Lake Constance is the largest lake in Germany and Austria.
Its blue-green, shimmering shores, fed by the Alpine Rhine, border Germany, Austria, and Switzerland.
Lake Constance offers an impressive Alpine panorama. In hazy conditions, however, when the opposite shore disappears into grey, its vast surface area of 536 km² and depths of up to 251 metres make it feel almost like an open sea.
Lake Constance is not an untouched natural body of water, but a carefully managed, cultivated system with extensively developed shores. As enthusiastic hikers, we noticed this clearly in the frequent interruptions along the shoreline. Still, the view into the distance is unparalleled—though sometimes you might not feel like turning around.r umdrehen mag man sich manchmal nicht.
Our holiday apartment in Friedrichshafen was just 4 km from Lake Constance. Throughout December, we stayed in the cozy ground-floor apartment of our wonderful host, Nadine. Friedrichshafen is situated roughly in the middle of the German side of the lake, right on the shoreline.
For us, it was the perfect base for exploring the surrounding area. The three-room apartment has a garden, its own 30 m² sun terrace, and was absolutely spotless when we arrived. If you’re interested, we’d be happy to put you in touch with the host.
The Christmas markets around Lake Constance are among the most beautiful in the world! We can hardly imagine a better place to spend the Advent season.
Our three favorite markets are the huge Konstanz Christmas Market by the lake, the cozy Lindau Harbour Christmas, and the Austrian Bregenz Christmas Market.
All of them rank among the most beautiful Christmas markets we’ve ever visited. The Konstanz market, for example, was so large that we couldn’t manage to explore all its corners and winding paths.
White Christmas at Lake Constance!
There was plenty of snow, so we often headed into the higher forests for long hikes through deep snow, with spectacular views over the lake.
The area around the 750-meter-high Gehrenberg was our favorite spot for extended snow hikes.
The extraordinary friendliness of the people stood out to me especially during our walks in the Lake Constance region with our dogs.
Having spent a month just before that in the northern Lüneburg Heath, the difference in mentality felt almost like a culture shock.
Neighbors, passersby, and other dog owners greeted us warmly everywhere and eagerly struck up the nicest conversations. No one minded that our dogs accompanied us off-leash for most of the day, on the contrary, they were warmly welcomed, and we met many free-roaming playmates. For us, this is by far the friendliest region we have encountered in our home country.
Walks along the shores of Lake Constance are short and intersected by narrow, sometimes heavily fenced paths designed to protect private waterfront property from pedestrians.
Unfortunately, this is common at large Central European lakes. In winter, it’s quite interesting and acceptable, but during peak season with a dog among countless bathers, it’s much less so.
We found the immediate hinterland of Lake Constance to be heavily shaped by industrial agriculture. Large-scale fruit cultivation clearly dominates the landscape.
Consequently, walking opportunities directly from the house were either limited, road-heavy, or in some places almost nonexistent. On the other hand, the lake shore and dense mountain forests were only about a ten-minute drive away. By no means are we complaining!
Covid-19 brought our trip to an end!
Our numerous Christmas market visits likely led to our very first coronavirus infection, which for me resulted in an outpatient hospital visit. The virus not only confined me to bed for four weeks but, by the third day after onset, began affecting my eyes, causing constant flashes and shadows, severe vision problems, and intense eye pain.
Fortunately, the suspected retinal detachment was ruled out. Nevertheless, we cannot remember ever feeling so sick and weak.
This also meant that many planned excursions in the region, including boat trips and cross-border visits, could no longer take place. Despite this, we very much enjoyed our stay and wholeheartedly recommend Lake Constance with a dog, especially during the Christmas season.
Follow Up
Our apartment in Friedrichshafen
Our favorite Places near Lake Constance
