Travel report: Short bike tour around Lake Constance
From our guests Elisabeth, Manuel and their dog Frida
Biking in the rain - perhaps not what you want for your cycling vacation, but Elisabeth, Manuel and dog Frida don't let anything spoil their vacation. The short cycle tour around Lake Constance is fun even with rain gear. In their experience report, the three tell us how cycle path tours can be mastered without any problems, even with dogs and rain.
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If you didn't always gain weight on vacation... It all started with these words. As residents of the cycling city of Freiburg, we use our bikes a lot in everyday life, but we are far from ambitious cyclists. So we decided to book a leisurely bike tour around Lake Constance. The flat terrain and the relatively short sections of the route convinced us, as we had no idea how long we could last in the saddle.
Show more Show lessOf course, our dog Frida should also come along. She should also sit in the trailer for part of the journey. With a lot of patience and time, we got her used to the new vehicle at home. We set off on Sunday morning: we packed our dog and luggage into the car, strapped the bikes onto the back and drove comfortably across the Black Forest to Constance.
After a lovely dinner in the sunny old town and a stroll along the lake, we fell into our hotel bed exhausted. We chose the Ibis for this first night. The price-performance ratio is great, there is free parking and you are already close to the Radweg-Reisen office.
When we wake up in the morning, the mood is a little gloomy: it's pouring with rain. We put on rain gear, Frida also gets her raincoat strapped on and so we first walk over to the Radweg-Reisen office to drop off our luggage. The friendly employee gives us a pep talk, shows us the best route to the start of the cycle path and gives us lots of other valuable tips for the journey. We say goodbye to our luggage and cycle off.
In the pouring rain, we have the cycle path almost to ourselves and Frida can walk alongside us most of the time. After all - she loves the weather. First of all, we can catch our breath on the ferry before we really get going.
In Friedrichshafen, we make our first short stop and eat an excellent pizza (we think we've earned it now). Apart from our shoes, we are still dry and get straight back on our bikes.
We soon reach Lindau, where we check into the Maxhotel. This is very close to the cycle path and it's just a short walk to the island.
We also really enjoyed the small wellness area with sauna. After a delicious meal and a good glass of wine, we fell tired into bed.
In the morning, we were overwhelmed by the delicious breakfast. We sample our way through the buffet and then slip back into our rainwear. Our shoes have also dried overnight. Today we put bags over them! That was the best decision of the day, because our feet stayed dry this time. We cycle through beautiful fields, along the riverside promenade and in the meantime we imagine the sun is shining and forget about the rain.
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It is wonderfully quiet on this section of the route and yet there is plenty to discover. Bregenz, numerous sculptures and the stormy sea. We stop in Bregenz to buy some provisions at the market and supermarket, as we try not to overextend our travel budget by having a picnic in Switzerland.
After the beautiful expanses along the river, we pass the Swiss border. We chose the Hotel Heiden for the next night. A wellness hotel with everything you need.
Ambitious cyclists would perhaps accept the steep uphill route, which takes about an hour, but we decided to travel this route by bus, mainly because of the dog trailer. The bikes and the trailer are allowed on board and so we arrive at the top relaxed. Our luggage was already there when we arrived, so we were able to slip into our swimsuits straight away and enjoy this slightly different part of the trip.
Show more Show lessThe view is fantastic and you can more than enjoy the evening here. Just imagine: With a glass of Prosecco in the whirlpool and vast fields in front of you and Lake Constance below.
The next morning, we first headed downhill for about an hour. We made numerous stops to capture the magnificent panorama. Finally, the sun was shining. We were able to stow our rain gear in our rucksacks and roll downhill in comfort.
On the Swiss side, the cycle path leads through lots of lovely little villages and you always have the opportunity to stop by the water to enjoy the beauty or stop for refreshments. We didn't have to look at our satnav once in the whole three days, the signposting is really clear and complete without exception.
We arrived back in Constance in the evening, picked up our luggage and set off on our journey home through the sunny Black Forest.
Conclusion
Dear Lake Constance: You will certainly see us again soon. Maybe in the sun and certainly again with Radweg-Reisen.
Many thanks for the good tips, the great luggage transport and a big thank you to the dedicated and friendly staff.
Elisabeth, Manuel and Frida
