Lindau: Lake Constance, Nature and Culture
Accommodation in Lindau
Lindau combines striking buildings and stories with nature experiences and regional trails. In Lindau, the New Lighthouse is 33 metres tall; 139 steps lead to the top. The Diebsturm (Thieves’ Tower) also tells the story of the town: built in 1380 on Lindau Island, the tower long marked the western end of the town’s fortifications. Anyone interested in historic places will find both a landmark visible from afar and part of the town’s former defences.
Enjoy nature and choose your routes
In the Eistobel nature reserve, the waters of the Obere Argen cascade downhill over several waterfalls. A three-kilometre hiking trail runs alongside the stream; a visitor pavilion provides information before visitors descend into the gorge. The Rohrach Gorge offers a different landscape. It is the largest nature reserve in the district of Lindau and provides habitats for rare animals and plants, with wet and hay meadows, springs, rocky areas and open land. If you would like to include nature destinations in your trip, consider these two areas for contrasting experiences: waterfalls and a downhill trail in one, diverse habitats in the other.
For a cycling trip, the Panorama Cycle Route on Lake Constance near Lindau offers views of particularly beautiful spots along the lake and in higher-lying areas. A cycling map of the district of Lindau, at a scale of 1:50,000, shows the entire cycling network, including circular routes and long-distance cycle routes, and covers the Westallgäu as far as Lake Constance. This makes it easy to see the wider cycling area on a single map. A newly built walking and cycling path also runs from Lindenberg Im Allgäu via Röthenbach to Weiler.
Cultural attractions and special discoveries
In Wasserburg, the museum in the Malhaus was built in 1596; today it hosts changing exhibitions. In Nonnenhorn, the Gothic St. James’s Chapel dates from the 13th century. It is located in the town centre on the old pilgrimage route. Nonnenhorn is also home to a wine press dating from 1591. These places offer different points of interest for an excursion focused on architectural history, local history and changing exhibitions.
The Plenterwaldweg trail in Scheidegg offers another way to explore the landscape and how it is used. It runs from Kurhaus Scheidegg to just before the entrance to Waldwelt Skywalk Allgäu and shares information about the Plenterwald forest at nine stations. In Maierhöfen, an approximately five-kilometre circular trail passes 17 sculptures and 12 text panels. The works were created by artists at a symposium and donated to Maierhöfen for permanent display. If you would rather plan a winter activity, Gestratz has a total of eight kilometres of groomed trails for Nordic skiing.
Travel connections, regional products and choosing a place to stay
From the landing stage in Nonnenhorn, boat services run to Lindau, Bregenz, Meersburg, Konstanz and Mainau Island. The town also has a centrally located train station. If boat connections or a train station are important to your travel plans, these features may help you choose where to stay. The boat destinations offer a range of ideas for excursions, but do not form a single circular route.
There are different ways to discover regional production: at a distillery in Opfenbach, visitors can see the stages of the process, from fruit processing to the finished schnapps ready for sale. The Allgäu Cheese Route in the district of Lindau connects various dairies, direct sellers and farm shops. This offers visitors a chance to explore both fruit processing and the variety of regional cheese producers and sales outlets.
More town pages: Stiefenhofen, Weißensberg, Weiler-Simmerberg, Sigmarszell, Bodolz, Heimenkirch, Hergatz and Argental.
For the broader travel overview: Bavaria.
