A beach holiday with sun loungers, sunscreen and a cold beer in the shade probably isn't the first thing travelers associate with Germany.
But the land of beer, bread and (mostly) punctual trains boasts an impressive 2,000 kilometers of coastline along the North and Baltic Seas, plus more than 30 islands spread across both.
The country is also dotted with rivers and lakes where you can cool off on a hot summer day.
Partner links: booking through them supports the blog at no extra cost to you.
Here are 10 of the best places to swim in Germany, from riverbanks and idyllic lakes to endless white sands that stretch all the way to the horizon.
Wangerooge
Wangerooge is the easternmost of the so-called East Frisian Islands and one of the smallest, with a population of just over 1,000 people.
Cars are banned here, so the only way to reach the pristine white sand beaches on the northern and eastern sides of the island is by bicycle or horse-drawn carriage.
Beyond the usual beach fun, visitors can try windsurfing, kitesurfing and paddleboarding.
But if the North Sea wind picks up, as it sometimes does even in summer, visitors can settle into the colorful woven beach chairs (strandkörbe) and read a book while listening to the wind and the cries of the gulls.
Amrum
This 20-square-kilometer island, lying east of Wangerooge, is a true hidden gem.
Part of the North Frisian Islands, Amrum boasts picturesque fishing villages, a striking red-and-white lighthouse, beautiful white sand dunes and, best of all, one of the widest sandy beaches in Europe.
In summer this endless beach is the perfect place to unwind, while the dunes make a wonderful spot for a walk at any time of year.
Elbstrand, Hamburg
You don't have to travel to the edge of the country to enjoy a lovely German beach.
Elbstrand in Hamburg is a 13-kilometer stretch of sandy beaches and green coves on the northern bank of the Elbe river.
Running from the Övelgönne neighborhood to the Rissen district, it's perfect for watching the countless ships that leave and enter Germany's largest port, set against the massive cranes and docks on the southern bank, all with your feet in the warm sand and a cold beer in hand.
A favorite with locals and visitors alike, Elbstrand is also great for a barbecue, which is allowed on many of its beaches (as long as visitors take all their rubbish with them).
Binz Beach, Rügen
Rügen is Germany's largest island, sitting in the Baltic Sea, and it has a rather remarkable and unusual history.
The chalk cliffs on the northern coast inspired the legendary Romantic landscape painter Caspar David Friedrich to create his famous work "Chalk Cliffs on Rügen." It was also here that Nazi Germany built a four-and-a-half-kilometer concrete resort known as "Colossus Prora," which is now being converted into residential property.
The most beautiful and elegant beach on Rügen, however, is the five-kilometer sandy stretch at Binz, a 19th-century resort that still preserves many of its original buildings and grand hotels.
Along with the usual beach pursuits, the main attraction here is the impressive 370-meter pier, built in 1994.
Ahlbeck Beach, Usedom
The Baltic island of Usedom, on the border with Poland, is a little more rugged than Rügen.
Across its vast 445 square kilometers there are plenty of secluded spots for anyone seeking a peaceful getaway.
One of them is Ahlbeck Beach, with its dunes, white sand and a pier that juts far out into the sea.
Ahlbeck, part of the resort town of Heringsdorf, together with the districts of Heringsdorf and Bansin, forms the so-called Dreikaiserbäder, the "Three Imperial Spas," a nod to the holidays that German Emperor Wilhelm II spent here.
The beach stretches 42 kilometers across the border to Świnoujście in Poland, and it's home to the 280-meter Seebrücke, the oldest pier in Germany.
Berlin's Lakes
Germany's capital has its own collection of great beaches, visited in summer by hipsters and families alike.
Berlin also has plenty of lakes within the city limits, not to mention more than 30,000 kilometers of waterways that it shares with the neighboring state of Brandenburg.
From the legendary city lake of Wannsee, immortalized in the 1951 German pop hit "Pack die Badehose ein" by Conny Froboess, to the smaller urban beaches at Plötzensee in the Wedding district, Tegeler See in the north of the city and Schlachtensee in the south, there's a swimming spot for everyone.
All of them are easy to reach by public transport, so they're often packed, especially on weekends and holidays.
Langener Waldsee
This former quarry lake, covering 72,000 square meters, is one of the largest lakes in Germany's Rhine-Main region, and its turquoise waters draw crowds of visitors in summer.
Located 20 kilometers south of Germany's financial hub Frankfurt, Langener Waldsee has a 900-meter sandy beach and offers surfing, sailing and fishing, as well as camping spots.
It's one of the venues for the Ironman European Championship, held every year regardless of the weather.
Isarstrand, Munich
Although Munich is mostly associated with Oktoberfest, pretzels and beer, in summer everyone flocks to the gravel beaches along the Isar, with or without lederhosen.
There are several swimming spots along the river, such as Flaucher and Marienklausenbrücke, but the most central one is right in the heart of the old town along Praterinsel, on both sides of the river.
Cold Bavarian beer can be picked up at the nearby corner shops.
Walchensee, Bavaria
Bavaria has no shortage of beautiful, tranquil lakes, despite lying hundreds of miles from the nearest ocean.
One of them sits just 80 kilometers from Munich, yet feels like a world away.
This lake is not only one of the deepest and largest high-altitude lakes in Germany, which means the water temperature only reaches 68 F (20 °C) in summer.
It's also one of the few lakes in Bavaria whose shores are easy to reach from most of the surrounding areas, so there are plenty of secluded places to swim.
The only "noisy" activities allowed here, however, are surfing, sailing and diving.
Schluchsee
Another refreshingly cold lake offering a variety of beaches and water activities is Schluchsee, set in the Black Forest near Freiburg im Breisgau in the state of Baden-Württemberg.
Although Schluchsee lies fairly high above sea level, at 930 meters, it remains hugely popular with swimmers.
Most of the shoreline here is easy to access, and secluded swimming spots can be found almost everywhere.
Visitors may even come across locals enjoying a favorite German pastime: dunking themselves completely underwater.
