimsuits, sunscreen, sea slippers, sunglasses for protection from the sun in summer, a hat, sunscreen, sturdy sneakers and comfortable walking clothes if you wish to walk. If you plan to visit in winter, then a thick coat, beanie, scarf, gloves, walking boots, snack for the day and lots of water.
What Activities Can You Do at Glarus Klöntal Lake? 8 Activities You Can Do
- Swimming is a must in summer! But I must say beforehand that this lake is incredibly cold! The temperature of the water was 22 degrees on the hottest day of summer., which is fine. But when we went towards the end of summer, it was 5 degrees on average! So it takes some courage to be honest haha. But the ice coldness of the water is so relaxing, and the view when you look around from the lake is so impressive that you should definitely not miss the opportunity to swim in this lake.
- Perfect for ice skating in winters! Of course, if the authorities allow it, which is determined depending on the ice thickness. If you’re going to visit in the winter, it’s a good idea to check beforehand.
- You can ice dive. But maybe you shouldn’t, it must be very cold doing that lol.
- You can camp. There are two beautiful campgrounds around the lake: Vorauen Campground and Güntlenau Güntlenau Campground. While Vorauen is located at the back of the lake, Güntlenau is located at the front of the lake.
- You can fish. This lake’s also a true paradise for fishermen. If you’re going to engage in a simple fishing event with your fishing rod and fishing bait, you can get a free permit for this. However, you need to get a license for more extensive hunting. You can get detailed information here.
- You can do stand up paddling. You can paddle on the lake by renting it from the entrance of the lake.
7. You can go hiking. If you wish, you can do nature walks around the lake or in the mountains around the valley where the lake is located.
8. You can barbecue. There are areas around the lake where you can light a fire. You can use these as or bring your own portable barbecue set and do picnic.
Every time we visit Lake Klöntal, we first take a long nature walk. Then go down to the lake and swim to cool off and have a picnic.
When to go to Glarus Klöntalersee?
You can make your decision by considering the above activities. You can choose the winter months for activities such as ice skating, ice diving, trekking in the snow. Or you can choose the summer months if you want to swim, have a picnic and walk in hot weather. The lake is also very beautiful in the spring, but my preference is the summer months in order to swim in rather warmer water.
Glarus Klöntal Lake Trekking Route
While it’s fun to go to this lake and dive directly into the water, there’s nothing like breaking a sweat to make swimming more enjoyable here! If you follow the route I will give now, you will encounter incredible views. I strongly recommend!
First of all, I would like to point out that this route is a 3rd degree route in terms of difficulty, that is, it is a difficult journey. It takes 7-8 hours to start from the starting point A, which is, Klöntal, Rhodannenberg stop and return to the same point. However, we didn’t return to the same point of the lake. We started from point A and went up. After reaching the top of the mountain, we went down to the other side of the lake and ended the hike. It took 4-5 hours like this. If it’s too long or maybe too short for you, you can browse different walking routes on this site. Choose according to the degree of difficulty, and even walk more than one route if you have time.
Let me share some more photos from this walk!
Where to Eat in Klöntalersee, Switzerland
As I mentioned before, around the lake is full of areas where you can barbecue. You can just bring your grill and use these barbecues. However, beware, you may not find an empty barbecue as it will be crowded in the summer months. As a second alternative, disposable barbecue sets are sold in every market, especially in summer. You can also have a barbecue and picnic by buying them.
If you are not in the mood for a picnic or if you want to sit somewhere and have a cup of coffee with a view of the lake, you can go to the places I recommend below.
Schwammhöhe: This is a restaurant slightly above the lake, which is our favorite. It has a very beautiful view. The food is standard.
Restaurant Rhodannenberg: This is a cute place right at the entrance of the lake. Food is also not so special here.
Gasthaus Im Plätz Klöntal (Im Plätz):This place is at the end of the lake. I can’t recommend it as I haven’t been here but the Google rating is okay.
Glarus Klöntalersee Webcam
From here, you can watch the lake live, watch the changes of the lake monthly, daily or within a year, as well as see the detailed weather conditions.
From here, you can watch the temperature and current image of the lake.
You can find other articles about places to visit in Switzerland here.
Have fun!
