Travelled: 90 kilometres from Fussen in Bavaria to Langenargen in Baden-Wurttemberg.
Visited : Lake Constance, return ferry to Konstanz โฌ47
Stayed : ย A small stellplatz at the front of huge camping park, Ferienpark Gohren Am See. โฌ12 the usual services, electricity extra. ย N47.58813 E9.56259 (1 night), another small stellplatz at the front of a camping park, Parking Friedrichshafen. โฌ13.20 the usual services. N47.65006 E9.49649
The cold and wet weather continued in Fussen for another day. The weather forecast for lake Constance looks much brighter, so we do the usual jobs and get going. Its the Monday of a long weekend in Germany and nothings open except the service stations this morning as we head out of town.
We have no particular town along the Lake in mind, but just a passing visit and some cycling on the shore line. Rather than take the highway and autobahn we set the GPS for the local roads that hug the border between Austria and Germany. It take an hour longer to reach Lindau, but also provides some of the most beautiful scenery we have encountered.
Passing a myriad of small villages and towns the road winds its way through the hills, valleys and along streams. It’s a real sound of music countryside.
Not a great photo but you get the idea.
Germany
Eventually we arrive in Lindau on the western shore of the lake. While our database indicated the stellplatz was โฌ5 a night, however the meter in the carpark indicated โฌ20. Which we felt absorbitant for a carpark, more than 2 kilometres from the lake. So we just relax and have lunch for an hour (without paying, which is not a very German thing to do), before continuing on.
Just out of Langenargen we find this stellplatz at the front of Gohren Am See. Pam thinks its the best campsite she has ever seen. Heated bathrooms and unlimited hot showers and hair dryers. Apart from that a great location on the lake.
Germany
Lake Constance from our stellplatz near Langenargen. A little like Greece with its shingle beach and crystal clear water, except 15 degrees cooler.
By now its getting late in the afternoon and we head off for a walk around the marina. As you can tell its full of yachts, but more importantly it has a lovely little bar.
Lake Constance sits on the border of Germany, Austria and Switzerland, being some 63 km long and 14 km wide it’s a substantial body of water. To do the area justice by motorhome we would need a Swiss and Austrian vignettes (tollpass) which are expensive for a day or two of exploring. So we decide to stay on the German side.
Up for some exploring we get the bikes out and head for Langenargen about 5-6 km up the cycle path. Should have brought a lock with us.
Langenargen proves to be a beautiful little town, lots of nice homes and the odd piece of bronze artwork. Pam meets the hollow man on the ferry wharf. We called him that because if you tapped him he rang like a bell.
Langenargen even has a Schloos, unfortunately all the signage is in German (which is fair enough) so we cannot tell you about its history. But what we can tell you is after visiting the tourist office, the young lady suggest looking at the ferry network as a way of visiting the lake.
So after just a little research we decide to move along Lake Constance to Friedrichshafen about 8-9 km further west. It has a larger ferry terminal, with a lot more travel options. So we pack up, service the Hymer and do a shop on our way to the stellplatz in Friedrichshafen.
Cannot remember if we told you. Germany has a โฌ.25 environmental tax on aluminum cans and plastic bottles, if you return the container the tax is refunded. Its been a few days since we last shopped, so we break our record with a โฌ4 refund.
Friedrichshafen’s claim to fame is the Zeppelin Museum. Zeppelin’s were built here back in the 1930’s in the days of the Third Reich. However a Zeppelin (Air Ship) is still commercially operated on a field, just out of town. It does joy flights around the Lake at โฌ200 a pop. Pam said no ! Couldn’t get a picture worth sharing unfortunately.
The other thing Friedrichshafen has is some fabulous fountains. Mind you there creator may have had something of a twisted imagination.
The kids all liked this one.
Having sussed out the ferry timetables, we walk back to our stellplatz. The are 4 GB registered vehicles out of 7 staying the night. Bit of a surprise as we haven’t seen that many during the last 3 months. We have a bit of a chat, one couple are off to a friends wedding in Italy and another couple in a huge Concorde van are on their way to Spain for the winter. We told them we are heading to Australia for the summer !
The ferry Graf Zeppelin takes 2.5 hours to reach Konstanz. It will stop at 4 towns on the way up before reaching Konstanz. I took this photo later in the day, it was a clear when we boarded. Our return journey is by jet-cat which takes less than an hour.
Germany
The ferry was surprisingly popular. By the time we stopped at Meersburg there wasn’t a seat to be had. Mind you it wasn’t much fun on the top deck as the wind was strong and cold. The forecast was for 12ยฐ, but it felt much colder.
Meersburg looked really interesting and we though we may stop here next time we are passing.
Off the ferry and walking up the Marktstatte in Konstanz. Sitting on the German border with Switzerland, it seems like a map maker’s mistake. Being situated on the wrong side of the Rhein River to be in Germany at this point. You only have to walk a few hundred metres and you’re in Switzerland.
An unusual old gate we found whilst wondering about. Walk through and visit Switzerland.
Also in the Marktstatte, this building with its complex mural stood out.
The Munster (Cathedral) in Konstanz. More than a thousand years old.
Visited the crypt we find this gilded copper plague, set on slabs of oak its around a meter in diameter. Its existence is recorded in the church archives from 900AD.
The alter and part of the choir in the Munster at Konstanz.
As budget travelers, we don’t eat out all that regularly but as it was a full day away from the Hymer, we had a good excuse. We stumble around looking for something completely different, maybe Indian. We find this little family run Tapas Bar just of the Rhein. The mixed tapas was wonderful, with some ice cold beer and wine it took us back to some of our Spanish adventures. It was reasonably priced as well.
Walking back to the ferry, full of tapas and good humour we see this amazing old building and think its worth a spot in our blog.
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This native Allgรคuerin thanks you for the memories. Your photos and descriptions make me nearly nostalgic for the old country which, in Winter, really becomes a Fairytale.
There is a cute little song about the “Fischerin vom Bodensee” (The Fishing Maid from the Lake of Constance) “who was a pretty maid ohรฉ”….. The song alone is on the “quaint” side, and with this mise en scรจne it becomes straight out corny, but I like it, and perhaps you do too ๐
One thought on “Lake Constance, Germany 2016 ๐ฉ๐ช”
Hi the intrepid travellers!
This native Allgรคuerin thanks you for the memories. Your photos and descriptions make me nearly nostalgic for the old country which, in Winter, really becomes a Fairytale.
There is a cute little song about the “Fischerin vom Bodensee” (The Fishing Maid from the Lake of Constance) “who was a pretty maid ohรฉ”….. The song alone is on the “quaint” side, and with this mise en scรจne it becomes straight out corny, but I like it, and perhaps you do too ๐
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=90aMCOtOtUA