A bestselling author, a fisherman, a photographer who is particularly familiar with the area by profession, a ferry captain, all of whom have close ties to sailing, and several respected water sports experts - they all revealed their personal favourites to YACHT: the most beautiful moorings and anchorages on the lake, the best excursion destinations, the top culinary addresses, the peculiarities of the sailing conditions and much more.
The result is a potpourri of individual insider tips from very different perspectives that you won't find in every travel or cruising guide.
HOLGER SPIERING, photographer from Überlingen. He spent eight years exploring the most beautiful corners of the lake for his photo book:
"The Altenrhein, this marvellous, willow-lined estuary of the unstraightened old course of the Rhine into the lake, lies opposite the Rheinspitz nature reserve. The sensational view from the Rheinhof marina can be skilfully combined with a visit to the small restaurant on the waterfront. It is characteristically called 'Paradiesli'. The 350-place marina is accessed via a dredged channel. A drawbridge must be passed in front of the harbour, which the harbour master opens on a horn signal - but between 8 p.m. and 8 a.m., the skipper can pull the chain himself."
NILS THEURER, YACHT author and sea veteran. He is also the source of the tips not labelled by name below:
"Directly from the jetty for a coffee, ice cream or shopping - Überlingen makes it possible. The two six spaces on short finger piers are intended as short-term car parks, overnight stays are not permitted and, due to the exposed location, are only appropriate in calm weather. The town has succeeded in revitalising the historic 'Greth' granary: two restaurants, several shops and a cinema behind the almost two-metre-thick walls. However, a certain degree of manoeuvring safety is advisable, as every mooring and casting off is observed - and commented on - by a large crowd of spectators on the promenade."
HEINZ UNGLERT, long-time water police officer and skipper of a Dragonfly 800 trimaran:
"One of the most beautiful spots is no longer an insider tip, the Haltnau winery on the northern shore of the lake between Meersburg and the wine village of Hagnau. Here you can moor your boat comfortably and safely directly on the jetty of the pub in front of the stern anchor. It is only advisable to use the nearby harbours if the swell is heavy. A great spot on a balmy summer evening. You can spend the night anchored below the Bodanrück between Bodman and Wallhausen in Lake Überlingen. You'll certainly be among your own kind here and should therefore have stocked up on provisions. My tip for spending the night in the east is the small harbour of Lindau-Zech; I like the club restaurant in the Lindau sailing harbour. If a thunderstorm threatens, BMK and Meichle + Mohr on both sides of the Argen estuary are like a pearl in a shell."
RUEDI SCHELLENBERG, President of the Lake Constance Sailing Association from Romanshorn, owner of a Hallberg-Rassy 29:
"I particularly like the 'Löchle', which is completely unknown in many places, at the very end of Lake Überlingen between Bodman and Ludwigshafen, the small, informal natural harbour of the Stockach yacht club. It offers the infrastructure of a water hiking rest area: toilets, electricity, water and a barbecue area. There is not much else in the nature reserve, but there is plenty of peace and quiet. One special feature is the club's explicit request to use the engine as little as possible when manoeuvring, as the members have enough to contend with when it comes to mud. As not even a refuse collection vehicle can drive into the harbour, you take your own back with you. My Hallberg-Rassy doesn't have that much draught, 1.60 metres, and usually gets in quite well. But I like the contrast just as much, the bigger cities like Constance - also because of my wife, who likes shopping in the shops there, especially as it's not far from the yacht club."
ULI VON MÜHLEN, former harbour master of the nautical service of Schule Schloss Salem and co-owner of an impressive, well-kept nautical cruiser:
"If you want to eat and drink well, first go to the Pfänder, Bregenz's local mountain. Or take the cable car for 6.10 euros. And then head south over the Gebhardsberg - also a good place to stop for a bite to eat! - to Fluh. And there to the 'Möth' - a former butcher who cultivates and grows wine on the Pfänder. The snack is excellent. You sit wonderfully in a wine arbour. I also appreciate the 'Goldener Hirsch' in Bregenz and its excellent boiled meat, which by no means only attracts tourists. Not in the mood for crowds of visitors? Then I recommend Nonnenhorn, where nobody gets lost! And there's a great wine tavern."
HARALD THIERER, Managing Director of Match Centre Germany in Langenargen:
"I recommend two places. One is Bad Horn, the small hotel. Because it has a wonderful palm garden, a kitchen with lots of Lake Constance fish and an Italian influence, as well as its own jetty, where I love to moor my Bavaria 35 Match. The second tip is Bregenz with its famous lake stage. You can easily walk from the marina into the town, where many younger people meet. There is a Mexican restaurant directly opposite the railway harbour that is well worth a visit. In the adjacent pedestrianised area there are a number of great bars for a drink afterwards. But don't stay too long: early in the morning, the Rhine valley blows, which you should take advantage of to continue your journey."
JOCHEN FRIK, boat builder and sailmaker at Segelmanufactur in Friedrichshafen, owner of the 101-year-old special class yacht "Wolkuse":
"Magically, but also thermally - due to the local wind phenomenon, popularly known as 'Pfänderfürzchen' - I am always drawn to the Harder Bucht, especially because my special class has its strengths in the spatial area and really needs this backstage breeze. In good weather, the air rises on the mountain and gives the sailors a brisk wind, which gets stronger and stronger from Langenargen to Bregenz. The journey continues in the Rhine delta, now protected from the waves behind the dam, through fragrant nature and wetlands with a variety of birds. The harbour master in Hard always helps, even when it's actually too crowded. Blue whitefish with boiled potatoes and salad, accompanied by a Grüner Veltliner, round off the day."
GABY HAUPTMANN, bestselling author ("Suche impotenten Mann fürs Leben"), lives on Untersee in Allensbach and is a keen sailor:
"On 'my' shore side, I am reluctant to reveal that the lakeside restaurant 'Leissner' in Allensbach is my absolute favourite restaurant. It's just a stone's throw away and Harry's cooking is down-to-earth and outrageously delicious. The jetty is a great place to moor (guest moorings: tel. 07533/988 48 or 0160/721 28 79), and then the island of love beckons. If you want to anchor your boat and experience a romantic sunrise, you should do it there. A tip for the next lunchtime: the 'Sandseele', the restaurant at the Reichenau campsite."
ANDREAS KNOBLAUCH, fisherman from Unteruhldingen, owner of a speciality restaurant in Überlingen:
"The Obersee simply has its charm because of its vastness, its enormous surface area. I put the nets out there six days a week in the evening and collect them again in the morning, they are up to 1.4 kilometres long. My suggestion: come as early as you can. That's when the scheduled boats aren't sailing yet and there's a unique atmosphere that I always enjoy. When you're all alone on the lake at dawn and take the promenade in front of Immenstaad, Hagnau, Meersburg and Uhldingen, even a connoisseur of the area is sometimes left speechless."
THOMAS DREXLER from Constance is constantly on the lake - as a sailor or captain of the Lake Constance shipping company:
"The beautiful city harbour of the sailing club in Lindau impresses with its great clubhouse, where you should definitely have a Weißwurst breakfast. In the nearby harbour of Lochau on the Austrian side of the lake, there is a sandy beach to relax on, an old ferry set ashore as a restaurant and a wonderful view of the nearby Alps. Even though I am on or at least near the water almost every day, the lake and its landscape always surprise me with great weather moods. This applies to sunrises as well as an approaching thunderstorm, where the whole scenery is bathed in a unique light."
Extra TIP: the pile dwellings in Unteruhldingen
Admittedly, the pile dwellings in the archaeological museum in Unteruhldingen are not a particularly original destination. But it is still worth a mention. The exhibition has changed from a stuffy display with flat effects during the guided tours to a diverse and lively network of different aspects of the Stone Age. In just under an hour, visitors are given a vivid and interesting insight into what life must have been like thousands of years ago. Admission costs 7 euros, the family ticket 19.50 euros.
