Entrance to the Lindau Island Harbor, Bavaria Swabia, Germany. Photo via Flickr:Francisco Antunes
Lindau Island on Lake Constance (Bodensee), which borders Germany, Switzerland and Austria. Photo via Wikimedia Commons:Edda Praefcke

Stein am Rhein, Switzerland. Photo via Flickr:Peter Visser

Around Lake Constance - 12 Day

Austria, Germany, Switzerland Bike Tours

Bike around one of the most beautiful lakes in Europe!

Bordered by three countries, Lake Constance occupies an extremely beautiful corner of Central Europe and provides the perfect backdrop for this scenic bike tour. This bike tour around Lake Constance includes the most important areas of interest. You will have an active and enjoyable holiday between the Pfänder mountain and the Rhine Falls, the flower island of Mainau and the Appenzeller countryside. Boat trips and ferry rides will allow you to experience the lake and numerous towns and villages are waiting to be discovered. This extended bike tour along Lake Constance is also suitable for those not accustomed to cycling long distances.

Looking for more? Check out our full list of bike tours in Austria, Switzerland, and Germany.

Where You’ll Stay

Overnight stays in good quality 3 star guesthouses and hotels with private bath

What’s Included

  • Hotel accommodations for 11 nights at 3* hotels
  • Breakfast
  • Luggage transportation
  • 7 or 24 speed unisex bicycle
  • Boat trip Reichenau-Gaienhofen incl. bike
  • Boat trip Rheineck-Rorschach (if water levels are low then this journey is by train)
  • Boat trip to the Rhine Falls rock
  • Entrances to Rosgartenmuseum, Hermann-Hesse-Haus (museum), the Napoleon museum, Mainau Island, the Lake Dwelling museum, Meersburg Castle, and the Zeppelin museum.
  • Journey by cable car to Pfänder excluding bike (bike transport is free between 8-10 am)
  • Journey by mountain railway from Rorschach to Heiden
  • Journey by mountain railway from Walzenhausen to Rheineck
  • Comprehensive cycling route description with maps
  • 7-day Service-Hotline

What’s Not Included

  • Individual arrive to hotel in Constance (train from Zurich airport, approx €21)
  • Lunches and Dinners (dinners available for supplement)
  • Bicycle protection
  • Trip insurance

Around Lake Constance - 12 Day Map

TourBike
TypeSelf Guided
SkillEasy–Moderate
Length12 days
From€1189 Rates
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Tour Dates

Daily from April 23 to September 30, 2016

Skill Level

Easy to moderate self-guided bike tour on mainly flat, paved cycle paths along the shore of the lake or on paved lakeside roads. Total distance covered is approximately 181 miles with the opportunity for a 5-mile hike. Average daily distance is approximately 22 miles.

Day-To-Day Itinerary

Around Lake Constance - 12 Day Map

Day 1: Arrival in Constance
Day 2: Constance - Isle of Reichenau - Gaienhofen - Gailingen, 25 mi. (40 km + boat trip)
Day 3: Gailingen - Schaffhausen - Rhine Falls - Gailingen, 19 mi. (30 km + boat trip)
Day 4: Gailingen - Konstanz (Constance), 25 mi. (40 km)
Day 5: Constance - Insel Mainau (Mainau Island) - Radolfzell, 19 mi. (30 km)
Day 6: Radolfzell - Bodman - Ludwigshafen - Uhldingen/Meersburg, 25 mi. (40 km)
Day 7: Uhldingen/Meersburg - Friedrichshafen, 15 mi. (25 km)
Day 8: Friedrichshafen - Bregenz, 25 mi. (40 km)
Day 9: Bregenz - Pfänder - Rorschach, 22 mi. (35 km)
Day 10: Rorschach - Heiden - Walzenhausen - Rheineck - Rorschach (mountain railway rides, hike 5 mi. (8 km), boat or train)
Day 11: Rorschach - Constance, 25 mi. (40 km)
Day 12: Departure or extension of stay.

All distances are approximate.

Day 1: Individual arrival in Constance
After arrival in Constance, the largest city around the lake, there is free time to explore the European church convention chaired by the German Kaiser Sigis­mund which fundamentally changed the Latin church, met here from 1414-1418 in the cathedral and the council building. The aquariums in the Sea Life Center and the Archaeological Museum are also recom­mended.

Day 2: Constance - Isle of Reichenau - Gaienhofen - Gailingen, approx. 40 km + boat trip
​The first highlight is Reichenau Island, a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2001. A boat will then bring you over to the Höri peninsula. You will continue along the High Rhine to Gailingen.

Day 3: Gailingen - Schaffhausen - Rheinfall - Gailingen, approx. 30 km + boat trip
Today you will cycle to Schaffhausen, overlooked by the Munot fort. Then you will visit Rhine Falls, the largest waterfall in Central Europe. After visiting Schaffhausen, you will return to Gailingen.

Day 4: Gailingen - Constance, approx. 40 km
You will cycle up along the Rhein today back to Constance. Nu­merous picturesque Swiss fishing villages lie along your return path through the peaceful countryside of the Lower Lake. Napoleon‘s step­daughter, Hortense de Beauharnais, made this area her adopted home. You will visit her former home in Arenenberg, which is now a Napoleon museum.

Day 5: Constance - Mainau Island – Radolfzell, approx. 30 km
Today you will explore the "flower island" of Mainau. After your visit, you will have a short cycle trip through Allensbach, which is well known due to its public opinion research institute, to the former imperial town and modern Kneipp health resort of Radolfzell.

Day 6: Radolfzell - Uhldingen/Meersburg, approx. 40 km
The Northern shores of Lake Constance will spoil you with numerous historical monuments: monasteries former imperial towns, baroque churches and old castles. In Uhldingen, you will have the chance to visit reconstructed lake dwellings.

Day 7: Uhldingen/Meersburg - Friedrichshafen, approx. 25 km
Meersburg awaits you today with numerous attractions. Accompanied by a beautiful panoramic view of the Alps, you will cycle towards the lively town of Friedrichshafen where you can visit the Zeppelin museum.

Day 8: Friedrichshafen - Lindau - Bregenz, approx. 40 km
You will cycle through expansive orchards and reach the Bavarian me­tropolis of Lindau, whose protected old town is on an island. After a few kilometers, you will find yourself on Austrian soil and cycle directly along the lakeshore towards the drama festival town of Bregenz with its unique lakeside stage.

Day 9: Bregenz – Pfänder – Rorschach, approx. 35 km
The cable car will bring you and your bicycle to the top of the Pfänder, the Bregenz mountain which is 1064 m high. Back to Bregenz, you will then continue along the lake through the delta mouth of the Rhein de­scending from the Swiss Alps.

Day 10: Rorschach - Heiden (via mountain railway), "Witzwanderweg" (hike approx 5 miles (8 km)), Walzenhausen - Rheineck (via mountain railway), Rheineck - Rorschach (via boat or train)
Today you will need a sturdy pair of shoes! The small mountain rail­way will bring you to the picturesque village of Heiden, in the Appenzell countryside. Then you will follow the well-marked hiking trail („Witzwanderweg“) to Walzenhausen. The hike takes about 2.5 hours without breaks. Instead of hiking you could take the bus (Postbus: Price from approx. 6 Swiss Francs not inclusive). In Walzenhausen a mountain railway will bring you back to the lake at Rheineck and a boat will bring you to a romantic branch of the Rhein back to Rorschach.

Day 11: Rorschach – Romanshorn – Constance, 40 km
The last day on the Lake Constance cycle path belongs to the Swiss Canton of Thurgau, which due to its many apple orchards and its compara­tively isolated situation is also lovingly known as „Cider India“.

Day 12: Individual departure or extension of your stay
After breakfast, you may depart or extend your stay.   

Be sure to look at all of our bike tours in Europe or view our featured bike trips, specials, and news.

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