Day trips from Zug Switzerland

We've spent some time in Zug and did many of the excursions you are planning. Will you have access to a car or are you planning trips by train only?

One day trip I can recommend is to go to Lake Constance (Bodensee) and visit Insel Mainau. It is only a 1h30min drive to the city. It is also enjoyable to get a ticket to ride the scenic ferries around the lake to explore the various wonderful towns on the eastern side; Lindau, Meersberg, Überlingen. While you are on the German side of the lake enjoy the relaxed and less expensive dining options!

Thank you for your suggestion. We will not have a car. Which town would you recommend we travel to? I copied this excerpt from the Lake Constance website.
On the Swiss, south-western side of the lake, the noteworthy settlements include Romanshorn, Arbon and Rorschach with their delightful old towns, as well as picturesque townships on the Untersee (Lower Lake) such as Gottlieben, Ermatingen and Stein am Rhein.

Also wondering if we could combine it with a stop in Appenzall and spend the night on Lake Constance
Any thoughts on that?

I looked on the SBB.ch website and saw that it takes 2 h with one change to get from Zug to Konstanz by train. While Konstanz isn't my favorite town it is an excellent link to going from the train station to the harbor and using the extensive ferry system to explore several of the cities on the other side of the lake. You can buy a "hop on hop off" type of ticket for the ferry.

I don't know anything about the smaller Swiss towns on the southwestern side of the lake but I do know that with the Alps in the background, the views from the German/Austrian side of the lake are better AND the cost of eating in a non Swiss country will be less expensive.

I only see one town, Romanshorn, that has a ferry to the opposite shore connecting it with Friedrichshafen, a big town which has an interesting Zeppelin museum. My favorite towns to explore are Lindau, Meersburg and Überlingen all easily reached from the Konstanz ferries.

If you are going to still be in Switzerland on August 1, enjoy a local celebration and fireworks for Swiss National Day. From our balcony in Zug we could fireworks around the lake at various towns on July 31 and Zug had outdoor music and food down by the lake on the 1st.

are there any children in your group?

As far as towns on Lake Constance - our favorites were Meersburg and Lindau. On the swiss side we weren't too impressed with Arbon or Romanshorn, but Stein am Rhein is very picturesque although the lake there is more like a river. Constance itself is also very nice.

No children in our group.

Thank you all for sharing your experiences!

No children in our group.

Thank you all for sharing your experiences!

We are planning to have the Swiss pass to use for travel. If going to Konstanz in Germany how would this work? Would we need to take a train to a Swiss town instead of going directly to Konstanz and then purchase a ticket from there to Konstanz? Or maybe they are close enough that we could take a ferry?

The Swiss Pass may be valid for Konstanz, ask at any Swiss train station. Otherwise it's only a 30 minute walk along the lake from Kreuzlingen Hafen (Switzerland).
To go to Lindau, you could also take the boat from Rorschach and your Swiss Pass probably also covers this ride.

Thank you!

What are your thoughts on an overnight trip to Lausanne? We are trying to decide if we will see enough lakes without making that trip or if it's a must see

The most fabulous lake, with all sorts of terrific things to do, Lake Lucerne, the Vierwaldstättersee, is just a very short journey from Zug.