Lake Constance – Alpine Cycling Holiday | Cycling Holiday in Austria | Self Guided Cycling Holiday

This route circumnavigates Lake Constance and unless you choose to detour away from the lake, the route is flat. You will cycle through three countries:  Austria, Switzerland and Germany and you can even detour to Liechtenstein should you wish. Lake Constance is a very popular tourist destination and has many excellent restaurants and cafes with terraces overlooking the lake. There are numerous small towns and villages to explore, famous amongst them being Lindau, Stein am Rhein, Konstanz and Schaffhausen.

Grade: Easy

Getting there:
Fly to Munich, Frederichshafen or Zurich, then travel by train to Bregenz.

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Birmingham - Munich - Lufthansa or bmi
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Manchester - Munich - Lufthansa or bmi

Rail:
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Day 1 Arrive Bregenz.

Day 2 Bregenz to Guttingen.
Leaving Bregenz you soon cross the River Rhine near where it flows into Lake Constance (Bodensee). The traffic free route then leads you through the National Park area of the Rhine delta to reach the Swiss frontier. Once in Switzerland the route leads you to the lake shore which you follow by way of Rorschach and Arbon, with its lovely old town, then Romanshorn to Guttingen. ~ 37 miles

Day 3 Guttingen to Gottmadingen.
Cycling west from Guttingen the route makes use of the traffic free cycle path and much of the route is alongside the lake. There are numerous pretty villages and lakeside restaurants to tempt you to rest a while. Beyond Kreuzlingen you follow the narrow Untersee arm of Lake Constance to the western end of the lake at the very picturesque small town of Stein am Rhein. From here you soon cross into Germany to reach your accommodation in Gottmadingen. ~ 34 miles

Day 4 Gottmadingen to Radolfzell.
From Gottmadingen you go via Busingen to Schaffhausen, where you will see the mighty Rhine Falls. The route then returns east via Singen to rejoin an arm of Lake Constance at Radolfzell. ~ 39 miles

Day 5 Radolfzell to Konstanz.
A flat lakeside route from here takes you all the way to Konstanz, passing the island of Reichenau, connected to the mainland by a causeway. You will have time to explore this island with its abbey before continuing to Konstanz, an interesting town with numerous old churches and town hall amongst other sights. ~ 22 miles

Day 6 Konstanz to Friedrichshafen.
Close to Konstanz in the Uberlinger See arm of Lake Constance lies the island of Mainau, internationally renowned for its floral displays. There should be time for a visit before your route takes you to Wallhausen. You then cross by ferry to Uberlingen. Heading south east from here your circumnavigation of Lake Constance soon brings you to the pretty lakeside town of Meersburg. There are two castles in this pretty resort. Further on you reach your overnight destination of Friedrichshafen, the largest town on the northern shore of the lake, where you can visit the Zeppelin museum. ~ 29 miles

Day 7 Friedrichshafen to Bregenz.
Between here and Lindau you ride through pretty lakeside villages, with once again, numerous restaurants with terraces overlooking the lake with views across to the distant Swiss mountains. Lindau is a gem of a town with the old town built on an island in the lake. It is relaxing to wander around the old harbour and to explore the narrow streets adjacent to the colourful town hall. Soon after leaving Lindau your route returns you to Austria and your journey around the lake concludes back where it started, in Bregenz. ~ 24 miles

Day 8 Departure.

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