Lake Constance is the third largest inland reservoir in the central part of Europe. Located on the northern edge of the Alps, within three countries – Germany, Switzerland and Austria.
This large lake is called the Swabian Sea, due to its large area (538.5 sq km) and tides that create quite large waves.
The reservoir is divided into four main parts: Obersee (Upper Lake), Untersee (Lower Lake), Uberlinger See and Zeller See.
Interestingly, the Rhine River flows through Lake Constance, which is part of it. In the Swabian Sea, in addition to several bays, there are also three islands: Lindau, Mainau and the largest of them – Reichenau.
Location and map of Lake Constance
What is worth seeing and visiting on Lake Constance?
Lake Constance and its areas around it is a place focused mainly on tourism. In addition to fantastic weather and climate, conducive to rest and mountain views, you can visit the surrounding picturesque towns with interesting monuments and enjoy swimming and cruises on the lake.
It is a perfect place for people of practically all ages, from seniors, through people actively spending their holidays, to families with children. The full tourist infrastructure at Lake Constance means that every year not only in the summer period it attracts crowds of visitors.
Weather on Lake Constance
Due to its location, Lake Constance has a mild and favorable climate. Large sunshine and terrain sheltered by high mountains create excellent conditions for vegetation of plants, but also for tourists resting.
The hottest months on Lake Constance are June, July and August. However, fantastic weather for visiting the area prevails here practically from April and lasts until October.
The number of sunny hours per day is highest from May to September. However, rains can also be expected during these months. Winter on Lake Constance does not last too long, the coldest months when the temperature drops below freezing are December, January and February.
And what about the water temperature in Lake Constance?
As for the water temperature in Lake Constance, it is starting to heat up around April to reach almost 20 degrees in June. In summer, the lake heats up to over 25 degrees. In turn, around October, the water is clearly cooling. Interesting is also the fact that Lake Constance is a reservoir of drinking water for 4.5 million people.
Beaches on Lake Constance
There are not many natural beaches on Lake Constance. Mostly they are gravel or grass-covered places for sunbathing. In addition, the bottom of the lake can be rocky, and these few beaches are paid.
The well-known sandy beach is Rohrspitz, while the largest is the one in Bregenz. In addition to the designated place for kids, it also has swimming pools (indoor and outdoor) and a stage for various types of performances.
Naturism enthusiasts will also find their place to sunbathe on Lake Constance. In Hard (Austria) there is a pretty well equipped beach, with sanitary facilities (toilets, showers, changing rooms), a restaurant, a grid pitch and a ping-pong table.
Accommodation at Lake Constance
There is no shortage of beds at Lake Constance. Surely everyone will find something for themselves. Hotels, pensions, apartments and holiday homes for rent offer their services.
Most of these accommodation facilities represent a high level in terms of equipment and standard. Virtually everywhere wi-fi internet network is available, as well as kitchens (in houses and apartments) and TV.
A large part of the hostel base on Lake Constance offers a garage or parking space, garden or balcony, as well as the possibility of taking a pet with you.
The largest number of accommmodations is in the cities of Lindau, Konstanz and Meersburg. The most expensive arrival period when it comes to accommodation is traditionally the summer months (with an indication for July). You will rent accommodation cheaper at Lake Constance since October.
Camping on Lake Constance
On Lake Constance there are also camping sites, large complexes and slightly smaller ones. Most of them are located in close proximity to the lake shore.
On the camping grounds there is usually trouble-free access to wi-fi, a cafeteria, a children’s playground and equipment such as sports fields or table tennis.
Almost everywhere you can also take your pet, and some of the campsites around Lake Constance have a swimming pool available to guests. In addition to standard pitches for caravans, holiday cottages can also be rented here. Accommodation at campsites on Lake Constance can be found in each of the three neighboring countries, but the largest number is on the German side of the lake.
Lake Constance and its tourist attractions
The Lake Constance region is a place not only for leisure. It offers plenty of attractions for tourists. Lovers of active holidays will have a lot to choose from. From various water sports and swimming in the lake, through hiking trails, biking routes and places for skating.
The close location among high mountain ranges will allow climbing and hiking over mountain trails, or simply entering one of the many cable cars to the top.
An interesting attraction on Lake Constance are also cruises, including a restored real steamboat. Cruising from port to port or to one of the islands, it’s easy to explore most of the lake area.
Attractions for families with children
Lake Constance is also a friendly place for families with children. Playgrounds, swimming pools and pools adapted to their age await the youngest ones.
With older children, you can circle the entire lake on bike or go hiking on mountain trails, where along the way you can admire the viewpoints of the entire area and reach, for example, the ruins of the Alt-bodman castle or nearby located monastery Frauenberg.
It is worth going to see rebuilt prehistoric houses on stilts to Uhldingen-Muhlhofen, or to the slightly remote (50km from Konstanz) Rhine waterfalls.
For children, a unique experience will also be a ride on one of the cable cars, or a trip to the wooden Aescher mountain shelter built into the rock. It is the oldest hostel in Switzerland, to which the route leads alongside other attractions such as caves, hermitage and rock chapel.
In the area, kids can enjoy monkey park Affenberg (Monkey Hill) in Salem, where you can see and feed macaques, or the Sea Life Aquarium in Konstanz, where you can admire the underwater animal life. An attraction on Lake Constance is also the Zeppelin Museum in Friedrichshafen. It presents the history of airships and explains the basic laws of aerodynamics to children and adults (thanks to the experiment room). The museum is interactive, which is always a million times more interesting for children than admiring glass showcases with exhibits.
A big attraction for children at Lake Constance is also a visit to the island of Mainau, specifically its flower garden. In addition to multi-colored flower arrangements arranged in interesting flower beds, it is worth coming here to the butterfly house, where insects fly right in front of the eyes and above the heads. The playground with water bridges and rafts is very popular here. In addition, on the island you can see giant redwoods, all kinds of exotic plants, a palm house and the baroque palace of Mainau – one of the island’s symbols. In front of it is a small, charming rose garden. The island’s garden is 45 hectares, so there is where to walk. It is worth spending a little more time on a trip to Mainau.
See how the island of Mainau on Lake Constance looks like from a bird’s eye view:
What to see and visit
German shore is primarily two cities: Konstanz and Lindau. In the first it is worth seeing the old and new town hall (Altes and Neues Rathaus), the Cathedral of the Blessed Virgin Mary and the church of St. Stephen, which was mentioned already in 613. In Lindau, it is also worth visiting the old town hall (Altes Rathaus), the church of St. Peter and the other dedicated to the Virgin Mary with baroque frescoes to admire. Also noteworthy are the two towers: Diebsturm and Mangturm and the port from the mid-nineteenth century.
On the German side of Lake Constance, it’s also worth visiting Meersburg, where the Old Castle (Alte Burg) from the 7th century and the New Baroque Castle (Neues Schloss) from the early 18th century deserve attention.
Largest island of Lake Constance – Reichenau, also belongs to Germany. It has been fully inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List. At one time it was inhabited by the Benedictine order. Currently, you can visit the cathedral with the treasury and gardens, museum (Reichenau Museum), monastery and churches located on the island.
On Swiss shore St. Gallen is the largest and most interesting city. The most important monument here was founded by St. Gallen Abbey, formerly belonging to the Benedictine order, later transformed into a string of baroque buildings. The library here is a real treasury of valuable manuscripts, very old books, incunabula and illustrated manuscripts. For this reason, it has been inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List.
On the Swiss side of Lake Constance is also the small town of Kreuzlingen, where during World War II a wall was erected that was to block the escape from Germany to Switzerland. It was called the Jewish fence, today a number of sculptures have been put in its place.
Austrian shore is the least interesting part of the lake in terms of sightseeing. The only noteworthy city is Bregenz, which houses the Museum of Modern Art – Kunsthaus Bregenz and the Vorarlberg History Museum – Vorarlberg Museum. It is also worth visiting the Martinsturm tower and the Territorial Abbey of Wettingen-Mehrerau (among others with the Cistercian monastery). However, the biggest attraction in the Bregenz area is the Pfander mountain (1064 m a.s.l.), which can be reached by a cable car. From here, there is a panoramic view of Lake Constance.
A range of organizational information can be found on the official website of Lake Constance.
Opinions about Lake Constance
Each of us is curious about how it really is on the lake and what opinions are brought by tourists who visited this place. Therefore, everyone who has spent a holiday on Lake Constance is encouraged to publish comments, reviews and opinions on our website.