While Berlin’s hipsters have set up a sand beach and volleyball courts on the Spree River running through the central Mitte District, the real beach for swimming is just outside the city on Lake Wannsee. Those in the know head to Strandbad, a century-old public beach club on the lake that offers old-school cabanas and a giant lido jutting into the tree-lined lake that provides a jumping-off point into lovely water that can reach the upper 70s. In true German style, a portion of the beach is clothing-optional. (Tip: Go there early to avoid the late-summer beach crowds.)

The city of Geneva makes the most of its lakeside setting with excellent beaches, with the two best on the south bank: Family-friendly Baby-Plage, a triangle of sand with a playground wedged next to the marina, and Genève-Plage with its broad lawn, spa, bar, pool and high-dive platform — this beach is a veritable beau-monde playground. Happily, the entire lake can now be experienced in high gastronomic style with the launch of CGN’s belle époque-era steamships, which crisscross the waters while serving gourmet meals sourced from legendary vineyards and farms on the lake’s shores.