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Lake Constance, or the Bodensee in German, lies on the border of Germany, Austria, and Switzerland. On a week-long biking trip organized with and sponsored by the Lake Constance Tourism Board, I set out to explore its medieval towns, monasteries, vineyards, castles, and museums while riding along one of Europe’s most popular cycling routes. Along the way, I visited three UNESCO World Heritage Sites and discovered a region that is both deeply historic and strikingly beautiful.

This itinerary was often full, sometimes too full, but it provided a wide-ranging perspective on a part of Europe that many American travelers overlook. For anyone planning a trip, whether by bike, ferry, or car, this region offers a unique blend of cultural discovery and natural beauty that is rare to find in such a compact area.

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Arrival in Konstanz

I flew into Zurich and immediately transferred by train to Konstanz, Germany. Swiss efficiency meant that within an hour of landing, I was on a train to a city with roots that reach back to Roman times. Constance traces its history to the time of Caesar Augustus and was a significant hub for lake commerce for centuries.

Perhaps its most famous moment came during the early 15th century with the Council of Constance. This gathering of church leaders marked the end of the Western Schism, a period during which two popes simultaneously claimed the papacy. The council restored unity but also condemned Jan Hus of Prague, who later became a hero of the Protestant Reformation. The old warehouse where the council met still stands, a reminder of the city’s central role in European religious history.

For this trip, after a transatlantic flight and a train journey, I was immediately on a bike. While this worked for me, I would recommend future travelers give themselves at least a night in Konstanz to adjust, recover, and start their trip fresh the following day.

Konstanz retains towers, fortifications, and medieval buildings worth lingering over. Konstanz is a vibrant university town with cafes, historic squares, and easy ferry connections.

Reichenau Island (UNESCO World Heritage Site)

From Konstanz, I hopped a train to the Reichenau station and biked across the causeway to the Island of Reichenau, my first UNESCO World Heritage site on this trip. Reichenau Island has been a center of monastic life since 724, when Benedictine monks established a monastery here. Three Romanesque churches remain: St. Mary and Mark, St. George, and St. Peter and Paul.

The island is also renowned as the birthplace of viticulture in the region, with vineyards introduced by monks who required wine for their religious services. Cycling around the island, I passed greenhouses filled with tomatoes and other fruits and vegetables that supply produce for the surrounding region. 

The islands’ monasteries once produced lavishly illustrated manuscripts that can still be seen in European collections. The small museum on the island displays some of these manuscripts and explains how this community influenced culture far beyond Lake Constance.

Dinner at the Strand Hotel Löchnerhaus, followed by a boat ride back across the lake, rounded out a day that began with Roman history and ended among vineyards.

Practical tip: An e-bike can be very useful on this trip. I nicknamed mine “the beast” because of its weight. Carrying it up stairs was no small effort, but that’s what I had to do to get to the track for my train to Reichenau station. On the road, the electric assist made climbs much easier.

I spent the first night at Hotel Constantia, not far from the old town in Konstanz.

Day Two: Mainau Island and Pile Dwellings

The Garden Island of Mainau

The second day began with a short ride to Mainau, better known as the Flower Island. This island was founded by the Teutonic Knights in the 13th century. After secularization in 1803, when Napoleon redistributed church property to nobles, it became the property of the Grand Dukes of Baden. They transformed it into one of the most celebrated botanical gardens in Europe.

Even if you are not a gardening enthusiast, Mainau impresses. The island features themed gardens, vineyards, a butterfly house, and seasonal displays. In September, when I visited, the highlight was a massive dahlia display with 12,000 plants in bloom in every color imaginable.

Pathways led me through rose gardens, shaded walks, and even a grove of dawn redwoods from China. These trees, thought extinct until the 20th century, now tower dramatically over visitors. The island employs 50 gardeners year-round and swells with seasonal workers in high season. Cafes and restaurants provide breaks from exploring, and tours are available in English.

Pile Dwellings

From Mainau, I cycled to Unteruhldingen, another UNESCO site. Here, the attraction is prehistoric, not medieval. It is part of a multinational site dedicated to pile dwellings, which were built on or near the lake from the late Stone Age into the Bronze Age. This UNESCO site is important, but it is not visible, as all that remains are the tops of wooden piles below the lake’s surface.

The Pfahlbaumuseum recreates the pile dwellings. The museum includes full-size reconstructions of houses, displays of ancient tools, and demonstrations of how people survived thousands of years ago. There are four different reconstructed small villages dating back almost 100 years. Each one was built using the best knowledge of the time of these early communities.

Many of the signs are only in German, so consider taking an English-speaking tour or have your translation app ready.

Inside the buildings, you can see early stone tools in one area and early bronze tools in another. Seeing how a simple bow drill with sand could bore holes into stone axes was one of the most memorable parts of the visit.

Travelers with children will especially appreciate that outside the museum is a playground designed in the style of the pile dwellings.

I stayed the night at Hotel Seehof, right on the waterfront and steps from the UNESCO site.

Day Three: Monasteries, Castles, and Meersburg

Basilica of Birnau

The third day began with a visit to the Basilica of Birnau, a Baroque church sitting above vineyards with commanding views of the lake. Its ornate interior contrasts with the simplicity of earlier Romanesque churches, and its location offers some lovely views of the lake. On a bike, of course, those views must be earned.

Salem Monastery and Castle

From Birnau, I pedaled uphill to Salem Monastery and Castle. Originally a Cistercian abbey, it was also secularized in 1803 and handed over to the local nobility. As a monastery, its dormitories and church were relatively plain, but once converted into a castle, decorative details and noble comforts were added.

Today, the site features multiple museums, including one dedicated to the history of firefighting. Fires were a constant threat to buildings, and the monastery was destroyed by a large fire in 1697. Exhibits illustrate how technology evolved to combat building fires. The complex also features a brewery museum and café, reflecting the monastic brewing tradition that remains alive in many parts of Europe.

Meersburg

The afternoon was dedicated to Meersburg, one of the loveliest medieval towns on Lake Constance. Narrow lanes, a lakeside promenade, and half-timbered houses make it popular with visitors. Three museums filled my schedule: the Bible Gallery, designed as an introduction to biblical history and literature; the Wine Museum, which explained the history and use of wine, as well as the origins and spread of Müller-Thurgau grapes, a varietal developed nearby in 1882; and Meersburg Castle.

Meersburg Castle was once the residence of the Prince-Bishop of Constance until the secularization. Rooms preserve layers of history, from medieval dungeons to 19th-century parlors.

For me, Meersburg was a reminder of the density of cultural attractions around Lake Constance. In one afternoon, you can learn about medieval religion, the politics of secularization, the development of a grape variety, and the lives of bishops and nobles.

My hotel, Zum Schiff, is situated in an 800-year-old building right on the waterfront. Dining in its restaurant with lake views was an unforgettable way to end the day.

Day Four: Zeppelins and Marionettes

Zeppelin Museum

The following morning, I took a ferry from Immenstaad to Friedrichshafen. The city is synonymous with the Zeppelin, Count Ferdinand von Zeppelin’s rigid airship that revolutionized early aviation. The Zeppelin Museum is located in a former railway terminal right by the ferry dock.

Exhibits cover both the technological achievements and the tragedies, such as the destruction of the Hindenburg. Walking through a reconstructed section of the Hindenburg, including its cabins and smoking lounge, was a highlight of the experience. The fact that its gas bladders were once made of cow intestines was one of many surprising details I learned.

Lake Constance was the location for Count von Zeppelin’s first maiden flight of a Zeppelin, making it an appropriate location for the museum. A modern Zeppelin offers half-hour tours of the area in a lighter-than-air craft.

Lindau

In the afternoon, I biked to Lindau, an island town with a medieval core. I visited the Hundertwasser Art Forum, a gallery dedicated to the colorful, whimsical works of Austrian artist Friedensreich Hundertwasser.

The Marionette Opera House, another highlight, stages full-length operas and operetas featuring puppets, an art form that has been part of Lindau’s cultural life for over a century. Seeing the marionettes up close revealed the craftsmanship that went into this unusual tradition.

Before leaving, I stopped by Lindau’s harbor, where the lighthouse and Bavarian lion statue guard the entrance, before continuing my ride into Austria to the city of Bregenz.

I stayed that day at the Hotel Bodensee, close to the waterfront and to the cable car up the mountain.

Day Five: Austria and Switzerland

Pfänder Mountain

In Bregenz, I boarded the Pfänder cable car to the summit of Pfänder Mountain. From there, the panorama stretched across Lake Constance on one side and into the peaks of the Alps on the other. Travelers with more time can take advantage of the hiking trails at the summit, but even a short visit offers some of the most stunning views in the region.

St. Gallen

From Bregenz, I cycled into Switzerland, stopping for lunch at Wartensee Castle, before catching a train to St. Gallen. This city is home to the third UNESCO World Heritage Site of the trip: the Abbey of St. Gallen. Founded in 719, it grew into a Benedictine monastery renowned for scholarship.

Its library contains 170,000 volumes, some of which are over a thousand years old. Entering the library feels like stepping into one of Europe’s greatest cultural treasures, rivaling the libraries of Coimbra or Trinity College Dublin. The Abbey District also preserves archives that survived centuries of political upheaval, offering a unique record of European history.

One exhibit displayed a 9th-century plan for a monastery drawn on vellum. The plan outlined everything a self-sustaining monastery needed: bakeries, scriptoriums, stables, hospitals, and even cemeteries. The presentation walked visitors through the life of a monk, from childhood dedication to old age, using the plan as a guide. This glimpse into medieval life was one of the most impressive experiences of the trip.

Although St. Gallen also offers a textile museum, chocolate shops, and other attractions, I had little time left. Still, the Abbey District alone made the visit worthwhile. Travelers with an interest in religious history, manuscripts, or libraries should not miss this stop.

Return to Zurich

On the final day, I returned my bike and caught a train from St. Gallen to Zurich Airport. The train station is integrated into the airport, making for a seamless transfer. Within a few hours, I was airborne, returning home after a week that had covered three countries and centuries of history.

Practical Advice for Travelers

• Cycling or Not: The official Lake Constance cycle path covers 270 kilometers and can be completed in 5–7 days. Sections are flat, but the southern shore is more challenging. Ferries make it easy to skip difficult sections or skip biking entirely.
• E-bikes: E-bikes are heavier but provide welcome assistance on hills. Rental companies often include panniers, locks, and luggage transfer services. Remember to check how to remove and charge the battery.
• Ferries: Frequent ferries connect towns around the lake, allowing non-cyclists to enjoy much of the same itinerary. Traveling by ferry also offers unique perspectives of the towns from the water.
• UNESCO Sites: Don’t miss Reichenau Island, the pile dwellings of Unteruhldingen, and the Abbey of St. Gallen. Each represents a very different period of European history.
• Timing: Spring and fall offer pleasant weather and fewer crowds. Summer is lively but busy, with more ferries and events to enjoy. September brings dahlia season to Mainau, while spring brings tulips.
• Passes: The Bodensee Card Plus offers access to over 160 attractions, ranging from cable cars to museums. It is worth considering if you plan to visit multiple sites.
• Navigation: I used Google Maps for bike navigation, but carrying a handlebar mount for a phone is essential. Paper maps from the tourism board are useful backups.
• Food: Expect hearty German meals featuring sausages and potatoes, as well as lighter fare in cafes. Local wines, especially Müller-Thurgau, are worth trying.
• Itinerary: Here is my official trip itinerary in PDF form.

Conclusion

Cycling around Lake Constance combined physical activity with cultural immersion. I visited monasteries that shaped European Christianity, archaeological sites preserving traces of the Stone Age, castles that shifted from church to noble control, and museums dedicated to everything from wine to Zeppelins. The scenery ranged from vineyard-clad hills to alpine panoramas. The trip was demanding at times, especially with its packed schedule, but it was also rewarding due to its diversity.

For travelers seeking a destination that offers a rich history, stunning scenery, and the opportunity to cross three countries in a single week, Lake Constance is a journey well worth considering. Whether you ride the full 270 kilometers, take ferries between towns, or focus on a few highlights, the Bodensee rewards curiosity.