Travel report: Around Lake Constance
From Radweg-Reisen employee Damaris
One lake, three countries, a view of the Alps, and a southern climate - this is how Lake Constance is advertised. In mid-May, we set off on our cycle tour in four stages to cycle around Lake Constance and test these advertising slogans.
Show more Show lessFrom Damaris:
We are all from southern Germany, a lake child among us, all grew up no more than two hours away from Lake Constance. Of course, we know Lake Constance, but after the first few kilometers we realize: Even if you grew up here, you never know everything! And the great thing about a Lake Constance bike tour is that you see much more than any landlubber or fish.
From Constance to Radolfzell
From Constance, we cycle along the Swiss shore around Untersee. In mid-May, everything is wonderfully green, the sky as clear as polar air (only not as cold) and the cycle paths - still pleasantly empty! The Untersee seems like its own little lake and the closer you get to Stein am Rhein, the narrower it becomes. The turning point is in Stein am Rhein, from here Lake Constance continues to flow as the Rhine and we cycle along the German northern shore towards Radolfzell. As we pass many beautiful lidos, we can hardly decide which one we should stop at. Here we discover the only downer: it is still too cold to swim in the middle of May. But there's no argument against an ice cream and sunbathing!
Radolfzell has a good selection of restaurants and, for romantics, a sunset with a view of the water. The town wall is still very well preserved in parts and the moat has been transformed into a flourishing park.
From Radolfzell to Friedrichshafen
After a picture-perfect first day, we set off on the second morning full of energy. The first 20 km are not dedicated to the lake, but to the headland between Untersee and Überlinger See, the Bodanrück. As the name suggests, the ridge is perfect for mountain bikers. However, we are not mountain bikers - and were therefore worried about how steep and long the climbs would be. To take the wind out of the sails of any rumors: There is a relatively short section of decent uphill and that's it. You cross the Bodanrück at its flattest point, followed by a descent through fields and meadows. And finally, we see the lake we thought we had missed again!
Show more Show lessOn Lake Überlingen, we pass Ludwigshafen and Sipplingen before taking a lunch break in Überlingen. The picturesque town with what is said to be the most beautiful promenade is ideal for this. Meersburg forms the transition from Überlinger See to Obersee, the largest part of Lake Constance. In contrast to Untersee, the towns here are larger and livelier, the lake is suddenly huge and the view of the Alps is visible. We realize that Lake Constance has an amazing number of faces!
Today's stage is the longest of our tour at a good 60 km, and we notice this towards the end. The last 10 km from Immenstaad to Friedrichshafen feel like a low lunch, where you lose a bit of motivation. But the wide asphalt roads allow us to make rapid progress and quickly reach the sign for Friedrichshafen. Friedrichshafen is a rather unusual town for Lake Constance, not small and winding, but rather young, large and technically shaped as the home of the Zeppelin. However, when you look out over the lake and the mountains, you quickly forget the technical side...
From Friedrichshafen to Höchst
On the third day, we first cycle through meadows and orchards, only reaching the lakeshore again in Kressbronn. However, the meadows, fields, and orchards with a mountain panorama provide a very beautiful backdrop - and enable the many small stalls selling fresh fruit. Today we have set Lindau as our destination for a break; the old town on the island is rightly one of the most popular towns on the lake. From Lindau, you pedal hard once and in no time at all you are in Bregenz in Austria. Even from a distance, you can see the stage in the water where the festival takes place in summer. Shortly after Bregenz, you almost feel like you're in the mountains and the dark clouds in the sky motivate us to ride the last few kilometers quickly.
We reach our hotel in Höchst with the first raindrops and are happy to see the pattering rain from our room. Compared to our previous stops, you can't expect too much from Höchst: it's small and not located directly on the lake.
From Höchst to Constance
The finale of our trip takes us along the nature reserve at the mouth of the Rhine into Lake Constance on the fourth day. As we have to drive around it from Höchst, we only get back to the shores of Lake Constance after a few kilometers. Too bad for Austria that its part of Lake Constance is quite small and seems rather unspectacular to us.
Once again, we cross a national border, which is really easy by bike - you often don't even notice that you've just changed countries. In Switzerland, we follow the red signs along the riverbank, through Arbon and Rorschach to Romanshorn. As a mountain fan, I had assumed that the view from the south side of the lake would be rather boring. But I am pleasantly surprised, the expansive lake and the beautiful shore are anything but boring.
The last few kilometers from Romanshorn to Constance are easy to cycle, as is the entire southern shore. In Constance, we get off our bikes, tanned and in a good mood.
Our conclusion
Distances of 55 to 60 km are easy to manage as daily stages. You have enough time for breaks and stops to take a look around. If you don't know Lake Constance yet, this tour will certainly give you a good impression. But you might secretly wish you had two or three more days to lie lazily on the beach, take a boat trip across the lake or visit one of the famous museums at your leisure. And we have noticed one thing: We are constantly being asked about the best time to go cycling on Lake Constance. Well, what can you say? My answer will be more and more often in the future: I'm a fan of traveling in mid-May.
