“Unwind body, mind and soul.” This is the slogan for travelling along the so-called Wellness Route, one of Germany’s featured UNESCO World Heritage routes. Being a mum to two young children, as well as always working in my self-employed business life, this slogan spoke directly to me. I then read more about the tour’s destinations, such as Lake Constance, or Baden-Baden in the northern Black Forest, and it became clear to me: That’s the way to go!
So how do you get to Lake Constance, or even further west, to Baden-Baden, which is almost on the border with France? Those of you who have been reading my blog for a while know that I love to travel distances like these by train. In the case of Lake Constance, it’s only natural to add a boat transfer: Such was my perfectly relaxing, first travel day from the east of Austria towards the World Heritage sites in southern Germany.
Travel by train + boat across Lake Constance and arrive at the Hotel Harbr Konstanz.
From Vienna, it takes about seven hours to cross Austria to Bregenz; less than ten minutes from the station in Bregenz to the boat across Lake Constance. Everything is easy, I have booked my tickets in advance and only had to show them on my smart phone. Besides, the weather is just perfect, so I can really enjoy the trip across Lake Constance. Check this out.
It takes some three and a half hours to cross Lake Constance from Bregenz to the town of Constance …
… passing very pretty towns along the way, such as Meersburg here …
… just a little later, we reach port in Constance and I check into my hotel, Harbr Konstanz …
… modern, comfortable and very conveniently located just across the water from the old town …
… close-by, it’s only a short walk to Constanzer Wirtshaus restaurant, where I try the vegan version of southern Germany’s typical Maultaschen …
… breakfast at the hotel also perfectly prepares me for the travel day ahead.
Walking tour around Constance with Daniel Gross.
“Daniel is great”, Ellen Gromann-Goldberg writes to me on Facebook, and adds: “Enjoy my city!”
My journalist friend knows what she’s talking about: city guide Daniel Gross is really, really great! I can only recommend that you book a guided tour of Constance with either him or his colleague: History told with personal stories at its best.
Exploring Constance with these two gentlemen: A very good idea. (City guide Daniel Gross on the right, by the way).
It’s Daniel who tells me that Constance is a paradise to live in, because “I’ll likely never live anywhere else”, he says, and smiles. Daniel is not only a historian by trade, he is also a natural storyteller. His anecdotes about Constance stick! For example, he tells me that a back alley in the old town originally had to be measured so “that a young sow could easily turn around in it”. A young, turning sow as a measurement of street width?
Well, yes. Medieval times were quite different from today. Oh, and if you need a drink or a coffee at any time, just ask: Daniel always knows the right place to go. I’m under the impression he knows almost everyone here.
A look behind the scenes of Constance. What do you think, was the young sow being able to turn gently here?
Together with Daniel, we explore all the attractions of the old town, such as Constance Cathedral.
By the way: One of its main treasures is in the crypt! This copper-gold disc would have been melted down long ago if it hadn’t been hanging very high up on the outer façade of the cathedral.
Daniel also takes me see the modern side of Constance, such as this rather new, controversial fountain …
… it was made by the same artist who put up the Imperia statue some thirty years ago, greeting visitors at Constance Harbour in a very unique, cheeky story.
It’s only a short walk from the harbour area …
… into the old town of Constance …
… if ever you feel hungry or thirsty along the way, go for Konzil Gaststätten! Lovely food and drinks around here.
If in Constance with time to spare, head over to Mainau Flower Island.
I take another boat to the island of Mainau, which combines beautiful parkland experiences with cultural highlights. Mainau is easy to reach by bus as well as by boat: I choose both means of transport, one for my arrival and one for my departure.
Once I arrive on the island, I am met by the bustle of life. Both in terms of visitors from seemingly everywhere (carefully distributed though, across bars, restaurants, playgrounds, and public gardens!) as well as in terms of the lush variety of natural attractions. It’s a brother and sister duo, Count and Countess Bernadotte, who according to my opinion succeed very well in offering the former palace park as a flower and plant paradise for visitors worldwide.
A view of the Italian water terrace in Mainau …
… the parklands are just wonderful to walk around in …
… and of course, there’s some palace and church buildings to look at as well …
… close to this amazing flower pea cock …
… I am lucky to capture this exotic butterfly in the nearby greenhouse.
Mainau is both groomed and wild nature: Check out mighty tree giants as well as shady, quieter spots in the centre of the island.
Rent your e-bike and easily explore the UNESCO World Heritage island Reichenau by bike.
Finally on this tour, I have visited “the largest island of Lake Constance designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site“: Reichenau. So what does Reichenau have that all the other islands on Lake Constance do not? The answer: three medieval churches (once there were well over 20!) which, as part of Reichenau Monastery, have left behind a cultural heritage worthy of World Heritage status due to the outstanding merits of the community of monks who lived here.
But let’s take it one step at a time. How do you get to Reichenau Island in the first place? By e-bike, for example! I’ve rented mine from the local bicycle company Kultur Rädle at Constance main station. From there, it’s a good half hour ride on mostly flat bicycle lanes from Constance to Reichenau.
Welcome to Reichenau: Today, vehicles of all kinds can reach the island effortlessly via a causeway built in the 19th century.
Very soon after this sign, I swerve to the right to visit the first monastery church of St. George. Particularly worth seeing: the unbelievably well-preserved wall paintings, which are explained in detail during a public guided tour. And, I didn’t know this either: the paintings preserved in St. George are considered the only surviving church paintings north of the Alps before the year 1000 AD. Wow!
Thanks to our wonderful guide, medieval church and monastery history comes alive!
A little further on, in the centre of the island, you may visit the Minster of St. Mary and St. Mark, a typical Romanesque church.
Right next to it, there’s a possibility to taste local wines, too: It’s been a tradition to cultivate wine here for more than 1000 years!
If you need or crave anything else, you can relax and stop at the Café Am Kloster right opposite from the church.
Reichenau is really very bike-friendly: you can easily cycle the entire island in about an hour; of course, you should allow more time for stops, sightseeing and rest.
Here’s my tip for the return journey: I chose the route via Switzerland and took the solar-powered ferry across Lake Constance: a nice change and you get back to Constance just as well.
Watch my travel video about Constance & Baden-Baden.
Fancy some more information about World Heritage tours in Germany? My travel video along the so-called Wellness Route will take you around Lake Constance, as well as into Baden-Baden in the northern Black Forest district.
More travel photos from in and around Constance, as well as the world-famous spa town of Baden-Baden can be found here:
Disclaimer: I have been invited by the German National Tourist Board on my trip to Constance and surrounding attractions. All opinions are my own.