Travel report Lake Constance Cycle Tour

e started on Sunday. In the morning we headed in the direction of Meersburg, where we took the ferry to Constance. Keep the ferry boarding in mind as we were lucky we were allowed to board immediately and set off. We sailed across Lake Constance in beautiful weather. The first impression was perfect.

After arriving in Constance we checked into the traditional hotel Halm. We could pick up our bikes from Radweg Reisen until 7pm. Since it was only 2pm, we spontaneously decided to visit the island of Mainau.

You can only walk on the flower island. From herbs to banana plants, there is much to marvel at. A highlight are the big ‘flower animals’. We walked to the end of the island, had a coffee there and made our way to the office of Radweg Reisen around 5pm.

Once there, I immediately met Karin, who I have known since working at Eurobike. It’s nice to finally know the faces of the colleagues I only hear on the phone. In addition, Udo was still at the bike rental and gave us some good tips for Constance and the tour. After a short practice round in their courtyard we headed towards the hotel. Constance is very cyclist-friendly. There are extra bike lanes and many cycle paths. It feels so safe to cycle in the middle of the city!

Since it was already 8pm, we stopped in the pedestrian area to have something to eat. We opted for pasta at the Italian Piazza, as it was nice to sit outside. Then we took our wheels to the hotel and spent the evening in a ship converted into a bar. The weather forecast was good and we were looking forward to the first day of cycling.

A delicious breakfast was available in the Bad Hotel. With such a huge selection you don’t know what to try first. At 8.30 we were ready to go. We were scheduled to go to Friedrichshafen and from there by catamaran back to Constance. The stage was not very long at 35km.

The cycle path continues to Friedrichshafen always on the lake and we could take a lot of time to take photos and look at attractions. The first stop was the stilt dwellings in Uhldingen. Once there, the way to the museum is well signposted and the entrance fee of €10 is really worth it. The stilt museum presents people and forms of settlements from the Stone Age and Bronze Age. You can visit replica houses and huts build on stilts in the shallow water. We continued along the vineyards towards Meersburg – Friedrichshafen.

In the sky we could see zeppelins again and again, sightseeing flights are possible from Friedrichshafen. However, you have to register a few days in advance and the flights are rather expensive.

From Sigmaringen you cycle to Friedrichshafen next to the main road. If you don’t want to do that, you can also take the boat to Friedrichshafen. Once there we exchanged our vouchers for tickets for the catamaran. Since we had more than one hour, we strolled over the long promenade and treated ourselves to a delicious sundae. The crossing with the catamaran was really nice. The sun was shining and we were looking forward to Constance, as we did not see much of this beautiful city when we arrived. First of all, I cycled to the office of Radweg Reisen, to say hello to the colleagues who were not there on Sunday.

I was looking forward to this stage in particular, because today we went to Switzerland and I knew from travel feedback from our guests and Stein am Rhein and Schaffhausen should be beautiful. We were not disappointed.

But first we took the ferry across from the island Reichenau to Gailingen. We hurried because we wanted to catch the 10am ferry. The crossing is short and in the sunshine we cycled towards Stein am Rhein. It couldn’t be better. Today the stage was rather hilly and at 50km, a bit longer than the day before. However, the efforts were rewarded with very nice views of the great landscape. Stein am Rhein has a charming, medieval old town and the facades of the houses are beautifully painted – you won’t want to leave. After a delicious cappuccino, we then left Schaffhausen, after all, today we also wanted to go to the Rhine Falls. The cycle path was hilly. Past beautiful sunflower fields and pastures, always along the Rhine, which has a turquoise blue colour here and invites you to swim.

We cycled past Diessenhofen with its beautiful wooden bridge and reached Schaffhausen around 15.30. On this day we stayed at the Hotel Park Villa Schaffhausen, a stately villa built in 1900. We were warmly welcomed and freshened up in our rooms.

Then we hopped back onto the bikes and headed towards the Rhine Falls Rock, which was about 3km from our hotel. The cycle tour includes a ticket for a boat trip to the rock in the middle of the island and we were looking forward to it. The rock in the middle of the huge waterfall is impressive. It’s a great feeling to be at the top, surrounded by the thunderous masses of water. After about 15 minutes you are picked up by the boat again. The drivers make it fun and sail very close to the waterfall, so you get a bit wet. At the end of this great day of cycling we ate Cordon Bleu and ‘Käsespätzle’ in the Schäffli restaurant in Schaffhausen.