DESTINATIONS ACTIVE & ADVENTURE HOLIDAYS | LAKE CONSTANCE


3 FOODIE EXPERIENCES


Lake Constance’s signature meal is the Swabian dish käsespätzle. This comfort- food classic involves layers of cooked noodles and grated Emmental cheese topped with fried onions. Apple strudel often follows.


Plentiful apple orchards yield wonderful white blossoms in spring, then bountiful autumn harvests. A good place to taste some of the 20 varieties is on Germany’s northern shore at the Seehotel Villa Linde’s locally oriented Michelin-starred restaurant (seehotelvillalinde.de).


Wine lovers can tour Switzerland’s scenic, six-mile Weinfelden Wine Trail, or taste award-winning, organic tipples at the Haug winery near Lindau. Most esteemed, however, is the Baden region, and especially vineyards around Birnau (below) and Meersburg, which also hosts an annual Wine Festival on September’s second weekend.


CLOCKWISE FROM TOP: Stand-up paddleboarding on Lake Constance; Vaduz,Castle, Liechtenstein; and boat ride on Lake Constance PICTURES: Makasana Photo; Boris Stroujko; Mario Krpan; Chris Redan; ON Photography Germany


AUSTRIA Austria’s short shoreline lies within the mountainous state of Vorarlberg. And just beyond the Alpine Rhine’s delta lies Hard, a former logging town where stand- up paddleboarding equipment can be rented from provider Surfmax. Beginners’ classes make use of Lake Constance’s light winds and shallow waters, while group SUP sunset tours also run regularly in summer. Two miles away is the architectural city of Bregenz, above which is a famous lookout: from the summit of the 1,064-metre-high Pfänder mountain, accessed by gondola, clients can enjoy stunning views over Constance and hundreds of Alps. At the top guests will also find a wildlife park. Its 30-minute circular trail lets visitors spy rabbits, deer, wild boar and ibex all year round, and groundhogs from March to September.


GERMANY


Germany encompasses the bulk of Lake Constance’s shores, including almost all of its northern flanks. There are three constants: fabulous cross-water views of the Alps, pebbly or sandy beaches and handsome settlements featuring cafe-lined promenades. None of the latter are prettier than the Bavarian island-town of Lindau, its harbour guarded by a lion statue; or Meersburg, where steep, atmospheric lanes lead to a thermal spa whose waterside saunas let attendees swelter, then swim, then swelter. Sitting high above the water, clients will also find Meersburg castle – a landmark and one of the most visited musuems on the lake.


Between the two towns is Friedrichshafen, home to


the huge Zeppelin Museum. Here, tourists can enjoy scenic flights over the lake in one of these distinctive, 12-seater airships. They’re pricey, though, starting at £325pp. From Meersburg, suggest clients take one of the lake’s many ferries to the elegant city of Constance itself; try one of numerous watersports, including windsurfing and scuba-diving, on the way up the lake’s northern ‘finger’; and visit flower-filled island Mainau, home to more than a million plants. West of Constance’s ancient buildings and cobbled old town sprawls the Wollmatinger Ried nature reserve. Lining Lower Lake Constance, its wetlands host thousands of migrant waterfowl. The Rhine Falls, Europe’s largest waterfalls, are also close, as is vegetable-growing Reichenau Island. Coastal tours allow canoeists to admire its Benedictine monastery from the water.


TW BOOK IT


Headwater’s self-guided seven-night Highlights of Lake Constance by Bike combines Switzerland, Austria and Germany. It runs from April to October and costs from £1,499 including flights, bike hire, B&B and luggage transfers. headwater.com Swiss flies from London to Zurich, from £159 return (swiss.com). Three-day ‘Bodensee Tickets’ covering the region’s trains, buses and ferries start from £37 (bodensee-ticket.com). See bodensee.eu for hotels, walking routes, watersports providers and more.


40 19 MAY 2022 travelweekly.co.uk


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