Itinerary Expand all Bregenz to Bregenz Day 1 Arrive in Bregenz You arrive at your hotel, a historic coaching inn, in the centre of Bregenz. Explore the ancient cobbled streets of the old town before dinner on the courtyard terrace.Comfortable hotel Day 2 Bregenz to Arbon Cycle west along Lake Constance's southern shore before crossing the mighty Rhine delta that straddles the border between Austria and Switzerland. It's an area of great natural beauty and a refuge for wildlife - be sure to keep your eyes peeled for kingfishers in the reeds. Your final stretch takes you around the lake to Arbon where you'll find pretty half-timbered houses and a 16the century castle. Two routes: 24km/15mi or 41km/25miComfortable hotel Meals included: Breakfast Day 3 At Arbon It's easy to spend a morning exploring Arbon's historic old town with its well-preserved buildings. After lunch at one of the many lakeside restaurants, hop on the bus for the 35 minute ride (10km) to historic St Gallen, a bustling market town packed with 18th century merchants' houses and open-air cafes. Visit the 8th century Benedictine abbey's fabulous UNESCO library, then blow the cobwebs away by freewheeling back down to the lakeside. There's lots of swimming possibilities before an easy waterfront cycle back to the hotel.Comfortable hotel Meals included: Breakfast Day 4 Arbon to Stein am Rhein There's an option to take the train to Guettingen this morning and shorten your route. Otherwise, pedal clockwise around the lake and pass numerous waterfront villages affording lots of panoramic sun terraces for coffee stops and lunch. In the afternoon, you coast effortlessly between sleepy harbours before arriving at the riverside Hotel Chlosterhof where you spend the next two nights. Two routes: 42km/26mi or 59km/37miComfortable hotel Meals included: Breakfast Day 5 At Stein am Rhein It's easy to spend the day in mediaeval Stein am Rhein with its 11th century monastery, beautiful frescoed square and lovely chocolate shops! Alternatively, Schaffhausen, a lively German town full of street theatre in the summer, is ideal for a day trip - it's great for shopping and has riverside cycle paths to Schloss Laufen, a tiny castle perched precariously above the tumbling Rheinfall waterfall, the biggest in Europe!Comfortable hotel Meals included: Breakfast Day 6 Stein am Rhein to Konstanz Freewheeling east this morning, you'll soon cross the border to enter Germany - look out for cormorant and red-crested pochard in the Hornstaad Nature Reserve. Cycling along the Gnadensee you'll soon reach the UNESCO Heritage Site of Klosterinsel Reichenau, the first populated area on Lake Constance and home to an impressive 8th century Benedictine abbey. It's then on to Konstanz, the unofficial regional capital. Comfortable hotel Meals included: Breakfast Day 7 At Konstanz Spend the day exploring the narrow streets of Konstanz: visit the Altstadt, Munster and lively centre crammed with quirky shops and museums. Alternatively hop on a boat (payable locally) to visit Mainau Island's palace and landscaped rose gardens. If you take your bike, you can pedal back at leisure along traffic-free lakeside cycle paths.Comfortable hotel Meals included: Breakfast Day 8 Konstanz to Friedrichshafen It's a short ride through oak forest to catch the 15 minute ferry ride (included) to fairytale Meersburg with its twin castles, steep streets and hillsides of vines. It's a perfect place for a lunch stop! Then, pedalling south, it's a gentle cycle into Friedrichshafen. Comfortable hotel Meals included: Breakfast Day 9 At Friedrichshafen There are superb wine tasting opportunities on your doorstep today - local Muller-Thurgau wines come from Riesling and Silvaner grapes for which Lake Constance is famous. Or visit Friedrichshafen's amazing Zeppelin Museum, full of fascinating knick-knacks, including an original menu and wine list from the Hindenburg.Comfortable hotel Meals included: Breakfast Day 10 Friedrichshafen to Bregenz Cycle past the pretty village of Langenargen and through peaceful vineyards and cherry orchards en route to lovely Lindau, a gorgeous island village surrounded by cobalt blue waters with long distance views of razor-edged peaks across the lake (there are lots of idyllic choices for lunch). Then, keeping the lake at your side, a final push takes you back down to Bregenz. Time permitting, perhaps take the cable car up Pfander mountain (1064m), for a fantastic vista of your entire route and a real sense of achievement! Comfortable hotel Meals included: Breakfast Day 11 Leave Bregenz Leave Bregenz Meals included: Breakfast
Austria No visa required for British passport holders. For further Brexit travel advice please visit https://www.abta.com/tips-and-advice/brexit-advice-for-travellers
Germany No visa required for British passport holders. For further Brexit travel advice please visit https://www.abta.com/tips-and-advice/brexit-advice-for-travellers
Hotels Your accommodation is varied; you stay in an old coaching inn, a grand riverside hotel and a luxury lakeside mansion. We've tried to ensure that you are never far from the waterfront, with its pebble beaches, colourful marinas and half-timbered houses.
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Reviewed August 2018 Andrew Singfield Trip: Headwater - Lake Constance Self-Guided Cycling Great cycling Cycling around Lake Constance is a great experience - good cycle paths, lovely views across the lake, nice towns and few hills. We went as a group of four with one person using an e-bike. As infrequent cyclists we found the pace very comfortable and the directions easy to follow. The area is geared up for cyclists with lots of paths. The standard of accommodation was good with clean rooms, enough luggage space and generally helpful staff. The only reason for a 3* (good) rating is that the meals were a bit of a let down. The food is high quality but the choice is limited. In some of the hotels we felt a bit like second class diners as others on the full menu got more attentive service. In reality this holiday would be so much better if evening meals were not included - giving travelers the chance to find local restaurants (of which there are lots in all the areas). Unfortunately four courses, slow service and limited dining times did mean we sometimes felt a little trapped in the evenings when it would have been nicer to explore the locality (plus be prepared to shell out a lot for wine if you want a drink with your meal). But this format might work for some people and everything else about the trip was fantastic (e.g. brilliant bikes, scenery, towns) so do get to this part of the world if you can. What was the most inspirational moment of your trip? Constant views of the stunning lake. What did you think of your group leader? Self-guided.
Reviewed May 2017 Kim Hurst Trip: Headwater - Lake Constance Self-Guided Cycling A great achievement April is too early for this trip as it is still their winter season. Some boats etc are not running and we did end up cycling in snow one day! However we really enjoyed the week, we were very proud of our cycling achievement. There are occasional short hills to get the heart going but mostly this trip is all on flat good quality cycle paths. The hotels are mostly very good quality and where dinners were provided these were good. 4 courses was a bit much to be honest. We paid single supplements and the rooms in Konstanz and Friedrichshafen were small. In particular the Friedrichshafen hotel is inadequate- our rooms were cell- like with single beds up against the wall, nowhere to sit and a view of a wall. It was a bit depressing especially as the downstairs is very dark and oppressive. Really a come down after the other hotels. What was the most inspirational moment of your trip? The mountain scenery is stunning. Do you have any advice for potential travellers? A bit of German helps! Not all railway employees etc were all that helpful. Be aware that the hotel in Friedrichshafen requires you to pay for drinks etc as you go along as you cannot charge to your room. When we ate out in Konstanz we were a bit taken aback that they didn't take cards. Doing the trip over 10 days helps as the rest days help recovery. Even though we went before the summer we found lots of things to do.
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