Let me tell you about my love for lake culture. I think it is the only thing that keeps me in Minnesota, because trust me during those long winter I wonder what it is all for. But then summer comes around and I get to sit next to the lake in the sun everyday and suddenly life is better. I grew up on the lake. I think for this reason I am drawn to water. And yes I love swimming, and going on the boat, but I also just love being near water. I think it keeps me grounded, which sounds silly but there are actually studies about the benefits of being near and exposed to bodies of water. Anyway on any trip I go to or any place I have lived it was near water. When I was college in St. Paul I would take walks along the Mississippi river. When I studied abroad in Ireland I was on the sea and we had the Corrib River. When I was an au pair in Mallorca, I was only 30 minutes away from the Mediterranean because I was literally on an island! Then when I planned my trip to Italy I went to Venice, Lake Como, and the Italian Riviera. So it only makes sense that when I went to Germany, I visited Lake Constance.
While in Minnesota we have our own lake culture, Germany has theirs too, but instead of drinking beers on the pontoon, they drive south towards Switzerland to holiday on the lake. Now, what is Lake Constance? If you have never heard of it like I hadn’t before visiting my friend Zoë in Germany, it is a large lake located in between Germany, Switzerland, and Austria, which means it has shores on all three countries. The lake was formed by an old glacier and today covers 209 square miles and gets as deep as 827 feet which is a lot compared to the measly 50 foot depth of my lake at home.
The German name for the lake, which is probably the proper name since the surrounding countries are all German speaking, is Bodensee. The lake is actually apart of the Rhine river as it enters near Bregenz and exits in the north. The lake is split into three parts. That northern part of the lake is split by the Bodan mountains into the Unter Lake and Überlinger Lake. The southern part is the main part of the lake called Ober Lake which is the part we will focus on. This has towns like Constance, Lindau, and Meersburg which is the town that I visited. Now I will get into my day trip to Meersburg to see Lake Constance!
Zoë and I had talked about doing this day trip when I visited in April of 2024. We ended up not doing it to spend more time in the city and the surrounding towns, but also because the weather wasn’t particularly great in April so it didn’t make much sense to go to a lake then. When I came back that summer for the Taylor Swift concert I was mostly going to be on my own for day trips during the week because Zoë was working, but we did have one day during the weekend free to do something together so we thought this would be a great opportunity to do this day trip and the weather in July was much nicer.
It did require a bit of a drive though since we were near Stuttgart and we had to drive all the way down to the southern border which was about 2 1/2 hours. It was a beautiful drive though. I love the southern part of Germany. Its so hilly and green. It was also a great time to catch up and talk about things. We took Zoë’s car (which is electric) because there isn’t a very easy way to get there by train and we were going to stop to see Zoë’s uncle since he loved close by to where we were going.
Once we got to Meersburg we found a parking lot to keep the car while we explored Meersburg. Meersburg is not a super small town but it also isn’t a big one as it only has a population close to 6,000. It is a medieval city whose name means “Castle on the Sea” from its old castle that towers over the lake. Originally Meersburg was just this castle owned by the Bishops of Constance during the time of the Holy Roman Empire. Eventually a city was built around it and it became the residence of the Prince Bishops. The town officially became a part of Baden during the Napoleonic Era when Germany was secularizing itself and this is where it eventually became the spot for visitors that it is today. The old castle is the sight of the town but now a new castle sits among the surrounding vineyards as Meersburg has a strong winemaking tradition.
Leaving the car park to walk to the town’s city center the castle was the first thing we saw. Located on a hill the castle towers over the city, so it can not be missed. After a few minutes of walking we passed through the city walls in one of its two gates. There is the upper gate, Obertor, and the lower gate, Untertor. These towers were built in the 1300s to enclose the city built around the castle. We entered from the lower left part of the city which would be the Untertor gate. This led us onto Unterstadtstrasse which was surrounded by beautiful old German style buildings that have either been turned into a hotel, a shop, or a restaurant. There are plenty of restaurants in Meersburg given its position as a popular tourist destination for Germans and other Europeans. Then all you have to do is take a right off the this street and walk a couple blocks then there is the lake, which is exactly what we did because I was getting antsy to see the lake.
From here I really wanted to see the castle so we turned back around and walked up the hill towards the castle. First we checked out the upper city. This is the portion of the city that is considered more historically significant while the lower city is known more for its lakeside. While the lower city had beautiful, colorful, and old architecture, you really get sucked into it in the upper city. I also felt that the upper city had less people walking around while the lower city did feel a bit more touristy. Now enjoy some pictures of the upper city before I talk about the castles.
After exploring the upper town a bit, looking into shops and enjoying great views, we found our way to the Old Castle, Alte Burg. We didn’t go inside but I don’t think you have to in order to enjoy it. If we had more time I would love to have toured it because I love medieval castles, but its not a requirement to visiting Meersburg. It did feel as we were looking at it that the inside activities were catered quite a bit to children, but they still offer tours for 12.80 euros for an adult. The castle also has a cafe with a view overlooking the water.
Once we took in the very cool medeival castle in front of us we headed to the next stop. In the upper city you will find on the top of the hill a great view of the lake from the courtyard of the New Castle, Neues Schloss. While the old castle is a fortress from the medieval times, the New Castle is a baroque palace from the 1700 and 1800s. Construction was started in the early 1700s to create a residence for the Prince Bishops of Constance that was more with the style of the times. I think this is the really cool thing about Germany, especially in the western part; there is a lot of medieval structures and then there are also a lot of baroque influence. It’s fun to see different times of German and European history represented.
I didn’t think much of the castle when I saw it. In all honesty I wasn’t entirely impressed by the outside so much so that I didn’t even take any pictures of it. I looked up pictures of the inside though and it is gorgeous. That is the big difference between medieval and baroque designs. One is all about the exterior and the other about the interior. I wish I had taken the time to see the inside, but there is never is enough time to see everything everywhere. I did get to see the schlossplatz though with its amazing view of the lake (probably the best spot to see the lake in the town).
Once we walked around the gardens a bit we headed back down to the lake side to enjoy some ice cream, or should I say gelato from Il Gelato. This is where I learned what iced coffee is in Germany. It is not coffee with ice in it like we are used to in the United States. It is more similar to Affogato in Italy as it is coffee with vanilla ice cream in it and whipped cream on top. I tried a bite of Zoë’s but for myself I ultimately got gelato, because European gelato is so much better than the ice cream in the US. We found a bench by the waterside and watched at boats went by. I found so much peace here next to the water, taking in the beautiful summer day.
Once we finished we walked towards the other side of the town where there was a beach we could dip our toes into the water. We had brought stuff for the lake, but we were planning to meet up with Zoë’s uncle who is right on a lake as well after Meersburg. I just felt like I couldn’t say I visited Lake Constance without actually feeling the water, so thats what we did. We walked to the playground and mini golf course where there was a spot to get into the water. It was a bit rocky, so definitely not a nice laying out in the sun kind of sandy beach but that is pretty normal for lakes. It actually reminded me a lot of Lake Superior back home with the rockiness and colored expanse of the lake even though Lake Superior is a lot bigger. It just had the same feeling: life centered around the lake.
By this point is was about 2 pm and we had passed a couple hours in the town. It obviously was not enough time to do everything there is to do in Meersburg, but it served its purpose of letting me see Germany, Switzerland, and Austria’s great lake, Lake Constance! The day was nowhere near over yet. Next we drove to Mimmenhausen a town a bit north of Lake Constance. This is where I met Zoë’s uncle and his wife from England and her daughters. It was really fun chatting with them. Her uncle didn’t speak much English but I learned a lot about Germany and England from his wife. We also had a great meal, although it was hamburgers and my big thing is that I don’t eat beef, but I try to be more open when abroad. Before dinner we also had a coffee and dessert with them and went out to the lake Schloßsee which is much smaller than Lake Constance, but it had a much better spot to lay out and read and enjoy the day. It was gorgeous. I loved it here and was so sad that this was my last day in Germany.
We had a long car ride, but I kept myself entertained. I mean I got to drive a part of the way on the autobahn. It has literally been on my bucket list forever! I was so excited to drive. In case you don’t know, there is no speed limit on the autobahn, so essentially you can go as fast as you want within reason and as long as it is safe. I don’t usually tell people this part because it would probably scare my parents but at one point given the conversion I was going about 100 mph. It was so fun! But I was completely safe and responsible about it. I had permission from Zoë’s parents to drive the car and she was right there to make sure I started slowing down when I needed to and explain the meaning of roadsigns in German. I wouldn’t really recommend an American drive the autobahn unless you have a German in the next seat over.
This was one of my favorite days I have ever spent in Germany. Over the course of my travels, I have been to Germany four times and have spent a total of about a month in a few different parts of the country. I will always recommend southern Germany. It is so rich with culture, history, and beautiful natural wonders. As a lover of all these things, Meersburg was the perfect way to end my last trip in Germany.
I hope this inspired you to check out southern Germany and Lake Constance. If you are looking for more German inspiration, check out my Germany page! I really have spent quite a bit of time exploring Germany! I also still have so much more to share so stay tuned!
The Journal of Wanderlust 