Under the gentle autumn sun, looking out across the lake, I’m sipping a tart, refreshing apple-secco. This effervescent drink echoes prosecco, but is produced from apples instead of grapes. I try a few cinnamon-dusted apple chips, then advance to the potent stuff: liquor created from historic apple types.
If it escaped notice, apples are huge enterprise in this locality. I’m hiking along the shores of Lake Constance, on Germany’s south border. Roughly 250,000 tonnes of apples are harvested in this region every year. Our journey coincided with the yearly gourmet event, when regional producers establish stalls and display their goods along 9 miles of the SeeGang hiking trail between Überlingen, Sipplingen, and Bodman-Ludwigshafen. If apples aren’t your jam, there’s also pear sparkling wine and spirits distilled from an assortment from plums, cherries, and blackcurrants to Jerusalem artichokes. Walkers can also try food such as smoked sausages, cheeses, onion tarts, and artisanal cakes and pies.
Four Countries – Shared Shoreline
Lake Constance’s tourism motto is: “Four countries – one lake”. Germany, Austria, and Switzerland all meet at the lake, while Liechtenstein is just a half-hour drive away. On our short break, we stuck to the German section, but those with longer stays could easily visit three or four countries. There is a 160-mile cycling circuit around the lake, which can be divided into four to eight stages; and seven-day foodie, active, and highlights itineraries, all manageable using public transport. Special travel passes offer endless travel on trains, buses, and ferries, while deluxe options also include entry to many attractions.
Discovering Constance
We started our trip in Konstanz, the major city on the lake. We participated in a guided tour to learn about the city’s long history – most notably the Council of Constance of 1414-1418, a series of meetings to address years of schism within the Catholic church – and visit its icons: the council building itself; Imperia, a controversial rotating waterfront statue; the church and its steeple with views over the city, lake, and mountains; and the charming Niederburg district, with its historic alleyways and houses from the late Middle Ages.
While the sun was shining, we ate outside by the water at a traditional inn in a former officers’ mess. As well as robust meat dishes such as knuckle of pork and beef roulade, we were delighted to find delicious vegan versions of regional dishes. Maultaschen, usually meat-filled dumplings, were made with plant-based mince and served with potato and cucumber salad and vegetable gravy.
We were starting to tire when we heard the rousing sound of an oompah band. Heading towards the music, we emerged at a picture-perfect mountain inn
When it drizzled, we took refuge in a brewery and restaurant in a medieval building. Alongside its core menu of sausages, schnitzels, and Swabian specialities such as käsespätzle, it serves time-limited dishes. The pumpkin soup with giant pretzels was proving popular; this autumn there is a chanterelle mushroom menu. We tried the malty Copper beer; later in the year, a dark, strong seasonal brew will be available.
Feasting and Exploration
After all this pleasure, it was time to walk to our campsite, nearly 19km around the lake. Just outside the city, we reached appealing thermal baths, with indoor and outdoor pools, saunas, and steam rooms. We pressed on and passed Mainau, known as the flower island. In September, the dahlias are in full bloom and the katsura trees give off scents of gingerbread and caramel; the arboretum is at its autumn-color peak in October.
We left the lake and headed a little way into the countryside, walking through meadows and climbing a couple of hills, before walking through the lakeside village of Dingelsdorf to the campsite just beyond. The nights were getting chilly, so we were glad to be staying in a warm sleeping barrel rather than a tent. These wooden structures are reportedly based on historical accommodation – but presumably a lot warmer and cleaner. The campsite has a cafe, sells fresh bread in the mornings, and hosts a market on Fridays. A nearby restaurant serves local dishes plus pizza and pasta, in a modern space with a vaulted ceiling.
Gourmet Hiking and Picturesque Views
The next morning, we took a boat from Dingelsdorf harbor across the lake to Überlingen, a town with a medieval quarter and the longest promenade on the lake. This was the start of our gourmet walk – shorter but more challenging – traversing ravines, forests, and, of course, orchards. A particularly memorable stop was at a viewpoint where a winery was serving wine and snacks to accompany the breathtaking lake panorama.
Beyond Sipplingen, we were starting to tire when we heard the rousing sound of an oompah band. We headed towards the music and emerged at a mountain inn whose sun terrace has views all the way to the Alps. Fortified by more excellent German beer, it was a short hop to our journey’s end, a lakeside hotel with a heated outdoor pool and saunas—a perfect place to relax after a hike. The restaurant serves pike and char fish alongside pork cheeks and steaks, and more excellent vegetarian options such as panzerotti stuffed with porcini and truffles.
We’d packed a lot in, but there was so much left to see: the island old town of Lindau; the Middle Ages castle at Meersburg; the Zeppelin city of Friedrichshafen. And that’s without even leaving Germany. We’re going to need more apple-secco …
