Germany (Lonely Planet, 6th Edition) - Andrea Schulte-Peevers [396]
To truly appreciate the Wutachschlucht, hike the 13km from Schattenmühle to Wutachmühle (or vice versa). Energy permitting, you can add the lush, 2.5km Lotenbach-Klamm (Lotenbach Glen) to your tour. May to September is the best time to tackle the walk. Be sure to carry supplies as there’s very little between the trailheads.
The tourist office ( 07703-7607; www.bonndorf.de, in German; Martinstrasse 5; 9am-noon & 2-6pm Mon-Fri, 10am-noon Sat May-Oct, 9am-noon & 2-5pm Mon-Fri except Wed afternoon Nov-Apr) in Bonndorf, 15km east of Schluchsee, has hiking information, maps and a list of places to stay.
Bus 7258 runs between Bonndorf and Neustadt train station (€4, 40 minutes, hourly Monday to Saturday, every two hours Sunday). Bus 7344 links Bonndorf to Schattenmühle and Wutachmühle (€2.90, 27 minutes, every hour or two Monday to Friday).
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LAKE CONSTANCE
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Three is the magic number for Lake Constance, Central Europe’s third-largest lake straddling three countries: Germany, Austria and Switzerland. Sculpted by the Rhine Glacier during the last ice age and fed and drained by that same sprightly river today, this whopper of a freshwater lake measures 63km long, 14km wide and up to 250m deep.
And if its statistics amaze, its landscapes move the soul like a greatest hits of European scenery. Where else can you wake up on a pebbly bay in Germany, lazily paddle over to Switzerland for Birchermüesli and make it to Austria in time for snapshots of the Alps and strudel elevenses? For yet more contrasts, climb into a bicycle saddle to roll through gold-tinged meadows and vineyards, apple orchards and wetlands. Culture you cry? It’s all here: from baroque churches to Benedictine abbeys, Stone Age dwellings to Roman forts, medieval castles to zeppelins.
Whether cloaked in mist or bathed in the warm light of late summer, Lake Constance never looks less than astonishing. Come in spring for blossom and autumn for new wine, fewer crowds and top visibility when the warm föhn blows. Summers are humid and packed, but best for swimming and camping. Almost everything shuts from November to February when fog descends and the first snowflakes dust the Alps.
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Activities
CYCLING
In the warm months, little beats free-wheeling around Lake Constance, pausing for invigorating dips in the lake, pretty villages in the hinterland and Alpine views without the uphill struggle. Well-signposted and largely flat, the 273km Bodensee-Radweg (Lake Constance Cycle Route; www.bodensee-radweg.com) circumnavigates the lake, zipping through Germany, Austria and Switzerland as it traces the shoreline between vineyards and orchards, woodlands and beaches. If you’d rather join a group than pedal alone, see the website for tour details.
The entire route takes roughly a week, but ferries and trains make it possible to cover shorter chunks, for instance Friedrichshafen–Konstanz–Meersburg, in a weekend. Maps and bike hire (€10 to €15 per day) are available locally. May to October is the best time to cycle, but trails get choked during the summer holidays when Lycra rage is rife.
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Getting There & Around
Ryanair flies from London Stansted to Friedrichshafen (www.fly-away.de).
The most enjoyable way to cross the lake is by ferry. Konstanz is the main hub, but Meersburg and Friedrichshafen also have plentiful ferry options.
The public transport system is well-organised and preferable to driving. Although most towns have a train station (Meersburg is an exception), in some cases buses provide the only land connections. Euregio Bodensee (www.euregiokarte.com, in German), which groups all Lake Constance–area public transport,