Travel report: Lake Constance bike tour for connoisseurs
From our guests Marieluise and Norbert
My wife and I have often gone on short bike tours with rented pedelecs and discovered the joy of cycling. Last year, we cycled along the Danube Cycle Path from Passau to Vienna. We enjoyed it so much that we bought our own pedelecs in the spring. We also decided to take a vacation with the bikes at Lake Constance. On the internet, we came across Radweg-Reisen offering the Lake Constance Connoisseur Tour.
Show more Show lessDay 1: Arrival in Constance
We drove from our hometown of Bonn to Constance in our car with the pedelecs in the back. We were already very excited about our first hotel, which we would visit twice more during our tour. The hotel, its location and the first impression were great. After parking our car in the secure Radwegreisen parking lot for 11 days, we cycled back to the hotel along the Seerhein. We found the Constanzer Wirtshaus directly opposite with a beer garden by the lake and good food. In the evening, we strolled through the old town with its beautiful cathedral.
Show more Show lessDay 2: Constance - Gailingen
(approx. 40 km)
We left our luggage for transportation at the hotel reception in wonderful weather with a bright blue sky and set off on our pedelecs to the island of Reichenau.
After a rural idyll and old churches with many beautiful impressions, we continued by boat to Gaienhofen on the Höri.
We reached our hotel in Gailingen via Stein am Rhein, with its medieval old town and beautiful facade paintings, which invited us to linger for a while. Just above the high Rhine plain, there was a wonderful panorama of the Alps.
Day 3: Excursion to the Rhine Falls near Schaffhausen
(approx. 30 km)
Once again, the weather was perfect with glorious sunshine as we drove via Büsingen and Schaffhausen to Neuhausen and the Rhine Falls. The boat trip we had already booked in the Rhine Falls basin took us to the middle rock. The ascent to the water-covered rocky peak was a particularly impressive experience.
We then headed back to Schaffhausen to explore the town of 170 oriels and its Munot fortress. A little time to enjoy a cappuccino, then back to the lovely hotel for a 2nd night.
We ended the day in the evening sun with a good wine on the terrace.
Day 4: Gailingen - Constance
(approx. 40km)
In the morning, we visited the Jewish cemetery and Rheinberg Castle in Gailingen. After passing the wooden Rhine bridge of Diessenhofen and Stein, where we crossed the Rhine, we visited the St. Georg monastery and the small monastery island of Werd.
The cycle route now ran on the Swiss side via Mammern and Steckborn to the Napoleon Museum Arenenberg. With its special location, the estate offered a magnificent view of the lake and the island of Reichenau. The cycle route took us quickly back to Constance via Gottlieben and Kreuzlingen, where I took advantage of the warm weather to take a dip in the Seerhein.
Day 5: Constance - Radolfzell
(approx. 35 km)
We cycled 7 km to Mainau in beautiful weather and took plenty of time to enjoy this wonderful flower island. The butterfly house, palm house, rose garden, castle with church and much more left nothing to be desired.
On this day, the cycle tour took us over the Bodanrück back to Untersee and on to Radolfzell and the Mettnau peninsula. Time for a good coffee and an ice cream in the afternoon sun.
Day 6: Radolfzell - Unteruhldingen
(approx. 40km)
On this day, our journey took us back over the Bodanrück to Bodman and Ludwigshafen to Lake Überlingen.
On our route, we saw St. Nicholas Minster and the magnificently situated pilgrimage church of Birnau. Our final destination was Unteruhldingen with its famous pile-dwelling museum. There was still enough time to see everything before dinner.
Day 7: Unteruhldingen - Friedrichshafen
(approx. 25km)
To start our shortest section of the journey, we visited Meersburg with its beautiful new castle. Unfortunately, the beautiful weather took a break, but we reached the castle church in Friedrichshafen before the heavy rain.
We used the afternoon to visit the Zeppelin Museum and marvel at the technical marvels.
Day 8: Friedrichshafen - Bregrenz
(approx. 40 km)
We cycled via Langenargen, Kressbronn and Wasserburg in pouring rain to Lindau, where the water ran out of our shoes. Fortunately, we had a change of clothes in our panniers and the small, friendly island hotel generously gave us asylum! We were able to change, fortify ourselves with a good coffee and then managed to visit the old town during a short break in the rain.
For the next 10 km, the rain unfortunately gave its all again. After warming up in the sauna, I went with my wife under the hotel umbrella for a tour of the city and dinner.
Day 9: Bregrenz - St.Gallen
(approx. 55km)
With the sky clearing again, we took the cable car up to the Pfänder and enjoyed the view of the lake and mountains. Then we went via the mouth of the Altrhein and St. Margarethen to Altstätten, where the cog railroad took us to Gais in Appenzellerland in 20 minutes.
In Appenzell, we were surprised and couldn't believe our eyes: bells ringing. Goats, cows and traditional costumes! We came across the village's festive cattle drive. A picturesque scene in a green meadow landscape. In Stein, we took a break at the show dairy and fortified ourselves with good cheese dishes. After that, it was all downhill to St.Gallen.
Day 10: Rest day in St. Gallen
In the morning, we strolled through the beautiful old town and visited the unique abbey district with its church, library, vaulted cellar and museum.
In the afternoon, we took the funicular to the higher district of St. Georgen and enjoyed an incredible view of the city and Lake Constance from the 3 ponds.
Day 11: St. Gallen - Constance
(approx. 45 km)
The beautiful weather had finally returned. We cycled along side roads down to the lake to the old Roman town of Arbon.
We reached our destination of Constance in the afternoon via Romanshorn and many small Swiss villages after a total of 400 km. There we visited the Rosgarten Museum and rounded off the great tour in the Constance pub.
Day 12: Departure
Back to the parking lot with the bikes and our car. Pack everything up well again, but don't head home just yet, but to Singen on the Hohentwiel.
We were able to enjoy the view of the Untersee again in glorious weather. After a little refreshment, we then drove back to Bonn.
Show more Show lessThe hotels were all good, some excellent. All very close to the city and also not far from the Lake Constance cycle path.
The baggage transport worked excellently - it seemed as if there were brownies working in the background.
The travel information and the cycle route booklet from Fima Radweg-Reisen GmbH, which we received 4 weeks before the start of the trip, were, like the entire tour, excellent!
Many thanks!
Marieluise & Norbert
