Lake Constance Bike Trip (Germany, Austria, Switzerland) – Episode 964

Hear about traveling to Lake Constance (Bodensee) in Germany, Austria, and Switzerland as the Amateur Traveler discusses a biking trip around the lake to explore its historic, cultural, and natural sites.

The Lake Constance International Tourism Board sponsored this trip.

Day 1 – Arrival in Constance, Germany

• Flew into Zurich, train to Constance.
• Quick city tour: Roman history dating back to Caesar Augustus, Council of Constance (resolved the Papal Schism).
• Began biking to Reichenau Island (UNESCO World Heritage Site): monasteries, vineyards, Romanesque churches, small museum of monastic culture.
• Dinner on Reichenau, returned by boat to Constance.
• Overnight: Hotel Constantia.

Day 2 – Flower Island & Pile Dwellings

• Rode along the cycle path to Mainau Island (Flower Island): botanical gardens, dahlias in bloom, redwoods, butterfly house, vineyards, castle, and church.
• Lunch on the island, guided tour of the gardens.
• Took ferry and biked to Unteruhldingen for another UNESCO site: prehistoric pile dwellings (stilt houses from 5000–500 BC).
• Explored Pfahlbaumuseum with reconstructions of Stone Age and Bronze Age homes, tools, and exhibits.
• Overnight: waterfront hotel near Unteruhldingen.

Day 3 – Monasteries, Castles, and Meersburg

• Morning visit to Birnau Basilica (Baroque pilgrimage church overlooking vineyards and lake).
• Rode uphill to Salem Monastery and Castle: Cistercian monastery turned noble residence after secularization; monastery museum, firefighting museum, brewery museum.
• Lunch nearby, then biked to Meersburg, a medieval town.
• Visits:
  • Bible Gallery (interactive exhibits, Old & New Testament life).
  • Vineyard & Wine Museum (Winzerverein Meersburg) – history of Müller-Thurgau grape, wine tasting.
  • Old Castle (Burg Meersburg) – medieval to modern residence, dungeons, armory, noble apartments.
• Overnight: Hotel Zum Schiff, lakeside in Meersburg.

Day 4 – Friedrichshafen & Lindau

• Ferry ride across Lake Constance.
• Friedrichshafen: toured the Zeppelin Museum (history of airships, partial recreation of Hindenburg passenger cabins).
• Afternoon bike ride to Lindau:
  • Art exhibition at the Hundertwasser Art Forum.
  • Lindau Marionette Opera House (marionette puppetry in operatic performances).
  • Old harbor with a lighthouse.
• Evening: biked into Austria, arriving in Bregenz.

Day 5 – Austria & Switzerland

• Took cable car up Pfänder Mountain for panoramic views of Lake Constance and the Alps.
• Biked into Switzerland:
  • Lunch at Wartensee Castle in Rorschach.
  • Train to St. Gallen (UNESCO World Heritage Site).
  • Explored Abbey District: Baroque Abbey Library (170,000 works, manuscripts 1000+ years old), monastery archives, and historical exhibits.
  • Also, explore the Textile Museum
• Overnight in St. Gallen.

Day 6 – Return

• Returned bike, train from St. Gallen to Zurich Airport, flight home.

• Used e-bike (helpful for climbs, nicknamed “the beast”).
• Luggage transfer service available (Radweg-Reisen, ~17€ per stage).
• The ferry network offers numerous stops without requiring biking.
• Visited 3 UNESCO World Heritage Sites:
  • Reichenau Island (monastic culture, vineyards)
  • Prehistoric pile dwellings at Unteruhldingen
  • Abbey of St. Gallen (library and archives)

Sponsors

Go to Quince.com/traveler for 365-day returns, plus free shipping on your order!

This week’s show is supported by the new Smart Travel Podcast. Travel smarter — and spend less — with help from NerdWallet. Check out Smart Travel here.

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Show Notes

Lake Constance Cycle Path
Bodensee Card PLUS
Lake Constance Biking Itinerary
Luggage transfer at Lake Constance
Konstanz
Council of Constance
Reichenau Island
Mainau flower island
Pfahlbaumuseum Unteruhldingen
Basilika Birnau
Salem Monastery and Palace
Bible gallery Meersburg
Vineum Bodensee
Meersburg Castle
Zeppelin Museum
Hundertwasser art forum
Lindauer Marionettenoper (Marionette Opera)
Pfänder Gondola
Tourist Information St.Gallen

Hotels

Hotel Constantia, Konstanz, Germany
Hotel Seehof, Unteruhldingen, Germany
Hotel zum Schiff, Meersburg, Germany
Hotel Bodensee, Bregenz, Austria
Hotel Einstein, St. Gallen, Switzerland

Photos

Lake Constance Photos – Germany
Lake Constance Photos – Austria
Lake Constance Photos – Switzerland

Community

Amateur Traveler Trips