Looking for 2 base Cities for Biking at Lake Constance and Onward Travel to France
 

After a week of hiking parts of the Lechweg with my daughter, my husband and I will arrive at Lake Constance the 3rd week in August. Rather than an organized bike tour (we generally use radreisen), we’ve decided to base in 2 cities for about 3 nights each, renting bikes and doing some nice rides. I’m thinking one should be Konstanz but not sure which city would work well for a 2nd base for a change of scenery. Hoping to keep nightly cost under $200. Any suggestions?

Afterwards I’m looking for another destination en route to Lyon for our flight home. We’re looking to spend 4-5 days in one spot, using trains to move around. This part of the trip will be more relaxed - we love to walk, visit historical sites, parks, museums, and of course food.

We’ve recently visited Strasbourg/Alsace, Paris and Bordeaux, as well as Honfleur and Lille. Have also been to Dijon/Beaune. We’ll spend the last 2-3 nights in Lyon (have also been) with a day trip to Annecy. I’ve been reading through the forums and Nancy seems like a good fit? We’re looking for less crowds and less expensive cities (main reason we don’t stop in Switzerland).

Appreciate any suggestions and accommodations that you can recommend!

LindauCycled the lake once and have family nearby, Lindau is fine.

I can't remember exactly where the Zeppelin museum is but I enjoyed my visit.

The Zeppein musum is at Friedrichshafen.
Other gems in the area:
Medieval Meersburg
Prehistoric Lake Dwellings at Unteruhldingen,
Cathedral and medieval center of St. Gallen
Viewpoint Pfaender
Appenzell
Reichanau Island
medieval Engen
Stein am Rhein
Shaffhausen and Rhine Falls

if you want to do a detour up to Lorraine (Nancy) in order to avoid Switzerland, you may pay more than for a direct ride through Switherland. Today a one day railpass for all Switzerland (Bernina and Zermatt included) valid in May costs for example 50 EUR/pax.
If you rent your bikes at a Swiss railway station along Lake Constance, you can give them back at a Swiss railway station along Lake Geneva.or anywhere in Switzerland.

Thank you! All the towns look charming, but not having visited, it’s hard to choose. The location on the other end makes good sense.

As Necker says Friedrichshafen is good. Both are of a type with tea rooms trains and ferries. Bregenz is less good at that end.

Thank you for your suggestions. I’ll also look into Friedrichshafen. The train pass is an excellent deal but I don’t think it’ll offset accommodations prices, which I’m finding to be high. From what I recall, dining was also more expensive.

Nancy is about 5 hours train ride which is about max I’d like to consider. I’m not set on Nancy but does seem to match the type of place I’m looking for, including nice weather. I really want to visit Aix, but prefer to avoid the summer heat.

Thanks so much for the suggestions- I’ll also check out Friedrichshafen. I need to look into the rail pass - very good price and how easy the Swiss make it for bike rentals! I would certainly spend more time in Switzerland but it’s tough on the budget.

Still not certain on Nancy but it does look tempting. I strongly considered Aix but I think I’ll save it for a cooler, less crowded month.

Not sure what’s going on with seemingly lost comments? I’m seeing a pattern of people posting twice, not seeing their first try post. I posted earlier and haven’t seen it since so hopefully I haven’t duplicated.

You could head to Geneva by train, rent bikes again and continue to Lyon along the ViaRhona. It would probably mean some shuffling back and forth by train to return the bikes to the original rental spot, but the ViaRhona web site is useful for finding rentals as well as accommodation. Depends if you have already seen and enjoyed places like Chanaz, Aix-les-Bains, the Grottes de la Balme, Pérouges…

Have seen none of these places and they look fascinating. We’ll likely trade biking for walking after we leave Lake Constance. Considering adding a couple more nights to Lyon and doing extra day trips. Still have some nights to decide on - very hard to choose. Thank you!

From the Chanaz area, you can hike up Grand Colombier - - I think the train station is Bugey.

Or there is good hiking in the Pilat park. They do have info on the hikes in English, but it seems the info about getting to the trailheads by punlic transit is only in French

https://www.pilat-tourisme.fr/pratiq...r-sans-voiture

Another destination about an hour away by train is Tain L'Hermitage. Good walks in the immediate area, wine tasting and some great restaurants.
https://www.ardeche-hermitage.com/en...non-sur-rhone/

Meersburg for sure should be one of them

For your first base city for biking at Lake Constance, Konstanz is a great choice as it's a lovely town with a historic old town, plenty of restaurants and cafes, and easy access to bike rental shops. For your second base city, I recommend Friedrichshafen, which is located on the northern shore of Lake Constance and has a beautiful waterfront promenade and numerous museums, including the Zeppelin Museum. Friedrichshafen also has good transportation connections, making it easy to access nearby towns and attractions.

As for your onward travel to France, Nancy is definitely a great option to consider. It's a beautiful city with a rich history, stunning architecture, and plenty of cultural attractions to explore. Other cities you might consider include Metz, which is also known for its beautiful architecture and historical sites, or Strasbourg, which has a charming old town and is located near the border with Germany.

In terms of accommodations, you might consider looking at Airbnb or vacation rental options as they can often provide more space and amenities for a lower price than traditional hotels. Additionally, many smaller towns and villages along your route may have cozy bed and breakfasts or guesthouses that could be worth exploring. Finally, for transportation, consider using regional trains as they can often be more affordable than high-speed trains and can offer a more scenic route through the countryside.

Such good suggestions, and yay a vote for Nancy (we visited Strasbourg in 2021). We’ll certainly visit Meersburg while biking-looks fantastic! I’ve booked Hotel Alte Poste for Konstanz but after that would very much like to look at rentals- I’ll be on the road for 3 weeks and a washer will be great. If anyone has any specific places to recommend in Friedrichshafen, Nancy, or Lyon, I’d greatly appreciate it. My favorite Airbnb ever was in Lyon, sadly no longer available.

I suppose you know that Friedrichshafen ist 50 min by fast ferry (daily from 6am until 7 pm) and 1 1/2 hrs by slow ferry (from 9am until 7pm) from Konstanz.
By bike, it would make more sense to use the Konstanz - Meebrsurg ferry (every 15-20 min from 6am until 9pm) and to do the last 10 miles by bike.
BTW: I suppose you know that for the price you pay at the Alte Post at Konstanz, you could stay at many places in the Swiss hinterland of Lake Caonstance too.

I’m not opposed to basing in Konstanz the entire time, but figured we’d spend less time on the ferry and get around the lake a bit more. Any particular suggestions on rentals welcome. I tend to agonize over all the choices for some odd reason.