- Place
- Švenčionys Eldership, Švenčionys District Municipality
- Region
- Aukštaitija
- Type
- lake and public bathing area
- Address
- Bėlys Beach, Kochanovka I village, Švenčionys district
- Coordinates
- 55.16290, 26.21530
- Visit duration
- 2-4 hours for recreation; 30-60 minutes for a short stop
- Best time
- June-August for swimming and leisure; morning or a weekday for a quieter visit
Bėlys, Bėlys Beach, Lake Bėlys bathing area
Bėlys and Lake Bėlys Are the Same Water Body
Visitors usually say Lake Bėlys, while the municipality’s tourism plan and water-body descriptions use the lake name Bėlys. Bėlys Beach is not another lake but a public bathing area on the southwestern shore. This distinction matters when searching for the place on a map, because nearby Lake Bėlaitis is a separate water body.
The lake lies in Švenčionys District, in Bėlys Forest, about 5 km northeast of Švenčionys. The municipal plan places it in Sirvėta Regional Park and describes it as a traditional summer recreation place for Švenčionys residents.
A Forest-Lake Landscape
Bėlys extends roughly 1 km from east to west. Its shores are high and dry, the shoreline is about 3.7 km long, and the lake has one small island. The official bathing-area profile describes the southwestern beach as semi-natural and forest-framed, with sand and mud as the prevailing shore sediments.
The Sėtikė stream flows out of the lake to Lake Sėtikis in the east, while a stream links Bėlys with Bėlaitis to the south. The place is therefore more than a sunny swimming stop: it is part of a small lake-and-stream system whose shores deserve careful treatment.
Bėlys Beach and Recreation Facilities
The Hygiene Institute’s 2024 bathing-area profile identifies Bėlys Beach as public. At that time it listed two shelters, children’s play equipment, a volleyball court, a diving board, two changing cabins, benches, and one toilet; the profile said that bringing pets was not prohibited. These are conditions recorded for that profile year, so facilities may change on site.
The same profile gives the bathing area a beach length of about 150 m, an average depth of 1.5 m, and a maximum depth of 3.0 m. These figures describe the bathing zone, not the bathymetry of the whole lake. Follow local rules, assess your own ability, and do not infer the entire lake’s depth from one measurement area.
Access and the Improved Road Section
The public bathing-area visitor point is recorded at 55.1629, 26.2153. This is a representative beach coordinate rather than the centre of Lake Bėlys. For addressing purposes, use Kochanovka I village in Švenčionys Eldership as the local reference.
On 2025-10-20, Švenčionys District Municipality reported that it had repaired a 0.37 km road section near Bėlys Beach, laid a new asphalt-concrete surface, and installed parking spaces. This is the municipality’s completed-works notice; visitors should still follow signs and avoid parking on grass or blocking the access road.
Swimming, Water, and Respect for the Shore
The Hygiene Institute’s 2024 profile says that bathing-water quality at Bėlys met excellent-quality requirements in 2018-2024. This is not a same-day laboratory result, so in the event of algae, pollution, or a storm, follow the latest municipal notices and information posted at the bathing area.
Lake Bėlys is best for a slow summer half-day: swimming, a family picnic, a shoreline walk, and a short trip to other Sirvėta Regional Park sites. Avoid unnecessary driving into the forest, do not light fires where they are not allowed, do not approach the island in a way that disturbs birds, and take everything you bring with you.
