Villas, water and vineyards on the shores of Lake Constance at Lindau

The tour begins with a walk to the station forecourt.

There are 279 cycle parking spaces in the immediate vicinity of the station.

Using the DB Rad+ app, cyclists can collect kilometres cycled in participating towns and cities and then exchange them for discounts or rewards from exclusive partners.

As you leave Lindau Island Station, turn left. You’ll find the ‘Radinsel’ after about 3 minutes, behind the coach station, at the start of the Lake Constance Cycle Route. Here you can hire the right bike for your cycle tour. If you ring in advance or send an email enquiry, you can book the bike that suits you best at the Radinsel.

At the ‘Radinsel’ bike hire shop, Lindau residents and their guests can find bikes to suit almost any need. Whether you’re planning day trips, sightseeing tours, or simply looking for a way to get out and about even with limited mobility – Radinsel is sure to have just the right option for you.
Enquire about bike availability and opening hours via WhatsApp on: 017622938047, or by phone or email

. E-bike: €30 per day
; trekking bike / hybrid bike: €15 per day
; children’s bike: €10 per day
; child trailer: €10 per day

Now, well equipped, you cycle along the railway embankment towards Wasserburg on Lake Constance. During the tour, follow the signpost marked No. 1.

Once you reach the mainland, turn left across the tracks towards Bad Schachen. You’ll cycle along the lakeside promenade, the Lotzbeckweg, and have an unobstructed view of the Powder Tower on Lindau Island. You’ll pass a little gem: one of the last wooden bathing houses built on stilts, of the sort that were once common around Lake Constance a hundred years ago. The Aeschacher Bad is still in use today. The route now continues close to the shore to the first two viewpoints, ‘Lotzbeckpark’ and ‘Giebelbach’.

The ‘Lotzbeckpark’ viewpoint, situated right on the shores of Lake Constance, offers a panoramic view that extends far beyond the water. Looking back towards the shore from here, one gets a good sense of the elegance of the ‘Bavarian Riviera’. The lakeside region was given this name as early as the late 19th century. By then, the idyllic beauty of this landscape had long been discovered by aristocrats, wealthy industrialists and prosperous merchants. They commissioned renowned architects to build villas here and landscape architects to design the parks.

This was also the case for the Royal Bavarian Chamberlain Carl Ludwig, Baron von Lotzbeck. He eventually decided not only to spend his summers in Lindau, but to live here permanently. His descendants continued to live here until the second half of the 20th century. Then part of the complex, including the villa, fell victim to modernisation plans. Today, the former park is home to a residential complex and a hotel. The mature trees and the layout of the paths still bear witness to the splendour of the former park.

Other villas that still exist include, for example, Villa Alwind, which once belonged to the König family of sugar manufacturers. Leopold König had previously built in Bonn – the villa now known as ‘Hammerschmidt’.

For those who would like to find out more: at the ‘Lotzbeckpark’ viewpoint, an information board details the history of the ‘Bavarian Riviera’.

From the Lotzbeckpark viewing point, continue along the promenade and you will reach the ‘Giebelbach’ viewing point in just one minute.

Relax on the comfortable double loungers and let your gaze wander over the sparkling Lake Constance. At the far end of Lindau Island, you can spot the centuries-old Powder Tower. It was built in 1508 as a defensive tower. Its original hipped roof was reduced in size during the Thirty Years’ War to make it a less vulnerable target. In 1646–47, it helped repel the siege by Swedish troops. After the Napoleonic Wars, the tower was converted into a powder tower. At the end of the 19th century, it was converted into the mayor’s summer residence. Today, meetings and conferences of the municipal utilities take place behind its two-metre-thick walls.

As a tourist highlight, night watchman Fridolin recounts old stories about the Powder Tower at this vantage point.

From Lindau’s waterfront promenade, cycle towards Wasserburg. On your left, you’ll see Lindenhof Park. A visit to the villa in Lindenhof Park is highly recommended. It was here in 1842 that the foundation stone for the entire villa district was laid, when the Lindau merchant Friedrich Gruber had an Italian-style country house built and the park laid out. It remains a special place today, as the east wing of the villa houses a Peace Museum where you can engage interactively with the themes of peace and justice.

Passing the village of Reutenen, you approach Wasserburg. Looking back, you’ll see the charming peninsula with St George’s Church. The next destination is Nonnenhorn, which can be reached via Wasserburger Straße. Before you reach the town centre, cycle towards the water once more. Here, keep an eye out for the signposts for the Panorama Cycle Route. Your tour takes you past the Alter Nonnenhorner Torkel, an old wine press, and also past the municipal fish hatchery to the ‘Im Paradies’ viewpoint.

An idyllic spot situated right by the water’s edge, with unobstructed views of the Wasserburg Peninsula, the Rhine Valley and the mountains surrounding Lake Constance – this is the ‘Im Paradies’ viewpoint in Nonnenhorn. Right next door is the state fish hatchery. This is where the fish stocks in Lake Constance are maintained, as commercial fishing is still widespread on the lake.

This idyllic wine-growing village invites you to linger and enjoy yourself. Fancy some delicious Lake Constance perch? Along the panoramic cycle route, numerous restaurants and cycle-friendly eateries invite you to feast and enjoy yourself. Or you could take the opportunity to relax with an ice cream sundae and recharge your batteries. Finally, in the village of Nonnenhorn, you’ll come across St James’ Chapel before crossing the railway tracks and cycling towards Hege and Selmnau.

Once you arrive in Selmnau, you’ll cycle up the dirt track to the ‘Antoniuskapelle’ viewpoint.

The St Anthony’s Chapel is situated on a landscape of moraine hills typical of the Lake Constance area. It was first mentioned in a document in 1492 as a hermitage. Surrounded by fragrant orchards and vineyards, it offers a unique view of the Lake Constance region. The panoramic information board provides details about the Austrian and Swiss mountain peaks, the formation of Lake Constance and wine-growing in this region. The climb up to the ‘Bergle’ is well worth the effort. The comfortable wooden daybed at the viewpoint invites you to relax whilst taking in the impressive landscape.

Flanked by orchards, the signposts guide you along well-maintained paths through Hengnau and Rickatshofen. The gentle ups and downs take you to Unterreitnau. When you reach St Urban’s village church, turn right onto the country road. Here, turn right, go under the A-road after the Lourdes Chapel and, immediately after the underpass, turn sharply right towards Taubenberg. The route then climbs into the village. Shortly before Bodolz, the signposts lead to a hidden vantage point, the ‘Herrmannsberg’.

You can smell it straight away – the scent of the orchards around Herrmannsberg with their juicy, red-cheeked apples. Fresh fruit from Lake Constance is renowned far beyond the region’s borders, and in Bodolz, too, numerous farmers tend their orchards every year. An apple press, of the sort used in days gone by, and an information board about Lake Constance apples await visitors at Herrmannsberg. And if you’d like to see an ‘apple princess’, do take a look at the video, which you can access via the QR code on the information board.

The route then crosses the railway line on its way to Schönau. If you’ve now fancied some local apples, juices or wines, you can satisfy your appetite in Schönau, for example. On the way to the final viewpoint, you’ll pass the Haug Winery and the Brög Fruit Farm.

The signposts now lead you to the ‘Entenberg’: here, you’ll need to lock up your bike and climb some steps. But it’s well worth it! Once you’ve climbed the numerous steps, an unobstructed view of Lindau Island opens up before you.

Numerous steps lead up to the ‘Entenberg’ viewpoint. But it’s well worth the effort, because once you reach the top, you’re treated to a wonderful panoramic view. Who can identify which of the four countries each of these mighty mountains belongs to? An information board and a video are there to help! And if you simply want to let your gaze wander over Lindau and Lake Constance, you can make yourself comfortable on one of the double sun loungers.

With lasting memories to take home, we cycle on. Has all that fresh air and exercise worked up an appetite? If so, we recommend the Rebstock restaurant. (Kirchgasse 2, 88131 Lindau (Lake Constance), Tel. 08382 6710) From Haxen-Gröstl to schnitzel or Krautkrapfen, served with homemade Spätzle or dumplings, you can choose from a wide variety of Bavarian meat, fish and vegetable dishes.

Follow the signposts and cycle back across the bridge to the island of Lindau. If you still have time and energy to spare, it’s well worth rounding off your tour with a visit to the island’s numerous historic buildings and the harbour.