3 days Lake Constance

constancy

The largest city on Lake Constance invited us in the greatest sunshine, unfortunately that was our only sunny day in southern Germany. Our first point of excursion was the 9 m high sculpture Imperia. Designed and built by sculptor Peter Lenk, the oversized, scantily clad lady weighs 18 tons and greets incoming ships in the harbour. There is also a level measuring station in the base.

Then we walked along the harbor and were pleasantly surprised at how clean and clear the water of Lake Constance is. Otherwise, when you look into a harbor basin, you can rarely see the bottom. Many small sailing ships were anchored here. A number of restaurants and cafés have also settled here. There is definitely a lot going on here in summer. Also at the harbor you can find the “Sea Life”. A Germany-wide chain of underwater world aquariums. We haven't been there ourselves, but it's definitely worth a trip with children.

Continuing directly along the shore of Lake Constance, we passed the Swiss border and were thus in Kreuzlingen, the Swiss equivalent of Konstanz. We didn't go downtown, it was a bit too far for us. We were more drawn to a nearby park, right on the shore. We wanted to make a geocache on Swiss soil. Unfortunately we were denied the find! So we walked back towards the border and, once back in Constance, stopped at the shopping center. Heaven and people were on the move here. That was too much for us and we preferred to stroll through the beautiful city center.

We were particularly impressed by the town hall of Konstanz. The courtyard is very idyllic and quiet. But you have to keep in mind that this is only accessible during the opening hours of the office in the town hall.

Nun noch ein Tipp zur Anreise nach Konstanz. Wir empfehlen einen der außerhalb liegenden Park&Ride-Parkplätze zu nutzen und dann mit dem Bus direkt in die Innenstadt zu fahren. Denn dort ist die Parkplatzsituation relativ schwierig bzw. die Parkkosten horrend. Wir hatten das Glück, von unserem Hotel “mein Inselglück” eine Gästekarte inkl. kostenlosen Busticket für die 3 Tage, die wir am Bodensee waren, zu bekommen. Somit hätten wir von der Insel Reichenau direkt bis nach Konstanz mit dem Bus fahren können, was uns aber zu lange dauerte. Wir entschieden uns daher für die Park&Ride-Variante.

Pile dwellings in Unteruhldingen

In rather drizzly weather we went to Unteruhldingen to the Pfahlbaumuseum at Lake Constance. Our sat nav took us right to the “front door”, but we didn’t find any parking spaces there. We remembered that there was a parking lot signposted for the museum at the entrance to the village. So we drove back there and were a bit disappointed that we had to pay fees here. Unfortunately, this is also the official car park of the museum and you cannot avoid paying. The way to the museum itself is a 10-minute walk through the small village and therefore not a problem for children either. Another school class arrived with us. Luckily the teacher let us in front of the cash register, who knows how long the whole thing would have taken otherwise. ;) Nine euros per person (adult) is an acceptable price for what you get. Admission includes a guided tour, which you can, but don't have to, follow. We were put into another school class, which turned out to be quite "nerds". Whatever the lady who showed us around asked, the answer came straight away, like a gun!

The tour begins in a replica station for exploring the pile dwellings. Then it goes on a “dive” to the bottom of Lake Constance. This one looked very realistic, although nothing is real. Really great! At the end of the small presentation there is a 360° panorama cinema as it looked at that time. Then head outside to see replica Bronze and Stone Age stilt houses. Luckily for us, it had stopped raining and we were able to enjoy the open-air museum dry. With the guided tour offered, you can also enter the buildings, which are otherwise closed. About halfway through the tour, we separated from the group and explored the area on our own. Here a real effort is made to present and explain the conditions of that time: How and why were the houses built on piles? What did people do back then and how did they live?

We can only recommend the museum. You should really support this beautiful piece of cultural history with your entry!

Dornier Museum in Friedrichshafen

A small highlight for Christian, who was enthusiastic about flying, was the Dornier Museum in Friedrichshafen. The new building, in the form of a hangar, houses the exhibition rooms as well as aircraft inside and outside. The entrance fee of 9 EUR per person is absolutely justified. The presentation of Dornier's individual creative phases and achievements is really great. With the latest technology and great ideas, the pioneering work of the aviation industry is clearly illustrated here. So began the tourist cruise! I was most excited about the Do X. What a big flying boat. Wow! I kept thinking about “Captain Balu and his daredevil crew”, who also traveled in such seaplanes. ;)

Outside, the Brequet/Dornier, BR-1150 was opened at lunchtime. So you could get on the plane and see everything up close. Of course we didn't miss it. The BR-1150 was a German Army reconnaissance aircraft. We climbed the narrow ladder at the back of the plane and were able to walk through the entire plane. Past the galley and the toilet, the control and radar systems, to the cockpit. In our opinion, the best place was at the front in the “nose” of the plane. Because here is a dome with all-round view!

The aircraft exhibition in the hangar is also really great. For example, the “Whale N 25” is a transport plane that even Roald Amundsen used for his North Pole expedition. A small part of the exhibition is also dedicated to space travel and the military.

All in all, the museum is really well designed and the history of Dornier and the planes are presented in a first-class way! I was fascinated by the simple architecture of the museum building, and Christian, of course, by the airplanes and space travel. We would recommend it to anyone interested in technology and flying.

Reichenau Island in Lake Constance

On our last day we did a little tour of the island of Reichenau. We've been here for three days and haven't really seen anything of our immediate surroundings. We had to change that!

With 4.3 km², Reichenau is the largest island in Lake Constance and is located in the Untersee (western part of Lake Constance). It is connected to the mainland by the 1.3 km long Reichenauer Damm, which is lined with a poplar avenue. So you have a wonderful journey! The highest elevation is the Hochwart, formerly called Friedrichshöhe, and is about 43 m above the lake level. When we got up there, we discovered a little house that reminded us a bit of a lighthouse. Unfortunately, we did not find out whether this should really be one. The slopes all around were lined with vines. Really idyllic!

Due to the good climate on Lake Constance, there is a lot of agriculture on the island. In particular, tomatoes, cucumbers and lettuce from the island of Reichenau are geographical indications protected by the EU. Of course we had to stop at a farm shop. Everything directly from here, if not always organic, but that didn't bother us. We bought cucumbers, carrots, a small stem of basil and apple juice directly from the producer. The day before we had stocked up on apples from Lake Constance. We can only recommend that. Everything tastes better straight from the producer and is cheaper than the fruit from New Zealand! Unfortunately, the island said goodbye to us with a light drizzle, but that didn't diminish the beauty. Of course, everything will look even better here in bright sunshine, but it was wonderful anyway. The calm, the serenity of the islanders, only small towns and nothing more than fields and vines. Splendid!

Are you still looking for a suitable hotel on Lake Constance?

You can find a hotel that suits your budget through the various online travel agencies such as Agoda,Booking.com,ebookers.de,Expedia,Hotels.com,lastminute.de, opodo, otel.com or Venere.com.