Around Lake Constance in 5 days: our bike tour along the Lake Constance cycle path

Without sweaty climbs, rarely more than a kilometer from a water source and rich in cultural attractions; No wonder the Lake Constance Cycle Path is one of the most popular long-distance cycle routes. With a length of 260 kilometres, it leads around the third largest lake in Europe in terms of area. Depending on the vehicle, fitness level and more or less crowded agenda, Lake Constance can be circumnavigated in three to five days. The following applies: On hot days, there are not only numerous idyllic bathing spots on hot days, but there is also a lot else to see.

At the end of March, we went on our first multi-day bike tour around Lake Lucerne. We liked this kind of travel so much that we tackled the second circumnavigation of the lake over Pentecost. This time, too, we were on the road with e-bikes. In contrast to the tour around Lake Lucerne, a comfortable luggage transport awaited us at Lake Constance, so that we could cycle fresh and happy from A to Z without any ballast. This tour was initiated by the Private Selection Hotels, which offer various multi-day bike tours to member hotels as packages. The offer includes overnight stays with half board, luggage transport from hotel to hotel, maps and route descriptions and, on request, country bike or e-bike rental (including helmet and saddlebag).

Day 1: Arrival & bike check in Lipperswil

The starting point of our bike tour along the Lake Constance cycle path is the wellness hotel Golf Panorama near Lipperswil. A hotel that should be known to both golfers and wellness lovers. Where once stood the stables of a pig farm, today the Golf Panorama offers a retreat for all those who want to treat themselves to a few days of relaxation in the countryside. The location here is so “off the beaten track” (in a positive sense) that the management couple had to work for several years to ensure that the hotel is accessible from door to door by public transport. But persistence pays off and so the long-awaited Postbus connection from Weinfelden station to Golf Panorama was added with the 2018/2019 timetable change. And it is precisely this connection that we use on the day of our arrival.

The two reserved e-bikes are waiting for us at the hotel and after a short bike check, we relax the rest of the afternoon in the spacious wellness area of the Golf Panorama.

Later, as part of the half-board, we will be spoiled with a fine menu in the hotel restaurant Lion d’Or. The day of arrival is coming to an end in no time and considering the great, relaxed atmosphere of the Golf Panorama, it is worth arriving early to fully enjoy the amenities.

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Day 2: via the island of Reichenau to Radolfzell

We start comfortably into the first day of cycling. Thanks to e-bikes, we will be on the road quickly and can install one or the other additional loop without hesitation. Over breakfast, we discuss the route options. Today, we are spoilt for choice between two different routes. If we wanted to pedal the full length of the Lake Constance Cycle Path, we would have to follow the Untersee on the Swiss side to Stein am Rhein, cross the Rhine there and pedal on to Radolfzell. The route Kreuzlingen – Stein am Rhein is very beautiful and if you have never been to Stein am Rhein before, I definitely recommend this variant.

However, since I have already been able to get to know this area from different perspectives, we decide to follow the German shore of the Untersee to Radolfzell instead. On this route, the bike tour can be combined with a detour to the island of Reichenau, which has been on my bucket list for a long time. We follow the signposted cycle path towards Wäldi, where the Napoleon Tower Hohenrain offers a 360° view over the hilly Thurgau hinterland to Lake Constance and the Alpstein; a great, rather unknown excursion destination in Eastern Switzerland. Away from the main roads, the signposted cycle path leads us through sparse forests and open fields from the heights of the hinterland to Ermatingen down to the shores of Lake Constance.

Here our path crosses with the Lake Constance Cycle Path, which we follow to Constance. On both the Swiss and the German side of Lake Constance, the cycle paths are well signposted and we can find our way around easily even without looking at the cycle tour book. And so we are guided directly to the island of Reichenau. On the island we follow the Reichenau cycle route, which leads us past all the sights around the island. It is worth stopping at the three churches of St. George, St. Mary and St. Mark’s and St. Peter and Paul and visiting the murals. The monastic past earned the island the status of UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2000.

The shop, where the Reichenau island beer is sold, is unfortunately closed when we drive past and so we trample a few kilometers further, to Allensbach. There is a beautiful waterfront promenade that is ideal for a lunch break.

We don’t linger too long, because today’s stage destination also scores with direct access to the lake. The extensive sauna area of the bora HotSpaResort in Radolfzell has many regular guests. Good to know: The entire wellness area (including the sunbathing lawns, the outdoor pool and the lake access) is a textile-free zone. If you like extensive saunas, you will definitely get your money’s worth here. As a not so passionate sauna-goer, I prefer the roof terrace to the sunbathing lawn. At the top of the bora HotSpaResort is the perfect spot to toast the first kilometres of cycling with a drink and to enjoy an aperitif before a fine dinner in the hotel restaurant Rubin.

Day 3: Focus on the diverse German shores of Lake Constance

The second cycling day is not only the one with the most kilometres, but also the one with the highest density of sights. Here, too, we allow ourselves an adaptation of the purist Lake Constance cycle path variant. And so we follow the signposted cycle path over the Sophienberg in the direction of Wallhausen. Unfortunately, the clouds are more sluggish than expected and so the view from Sophienberg is a bit limited this morning. In good weather conditions, this vantage point offers one of the best panoramic views over Lake Constance to the Alps, along with the Napoleon Tower.

The advantage of this route: We not only save a few kilometers, but also enjoy an entertaining ferry crossing from Wallhausen to Überlingen. The passenger ferry (bicycles are allowed) runs every hour in the summer months (see timetable) and thus allows a shortening of the loop around Lake Überlingen.

The Lake Constance cycle path leads directly past the harbour in Überlingen and so it is easy for us to find the entrance on the German side of Lake Constance. In the meantime, the sky has cleared up and we cycle in the direction of Uhldingen in the most magnificent weather. Here I recommend a stop at the Pile Dwellings Museum, which is located right on the waterfront. The visit to the museum includes a 10-minute multimedia intro in the “Archaeorama”. Afterwards, the area can be explored individually. Depending on whether you read through all the information boards or simply wander through them at a leisurely pace, you will need about 45 – 90 minutes for a tour including the start at the Archaeorama (information on opening hours, ticket prices, etc. can be found here: Pile Dwellings Museum Uhldingen).

Uhldingen is immediately followed by the next highlight on Lake Constance – the pretty town of Meersburg. Here, too, you could stay for two or three hours without any problems. A beautiful vantage point can be found above the castle on Stettener Strasse. Meersburg is one of the most visited places on Lake Constance – accordingly, you should be prepared to share the alleys here with numerous other day-trippers and cyclists. With this knowledge in mind, we made a conscious decision not to take a lunch break in Meersburg, even though this would have been a good option in terms of distance.

Instead, we cycle a few kilometers further to Immenstaad on Lake Constance. Here, the Seehof directly at the harbour serves the finest local dishes at a high level. When we visited, it was still asparagus season and to my delight there was their own asparagus menu.

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Despite the midday feasting, we have to pedal hard again in the afternoon. It is still a good 30 kilometres from Immenstaad to our stage destination Bad Schachen near Lindau. In between, there is Friedrichshafen, which has other exciting sights in store with the Zeppelin Museum and the Dornier Museum. We’ll postpone the immersion in the world of aerospace to another time, leaving it at a photo stop on the waterfront. Instead, a few kilometers later, we treat ourselves to another culinary break in Nonnenhorn. On Instagram, I was recommended a stop at the Haus am See – definitely a top tip! In a secluded garden with a lake view, sinfully fine cake creations are served here.

At the end of this all-round perfect day, a historic grand hotel with lake access and nostalgic seaside resort awaits us in Bad Schachen. The perfect place to end this day.

Day 4: Culture & Enjoyment between Lindau & Bad Horn

On the fourth day of the circumnavigation of Lake Constance, our luck with the weather wanes. While we enjoy breakfast at the Hotel Bad Schachen outside on the hotel terrace and then drive through the cobblestone alleys of the old town of Lindau in the friendly morning light, an hour later thick clouds have covered the sky when we arrive in Bregenz.

For a moment, we consider skipping the planned detour to the Pfänder. But in the end, curiosity prevails. The 1,000 m high Pfänder is considered Bregenz’s local mountain and is one of the most popular excursion destinations in the area. Even in these unfavorable conditions, the view from the Pfänder gives us a beautiful overview of Lake Constance, the Rhine delta and the Allgäu Alps.

Alternatively (if you have even worse weather than we did) it is worth visiting the Kunsthaus Bregenz, which is always able to inspire with exciting contemporary exhibitions. The Lake Constance Cycle Path leads us from the city centre of Bregenz directly to the famous Festspielhaus, from there zigzagging through the canal-shaped landscape in the Rhine delta to the border: a Rheineck. Now we are back on Swiss soil.

Until our stage destination in Bad Horn, there are still two interesting buildings to visit. These are, on the one hand, the Altenrhein market hall, built according to the plans of the artist and architect Friedenreich Hundertwasser, and the Würth Haus in Rorschach, where changing exhibitions of contemporary art from the Würth collection are shown (accessible free of charge). The Lake Constance Cycle Path leads past both places.

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Just in time with the first raindrops, we reach the Bad Horn Hotel & Spa, which, like the bora HotSpaResort and the Hotel Bad Schachen, scores with a direct access to the lake. And the wellness area not only has an outdoor bubble bath, but also a teasing jetty, I actually let my friend tempt me to jump into the 17° fresh Lake Constance.

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Day 5: back to the Thurgau hinterland

At the Bad Horn Hotel & Spa, as in all four hotel stops on this tour, both dinner and breakfast are excellent. Today’s stage takes us along Lake Constance from Horn via Arbon, Romanshorn and Kreuzlingen back to the Hotel Golf Panorama near Lipperswil. We already completed a large part of this route once in 2017 with the e-bike. And since this time we are “chased” by gloomy rain clouds, we leave it at a short stopover at the port in Kreuzlingen and instead challenge our fitness. With the Flyer e-bikes, the electronic support switches off at speeds above 25 km/h and if you don’t feel challenged enough on e-bikes, I recommend keeping a constant 27 km/h – let’s see if your muscles aren’t challenged after all.

Shortly before the onset of rain, we reach our starting point and return the e-bikes and accessories. Perfect timing – almost. Because we were traveling so fast that day that we reached the destination before our luggage. But that’s not a bad thing – the bar of the Golf Panorama Hotel is a good place to linger.

Practical tips for the bike tour along the Lake Constance Cycle Path

 

• From Zurich, the starting point of the bike tour – the Golf Panorama – can be reached in just over an hour by public transport (1h 15min via Weinfelden to Hattenhausen, Golfpanorama).
• The four stages of our bike tour along the Lake Constance cycle path were between 45 – 65 kilometres long. A clear route description of the entire circuit can be found at Switzerland Mobility.
• The tour around Lake Constance is well signposted throughout. In Germany, in contrast to Switzerland, there are no signposts with route numbers, but only the localities are listed. In addition to signposts, floor markings also clearly visible guide you in the right direction.
• The Lake Constance Cycle Path runs mostly away from busy main roads on side roads without through traffic, pure cycle roads or forest paths.
• The offer “around Lake Constance by bike” of the Private Selection Hotels can be booked from 994 CHF for 4 nights / 5 days. If you rent an e-bike like we did, you pay from CHF 1,207 in a standard double room.
• Der Gepäcktransport wird durch Eurotrek organisiert und die E-Bikes werden von Rent a Bike zur Verfügung gestellt. Der Gepäcktransport hat super funktioniert und unser Gepäck war – mit Ausnahme des letzten Tages – jeweils vor uns am Ziel.

Hinweis: diese Reise wurde von den Private Selection Hotels unterstützt. Alle Eindrücke und Meinungen sind wie immer die unseren.