Lake Bohinj, which is located at the foot of the Julian Alps in the north-west of the country, has regularly placed among the top three sites where swimmers can swim carefree in the summer heat.

Spreading over an area of 3.3 square kilometres, it is the largest natural lake in Slovenia. It is situated in the heart of the Triglav Natural Park.

According to the European Parliament, more and more swimming sites meet water quality criteria every year.

Out of the 21,000 tested sites, 96% are deemed suitable for swimming, whereas 85% have earned the grade "excellent", which is 287 more than in 2015, the parliament said in an animated film recently posted on social media.

Among the top three were also Croatia's Podrače beach and France's river Gardon.