Lake Constance Bike Tour

Your room will be ready for check-in at 3:00 p.m. From the terraces and many comfortable and first-class Parkhotel St. Leonhard rooms, you can gaze out over Lake Constance, which seems to stretch endlessly to the east and west. Over the next few days, you will not only cycle around this vast lake landscape, but you will also learn about the culture.

In the afternoon, you should take your time for a tour of the old imperial city of Überlingen. The contours of this medieval city, which flourished in the 15th and 16th centuries, can be seen even today. Mighty gates and walls carved out of the surrounding rock have been preserved. The soft rock of the hills around Überlingen allowed the city's builders to do this unique construction. The core of the old town is grouped picturesquely around the "Hofstatt" square with the town hall and many Gothic stair gables. The Gothic cathedral of St. Nicholas is also nearby. Not only is it imposing on the outside, but it also holds something valuable on the inside, including the works of art by the woodcarver Jörg Zürn. He created the sacrament house and a grand high altar.

For luggage transfer, please bring your suitcases to the reception every morning by 9:00am and inform the hotel staff that the Lake Constance Cycle Route Service will pick them up. If you have booked rental bikes, they will be delivered by 9:30am this morning.

The first bike stage begins with a slight descent directly from the hotel and runs slightly hilly on paths off the country road. This is followed by forest and meadow paths with wonderful views of the lake on which you cycle directly to the gates of Birnau. This Rococo church has almost become a symbol of the entire Lake Constance landscape and is one of its most visited treasures. In front of the church is a balustrade from which you can enjoy a magnificent view of the lake. Meersburg, surrounded by steep vineyards, is one of the most romantic medieval towns on the lake. Lined with beautiful old houses, quaint alleys lead up to the castle that still dominates the town today. Artists of all types flock to this lovely area, such as Annette von Droste-Hülshof, a poet from the Münsterland region who once lived here in Meersburg.

After an individual visit and lunch break, your route continues in the afternoon towards Salem, the former Cistercian monastery. It is still the residence of the Margrave of Baden and the seat of the world-famous boarding school. The route to Salem also leads through the field, forest, and meadow paths through an untouched landscape. As you pedal past silent ponds, you will see the hills called "drumlins" and witnesses of the ice age. This section of the cycle path is part of the "prelate path". On it, the monks and priests moved from Salem Monastery to Birnau to hold mass there. As a result, the venerable walls of Salem's monastery complex, which now houses a renowned and internationally known boarding school, rise suddenly. Here you can participate in a short tour (approx. 1 hour, €11 p.p.) to visit the monastery and church or take a coffee (or beer) break at the Schwanen Inn, located directly on the grounds of the Salem Castle / Monastery.

It is 10 km from Salem to the pretty town of Markdorf (alternatively, you can also take the train connection from Salem to Markdorf if the route seems too long to you today). For the way to Lindau, you will cycle on a little-known route through small villages and into the farmlands and forests.

Eventually, the landscape descends to Lake Constance and Wasserburg, which, literally translated, means castle in the water. The historical peninsula of Wasserburg, with the onion dome of the baroque church St. George, rises from the landscape and is an iconic landmark of the region. Cycling onward from Wasserburg to Lindau, you will enjoy a traffic-free route to the gates of your hotel at Lindau harbour. The port entrance with the lighthouse and lions is one of the postcard motifs of Lake Constance. Be sure to stroll on the harbour promenade and enjoy the alpine views.

Please note: Your suitcase must remain unlocked today since it will be transferred to Switzerland (via an EU external border!). Therefore, customs must be able to open and check the luggage.

Today you experience three countries in one day! The medieval city of Lindau merits a closer look before you set off for your cycling day. There are alleys and streets lined with arches, a magnificently painted town hall crowned with stepped gables, and wonderfully decorated churches. The port of Lindau is the most important in Bavaria, and a lighthouse and a huge stone lion flank its entrance. The bike path from Lindau to Bregenz takes you across the German-Austrian border. You bike the winding paths near the shore, to the natural idyll of the Bregenzer Ache, and finally to the biodiverse nature reserve near Rohrspitz, surrounded by two arms of the Rhine. It is not only a haven for migratory birds but also rich in flora and fauna and is an intensely beautiful wilderness. In May, the nightingale sings, and the cuckoo calls.

After you have passed the customs station (be sure to have your identification documents), you reach the town of Rheineck. From here, the signposted cycle path leads to St. Gallen on a steady but gentle uphill (approx. 22 km). If this is too tiring for you, you can also get on the train in Rheineck (Attention! In Switzerland you also have to buy a ticket for your bike!).

It is a 15-minute walk from the train station in St. Gallen to your modern and very comfortable hotel, ideally located close to the old town.

St. Gallen has always been a prosperous city from the Middle Ages to the present day. The vast, centuries-old monastery with its cathedral and the world-famous abbey library form the heart of the old town. A visit to the library (world cultural heritage) is highly recommended (opening times: daily 10 am to 5 pm, admission: SFr 12). From the old town to the villa and university district on the slope, you first have to go uphill, and you may have to push your bike. A cycle route now leads to the lakeshore, where you cycle more downhill than uphill. You approach the lakeside on agricultural paths and small streets. The day's destination is Gottlieben, a small town with picturesque half-timbered houses on the Untersee.

Please note: Your suitcase must be unlocked today as, again, it will be transferred over the EU- Switzerland border. Your tour around the lake ends with today's bike route. You get on your bike from the hotel to return to Germany near Constance along the lake. A beautiful bike path crosses this council city. From 1414-18 the famous Council took place here, which was one of the most important of the Middle Ages. After a stroll through the city and/or a coffee break on the lakeshore, you cycle through elegant residential areas from Constance to the south shore of Lake Überlingen. You follow a quiet and picturesque bike path that leads you to the town of Wallhausen, and here from the small port, you take a ferry to Überliningen. If you stick to the proposed schedule, you will arrive in Überlingen at around 1:35 p.m. From the port to the hotel, where your luggage will be delivered and where your car may be parked), it is still 2.3 km through Überlingen (approx. 90 meters in altitude). Luggage will also be delivered to you by 6 p.m. today, so it may be more relaxing for you to book another night here.

You can, if you prefer, travel to the vegetable and monastery Island of Reichenau. At 9:32 a.m., a Swiss liner is only a few steps away from the hotel in the direction of Schaffhausen. Reichenau is reached after about 34 minutes. A tour around the enchanting island with its 3 Romanesque monastery churches (world cultural heritage) increases the distance to Constance by approx. 11 km. You should expect at least 2 hours more time due to the ferry and viewing times! Depending on the length of your lunch break in Constance, you will catch the ferry to Überlingen at 4:12 p.m. and arrive in Überlingen at 4:42 p.m. Again, this option may be much more relaxing for you to book an extra night.