The Bodensee (Lake Constance, in English) means fantastic cycling! Any wine-drinking fan of biking excursions in Europe should definitely cycle the Bodensee Radweg (Lake Constance Bike Trail) to experience the trail that German, Austrian and Swiss nationals have raved about for years, and to experience the great regional wines as well!

Following the shores of this lake, mostly on dedicated biking paths, the 260-kilometer-long Bodensee Radweg passes in and out of three countries: Germany, Austria and Switzerland, and through or along vineyards in Germany and Switzerland. (There is even one to see just outside Bregenz, in the Vorarlberg region of Austria.) It is a circuit, which means you can begin at any convenient spot along the trail.

I chose to begin by the city of Constance/Konstanz, the place where the 3 interconnected bodies of water composing the Bodensee (the Untersee (lower lake), the Obersee (upper lake) and the Seerhein), meet. Additionally, it is where the Bodensee Radweg circuit cuts back in on itself. Therefore, time being scarce on my most recent trip, I completed only the circuit around the Untersee (lower lake), in one day, for a total of about 72 kilometers.

Beginning just outside the city, by the airport, I followed the trail through a well-maintained, but not necessarily scenic, industrial area. Crossing the Rhine from the right to left bank on a vehicle-free bridge, I found myself in the historical section of the city. Beyond the Rhine, you are still in Germany, one of several oddities with the Swiss-German border configurations you will encounter.

 

But immediately after the trail passes under the highway, you enter the canton of Thurgau in Switzerland, riding along the waterfront.  If the canton name is familiar to wine-lovers, it is because the developer of the Mueller-Thurgau grape variety lived and worked in this area. (See more on the story of this wine here.) Soon, the vineyards come into view!  This is one of Switzerland’s main areas for the production of Muller Thurgau wine.

Crossing the Rhine again at Vorderbrugg, you find yourself in…Switzerland, still, one of the couple of places on the right bank of the Rhine that is Swiss, not German. At the end of the bridge lies the enchanting small town of Stein am Rhein. Right on the river, with a beautiful town square a block away from it, and a hilltop castle as a backdrop, it begs to be photographed from so many angles and places. But sorry to say, I was on a mission, and taking only one shot, I continued along the trail.

 

Shortly thereafter I crossed into Germany, and biked through the area known as the Hoeri Peninsula, the most bucolic section of the whole Untersee area. This section of the Bodensee Radweg is peaceful, and relatively quiet. Lush meadows, the occasional small herd of cows, gardens and vineyards predominate, interrupted only by the sight of villas (for the lucky few) and family farmsteads (for the lucky few). Occasionally, pristine villages pop up along the section of the route, before coming to Radolfzell, a large town. Like Konstanz, it is worth considering as a base for this circuit.

 

Once through Radolfzell, the trail continued along the northeast shore of the Untersee, affording an interesting opportunity for nature-watching as it passes through protected marshland which continues all the way to the causeway to the island of Reichenau.

Reichenau’s causeway, built as recently as 1838, connects the island with the mainland. It is worth a detour to leave the trail, cross the long causeway, and tour the island with its three UNESCO World Heritage Sites – the three churches founded in Carolingian times – and visit its vineyards, wine cellar and wine bars. Truth be told, you could easily spend a whole day, visiting them, then doing a hike, or a leisurely bike, ride around the small island. But again, I was on a mission, and Constance was only a few kilometers away from this point.

 

I made good time, and arrived back at my start point in about five hours. After such a great experience, I resolved then and there to cycle the Obersee section of this trail at some later date. While touring cyclists could complete the entire trail in as little as three days, most take four to six days, stopping frequently along the trail to enjoy the historic sites, the beautiful scenery, and to taste the local wines produced in either Germany, Austria or Switzerland!