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Bodensee Area as a Base for Visiting Black Forest and Wineries

We are traveling to Bavaria in May,2019, and have never been to the area around the Bodensee area. It appears that there are many wineries nearby and easy access to the Black Forest by car. Thanks for any comments and suggestions for staying 3 nights in Lindau or any other city on the lake that would serve as a good base for this area.

Dave Thomasson
Webster Groves, Missouri

Posted by
3938 posts

The most concentrated area for wineries and convenience of driving to the Black Forest IMOP would be the scenic resort town of Überlingen. The town of Meersburg just a 15 minute drive away has many wineries and tasting rooms. Überlingen is about an hours drive from the little towns in the Black Forest and about a 45 minute drive or train ride to the scenic Bavarian town of Lindau. Überlingen also has 3-4 ferry lines to carry you to other attractions around and across the lake such as the flower bedecked Mainau Insel. Check it out on a map and google images.

Posted by
2308 posts

The page of the Badischer Winzerverband has some links to the best known wineries in the Bodensee area. I can recommend from personal experience that one of Schloss Salem. In the adjecent Hotel and restaurant "Schwanen" you can taste the wines.

Posted by
3938 posts

If you do stay in Überlingen and drive to either Salem or Meersburg stop for a little while in the little village of Deisendorf where we saw about 20+ nesting storks on roofs and trees this summer. There is a nearby feeding park for storks too, Affenberg-Salem, but we enjoyed seeing them in this quiet little village. There is one restaurant attached to a hotel in the town and you can sit on their patio and watch a couple of nests, hear the storks clattering and watch them flying in the thermals.

Posted by
1542 posts

Meersburg is the best spot for me, with a side trip to Lindau on the way. You only have two full days, the main concentration of wineries in the Black Forest are on the western side, too far for me to drive from Bodensee. There is a wine culture of it's own around Bodensee itself: https://www.bodensee.eu/wine-region

Mainau, for sure, and Reichenau are well worth a visit. The latter has vineyards of it's own, easy to walk or cycle around. The promenade in Uberlingen is pleasant. Your two days are up.

Posted by
3809 posts

I can't comment much on wineries, but a friend and I enjoyed a stay in Meersburg, which has a medieval castle, a nice promenade, and a variety of other things to see like religious frescoes from the 1600's inside an old Dominican convent that has been turned into a Bible museum. We also took a very enjoyable day trip to Lindau by boat with a return by train/bus, as well as a trip to see the flowers at Insel Mainau. I haven't been to Überlingen, but it looks like a fine town, too. Überlingen would save you about 30 minutes round trip on a drive into the Black Forest, though I think you can find plenty of things on Bodensee to keep you busy for three days.

Posted by
3049 posts

The Bodensee is a wonderful area often overlooked by American tourists - but not by German tourists. Wherever you choose, I'd book as soon as possible.

I've stayed in Lindau and Meersburg and loved them both. Lindau feels more Mediterranean and is very elegant and charming. Meersburg has an old city on the hill (above the lake) with a castle and feels a little more traditionally German. Meersburg is closer to the southern Black Forest but it's a significant (although scenic) drive from anywhere on the lake.

There are wineries along the lake itself, or for a long day trip into the Black Forest you could visit the very famous wineries of Baden, particularly this one hillside that is just across the border with France that is famous for being the sunniest part of Germany. The wines from that specific area are very well renowned but I can't remember the name at this moment.

As for things to do, aside from exploring Meersburg and Lindau (whichever you stay in, you should visit the other), there's the Zeppelin museum in Friedrichshafen, Mainau island, beautiful swimming beaches in various places if the weather agrees, a historic abbey, and a bit further away the Rhrine Falls in Swtizerland.

Posted by
76 posts

Thank you all so much. We really appreciate you taking the time to provide your comments and suggestions. We definitely will travel to the Bodensee. May have to add another day to our stay. Safe travels to all.

Posted by
2308 posts

this one hillside that is just across the border with France that is famous for being the sunniest part of Germany. The wines from that specific area are very well renowned but I can't remember the name at this moment.

Kaiserstuhl. Same quality as in Alsace, half price.... ;)

Posted by
3049 posts

Kaiserstuhl. Same quality as in Alsace, half price.... ;)

That's where I was thinking of! OP, it's definitely worth a visit if you like wine!

Posted by
1542 posts

There is so much to see and do around Bodensee, a two plus hour drive (being generous) to the Kaiserstuhl area is pushing it a bit. If you do decide on it, Endingen is a pleasant market town. Staufen, to the south of Endingen, is a very pretty village.