Lake Constance: A Family Summer Playground

In the center of Europe and encompassing three countries along its shoreline, Lake Constance is a playground for traveling families. Boats take visitors between lakeside towns, where they’ll find medieval streets, an entire island devoted to flowers, Baroque castles and some surprises (from a forest of free-roaming Barbary Apes to the world’s largest floating concert stage.)

On a single day, kids can add three countries to their been-there lists. Overlooking the lake on the German shore, Meersburg is a medieval town with winding, stone-paved streets and a lakeside castle. In Konstanz, the lake’s largest city, all ages will delight in the garden island of Mainau, where more than 12,000 rose plants fill the air with fragrance all summer, and the gardens are fringed by palm and citrus trees.

Kids will find a giant butterfly house, an insect garden; treasure hunt; and three playgrounds: Waterworld, Blumis Shoreline and Dwarf Village. Children up to age 12 are admitted free.

The charming Swiss city of St. Gallen is a UNESCO World Heritage site, with a magnificent cathedral and St. Gallen Abbey, known for its Baroque library. In Austria, Bregenz has a more contemporary feel, with a modern architectural landscape and lots of lively cafés and restaurants. The annual Bregenzer Festspiele is a music festival with performances in the lake, on the world’s largest floating stage.

At Pile Dwellings of Unteruhldingen, on the German shore, families can learn about earlier towns along the lake in a Prehistoric Open-Air Museum, where dwellings representing both Stone Age and Late Bronze Age have been replicated in the lake.

Beyond all the cultural and historical features, Lake Constance is all about water sports and leisure activities. Lakeside resorts and public facilities feature canoeing, kayaking, stand-up paddling, sailing, wind-surfing and water parks, as well as pools and beaches for swimming.

Hiking paths ring the lake and extend into the surrounding forested hills, and landing places allow for canoe/hiking adventures. Sign-posted trails called Bodensee LandGänge and SeeGang lead along the shore and through vineyards and hillside orchards or to higher points with breathtaking views of the Swiss Alps.