Bodensee/Lake Constance

My favorite towns to base in are Lindau, Überlingen and Meersburg. All three have good ferry transportation and this seems to be a feature that doesn’t show up in your list of things to do. In your case (traveling with Dad and Aunt) I might not base in Meersburg because of its steep climbs to the upper and lower town where the ferry dock is located.

Koblenz and Bregenz are my least two attractive towns but they do have their reasons to visit, just not to base there.

We stayed/based from a Ferienwohnung/apartment above the Bodensee just to the west of Meersburg across from Mainau. This was a really nice location. Meersburg is/can turn into a big tourist destination, but many nice restaurants and local along the lake. The walk to Meersburg from the ferry parking place is relatively flat, provided you can get a space. The ferry to Konstanz can include the bus fare to/from and around Konstanz. I think a day trip to Konstanz is enough. Off the beaten path inland a bit is Heiligenberg. The Schloss is not open to the public, but it is an interesting area good for a peak, a walk and a coffee. Lots of apples.

Might be going back here myself in September. Überlingen and Meersburg are fairly central, the former slightly larger. Meersburg is a good base if you are thinking of taking a lunch/dinner cruise, or both (though I'm not sure how frequent they are that time of year). It's a good area for hiking, if that grabs your interest. I did not see the stilt houses but Reichenau is a UNESCO site and is nice and easy to walk around. I really liked Mainau. As mentioned above, worth visiting are Überlingen, Meersburg and Lindau. On the Swiss side, Schaffhausen/Rhine Falls/Stein am Rhein (very pretty). Bregenz is kind of too much out of the way as a base, Konstanz too big for my tastes. St Gallen has a nice old town area, cathedral and library.

If you are interested in religious buildings, on top of Reichenau and St Gallen. Not usually identified with Switzerland, a fairly flat drive in a pastoral setting to the Ittingen Monastery. On the German side, Kloster Birnau near Überlingen. A quick drive up the hill from Meersburg are Salem Monastery and Palace. A bit further are parts of the Upper Swabian Baroque Road.

I stayed in Meersburg and very much enjoyed it. As Mona noted, though, there is a big elevation difference the upper town and the lower town. A steep paved road or a large number of steps get you from one to other. I thought Lindau was lovely and enjoyed a day trip there (ferry ride there, train & bus back to Meersburg).

I would base in Meersburg if everyone's in good shape (the altstadt is the upper town, and it's lovely) or Lindau for the atmosphere, or perhaps Konstanz for convenience. .

The only arguments toward Bregenz would be the performing arts center on the lake (including the Seebuhne, if it is in operation), and a CERN scientific facility somewhere around there that I've read books up each day they open limited capacity tours. But those with STEM students in the family might want to look into that.

Tim I think that’s too early for the outdoor lake opera in Bregenz. We’ve been twice and both times it started in mid July.

Edit: here’s a link to the webcam so you can see the set being built on the water for this summer’s production, Rigoletto.

https://bregenzerfestspiele.com/en/webcam

There are great biking routes in Germany and especially in the area around the Bodensee. I would suggest you try some riding at least once. It is no problem if you havent done bmx so far, as the possible routes are quite easy to manage and yet offer stunning views around Bodensee. But if you are a newbie and decide to give BMX a try when you are in Germany, be sure to check out a community which specializes on BMX such as this one.

HI Susan

We home based in konstanz and liked it very much. We took a day trip to Meersburg and enjoyed walking around town and tasting wine and eating at State run wine center.

Mainau is very nice, and the old town in Konstanz was very worthwhile with a nice lakeside waterfront. Went to sea life and archeology museums.

Stayed at Hotel Halm -highly recommend, classy old hotel, good food and close to all.

Wanted to boat trip Lindau but did not make it

Mike
DC

The gardens on the island of Mainau https://www.mainau.de/en/ are extensive, beautiful and there is a good reason why they are so popular.