Travel report on the Great Lake Constance Adventure Tour
From our guests Jutta and Jochen
After my wife and I had bought new e-bikes last year, the idea of going on a "cycling vacation" quickly came up. As we had already really enjoyed Lake Constance with its beautiful lakeside towns and the climate a few years ago, this region was to be the destination of our tour. It was important to us that we didn't have to carry our luggage on the bike every day and that the daily stages weren't too long. We wanted to have time and energy for other things in addition to cycling, as this was supposed to be a vacation. After a quick search on the Internet, we found what we were looking for at Radweg-Reisen. When we asked by phone, we were given the opportunity to add small variations to the suggested route without any problems and to make it a little more individual.
Show more Show lessDay 1: Arrival in Constance
Our "Great Lake Constance Adventure Trip" naturally began with the journey to Constance. Starting from the Spessart, we drove via the A 81, reached our destination around noon and took our luggage by car directly to our first hotel in the city center before leaving our car in the locked parking lot of Radweg-Reisen for nine days. We then cycled back to the old town for an afternoon coffee right outside our great city hotel, followed by a short stroll around the city and harbor. The special circumstances of the corona pandemic meant that I had to do a daily rapid test at this point, but Constance and the destination cities that followed were well prepared and equipped with many test stations.
Show more Show lessDay 2: Constance - Steckborn - Stein am Rhein - Gailingen
(Individual route - length: 39 km)
After a very good breakfast, the first tour of our trip took us from Constance along the southern part of the Untersee via Ermatingen, Beringen, Steckborn, Mammern and a short detour to the monastery island of Werd to Stein am Rhein, where we spent our lunch break after almost 28 kilometers of cycling. The first view of the town and the many well-preserved medieval half-timbered houses with painted facades in the old town and around the town hall square were very impressive. Accordingly, we enjoyed a lunchtime snack amidst this beautiful backdrop and then went on a tour of the old town and along the Rhine. The last 11 kilometers along the Swiss bank of the Rhine were then no longer a challenge, even if the climb to Gailingen was a little steep in the last few meters. The hotel here was well equipped for cyclists with a secure shelter for the bikes, so we left our bikes here that evening and took a short walk through the streets of Gailingen.
It would have been possible to take a shortcut by train at any time along the route, but we didn't take advantage of it.
Stein on the Rhine
Day 3: Gailingen - Stein am Rhein - Radolfzell - Constance
(Individual route - length: 47 km plus 10 km train ride)
Since we didn't want to ride the same route back from Gailingen to Stein am Rhein that we had covered the day before, we first rode from the hotel to the banks of the Rhine and over the historic enclosed Rhine bridge to Diessenhofen. We covered the distance to Stein am Rhein by train in no time at all for a few euros. From here we cycled a short distance along the Rhine in glorious sunshine and then back along Untersee to Radolfzell. Here we strolled through the weekly market, refreshed ourselves in an ice cream parlor and strolled through the town centre before setting off on the remaining stretch to Constance. Part of this otherwise beautiful route led along a newly built cycle path, which unfortunately did not yet have any lush vegetation due to the new construction and also ran alongside the main road for quite a long time, but this did not detract from the overall impression of the day in any way. As a heavy thunderstorm was brewing in the early evening and poured over Constance, we decided not to take another stroll through the city.
Day 4: Constance - Überlingen - Unteruhldingen
(Individual route - length: 26 km + ferry ride 3 km)
This day wasn't just about cycling. So we simply shortened the route from Constance to Überlingen with a ferry ride from Wallhausen. We used this free time to visit the Überlingen thermal baths, whose outdoor area invited us to linger and relax in beautiful weather. Afterwards, we fortified ourselves in one of the many beautifully situated restaurants directly on Überlingen's harbor. The rest of our tour took us from Überlingen past the Birnau Basilica to Unteruhldingen. We postponed our visit to the basilica and the pile dwellings until the next morning due to the approaching rain.
Day 5: Unteruhldingen - Meersburg - Friedrichshafen
(Length: 28 km + 10 km return/detour for the visit to Birnau Basilica)
First, we cycled a few more kilometers from our hotel in Unteruhldingen back to Birnau Basilica. This little "detour" was really worth it! Not only the imposing bell tower, which stands out from afar, but especially the interior of the baroque-style monastery church is well worth seeing. It is definitely worth a visit. You also have a wonderful view of Lake Constance from the terrace of the basilica. On the way, we stopped again in Unteruhldingen to experience a little journey through time in Germany's oldest open-air museum "Pfahlbauten". A few kilometers further on, we reached Meersburg with its beautiful old town, the castle and the new palace, all situated on a steep slope. Even though the path from the "lower town" to the "upper town" has an ascent of about 50 meters, you should definitely not skip it, because the beautiful old town and the view of Lake Constance from the castle garden alone are worth every meter. The rest of the route to Friedrichshafen was just a short pedal stroke, so we even had time to visit the Zeppelin Museum in the afternoon. We enjoyed our dinner in one of the many restaurants on the lakeside promenade, where we tried the "Bodenseefelchen" (a specialty on Lake Constance). We rounded off this eventful day with a short walk through the beautifully landscaped city garden on the shores of Lake Constance.
Meersburg Castle
Day 6: Friedrichshafen - Lindau - Bregenz
(Length: 36 km)
After a short loop along the lakeside promenade, today's stage took us via Kressbronn past the beautifully situated Schloss Hotel Wasserburg to the Lindau peninsula, which not only boasts a beautiful harbor flair, but also an enchanting old town with beautiful architecture, inviting cafés and stores. After this tour, we continued around the eastern shore of Lake Constance across the Austrian border to Bregenz. After arriving at our hotel, we first explored the city center of Bregenz before taking the Pfänderbahn up to the Pfänder. With its unique view of Lake Constance, the Pfänder (1064 meters) is the most famous vantage point in the region and definitely worth a visit! We spent the evening on the lively lakeside promenade, where rehearsals for the Bregenz Festival were taking place on the lakeside stage right on the waterfront.
Friedrichshafen
Day 7: Bregenz - Altstätten - Gais - Sankt Gallen
(Length: 26 km + 9 km car ride + 23 km)
Today was the mountain stage to Sankt Gallen. From our hotel, we first cycled along the riverside promenade to the Rhine crossing at Fußach, before heading inland along the banks of the Rhine towards Altstätten. On this stretch, we occasionally had a little trouble staying on the right cycle path, as the signposting was not always ideal. Once we arrived in Altstätten, we should normally have taken the cogwheel train to Gais, but it wasn't running due to track work. For this reason, a driver from Radweg-Reisen picked us up there at the agreed time with a minibus and bike rack to chauffeur us to Gais, 9 kilometers away. Not having to cover this distance by bike was a good idea on the part of Radweg-Reisen, as we covered just over 500 meters in altitude on this short stretch. Full of gratitude for this service, our tour continued past Appenzell through the mountains to our destination for the day, Sankt Gallen. After checking into the hotel, we explored the city center on foot.
Bregenz
Day 8: Sankt Gallen
(The bikes have a break today)
After breakfast, we first visited the baroque collegiate church and the collegiate library (UNESCO World Heritage Site) with its exhibition. We then strolled through the narrow streets of the old town to admire the many buildings from different eras and all the different bay windows. In the afternoon, we then took the "Drahtseilbähnli" uphill to the "Drei Weieren" outdoor pool area. During a short walk, we enjoyed the wonderful view of the town as far as Lake Constance, 10 kilometers away. We then took a dip in one of the three natural outdoor pools before walking down to the town through the Mülenenschlucht gorge with its small watercourse.
Appenzell
Day 9: St. Gallen - Romanshorn - Constance
(Length: 57 km)
After a very good breakfast, the last stage of our tour around the lake took us steadily downhill from St. Gallen to Arbon, from where we were once again close to the lake. We then cycled via Romanshorn, where we enjoyed a coffee break at the lake park, along well-developed cycle paths close to the shore and along the railroad line back to the starting point of our tour, Constance. After a short break at the harbor, we made our way to the Radweg-Reisen parking lot to pick up our car again.
Gallusplatz in St. Gallen
As we had booked two extra days in Constance, we were able to take our time and go on a few short bike tours, including to the flower island of Mainau and the island of Reichenau.
All in all, a successful trip. It was a fascinating feeling to be out in the fresh air all day, exploring a beautiful area, making stops right on the shores of Lake Constance and, despite the day trips, having enough free time for short shopping trips, visits to the swimming pool and coffee breaks.
The cycle paths on Lake Constance were very flat apart from a few really only minor "climbs" and ideally suited to beginners like us. They were also very well signposted, so you could always find your way around.
We were delighted with the organization, the perfect luggage transfer process and the very nice and well-chosen hotels throughout the trip. It was also very reassuring for us that we always had a 24-hour emergency call service from Radweg-Reisen behind us throughout the tour. This meant we could cycle off every day without a care in the world.
This was our first cycling vacation, but certainly not our last.
