Lake Constance

Shop

Get even more with a Lonely Planet guide.

Shop Book
Kayak trip, Wangen, Hoeri, Lake of Constance, Baden-Wurttemberg, Germany

Getty Images/LOOK

Overview

Nicknamed the schwäbische Meer (Swabian Sea), Lake Constance – Central Europe’s third-largest lake – straddles three countries: Germany, Austria and Switzerland. Formed by the Rhine Glacier during the last ice age and fed and drained by that same sprightly river today, this whopper of a lake measures 63km long by 14km wide and up to 250m deep. There is a certain novelty in the fact that this is the only place in the world where you can wake up in Germany, cycle across to Switzerland for lunch and make it to Austria in time for afternoon tea, strudel and snapshots of the Alps.

Attractions

Must-see attractions

  • Zeppelin Museum

    Zeppelin Museum

    Lake Constance

    Near the eastern end of Friedrichshafen’s lake-front promenade is the Zeppelin Museum, housed in the Bauhaus-style former Hafenbahnhof (harbour station),…

  • Münster

    Münster

    Konstanz

    Crowned by a filigreed spire and looking proudly back on 1000 years of history, the sandstone Münster was the church of the Diocese of Konstanz until 1821…

  • Pfahlbauten

    Pfahlbauten

    Lake Constance

    Awarded Unesco World Heritage status in 2011, the Pfahlbauten represent one of 11 prehistoric pile dwellings around the Alps. Based on the findings of…

  • Italy Flower stairs and bed of flowers, Mainau Island, Baden-Württemberg, Germany, Europe Italy Flower stairs and bed of flowers, Mainau Island, Baden-Württemberg, Germany, Europe 1496841157 baden-wurttemberg, central, constance, detail, federal, flowerstairs, german, liliaceae, mainau, middle, republic, southern, stair, süddeutschland, tulipa, baden, bloom, bloomer, border, daylight, daytime, decorative, deserted, exterior, flowering, flowers, green, herbaceous, incidental, one, ornamental, park, pompous, public, spring, stairs, württhemberg

    Mainau

    Lake Constance

    Jutting out over the lake and bursting with flowers, the lusciously green islet of Mainau is a 45-hectare Mediterranean garden dreamed up by the…

  • Lindau, Bavaria, Germany - July 17, 2021: Patrician house Cavazzen on the market place of Lindau in the Lake Constance from 1729 used as local museum of the city - Germany.; Shutterstock ID 2391700893; full: digital; gl: 65050; netsuite: poi; your: Barbara Di Castro 2391700893

    Stadtmuseum

    Lake Constance

    Lions and voluptuous dames dance across the trompe l’oeil facade of the flamboyantly baroque Haus zum Cavazzen, which contains this museum, showcasing a…

  • Beautiful view of the pilgrimage church in Birnau at Lake Constance with the vines in the foreground with a spectacular sky and clouds 1034849094 white, vineyards, uhldingen, stone, sight, rose, region, place, pink, landmark, green, famouse, destination, constance, clouds, building, birnau, beautiful, baroque

    Basilika Birnau

    Lake Constance

    This exuberant, powder-pink Cistercian abbey church is one of Lake Constance's architectural highlights and a popular pilgrimage destination. It was built…

  • Reichenau

    Reichenau

    Konstanz

    In AD 724 a missionary named Pirmin founded a Benedictine monastery on Reichenau, a 4.5km-by-1.5km island (Lake Constance’s largest) about 11km west of…

  • Affenberg Salem

    Affenberg Salem

    Lake Constance

    No zoo-like cages, no circus antics, just happy Barbary macaques free to roam in a near-natural habitat: that's the concept behind conservation-oriented…

View more attractions

Build a memorable collection

Get to the heart of Lake Constance with one of our in-depth, award-winning guidebooks, covering maps, itineraries, and expert guidance.

Go Beyond

Lake Constance and beyond

Beyond Lake Constance