4 Best Hotels in Überlingen, The Bodensee

This stately hotel with a charming 19th-century villa annex is both on the lake and in town, with oak-floor modern rooms done in crisp white with small bursts of color. Try to get a room looking toward the park and the lake, though these are a bit more expensive. The restaurant is furnished in airy Mediterranean style, and the food is a lighter version of local Swabian cuisine.

This unpretentious, rustic country inn in a village a few miles northeast of Überlingen has a blue-and-white half-timber facade, scrubbed wooden floors, maple-wood tables, and thick down comforters on the beds. There are also 10 apartments in a separate house for families at very affordable rates and a large playground. The food is simple and delicious; trout is a specialty, as are several vegetarian dishes, such as potato gratin with fennel.

Parts of this family-run, half-timber hotel in a small village north of Überlingen date from the 17th century, setting a romantic tone that's further enhanced by the huge fireplace in the center of the cozy restaurant. In the modern annex you can relax on your room's balcony. An 18-hole golf course overlooking the lake is 1½ km (1 mile) away.

The charm of this vine-covered hotel in the center of town has been preserved and supplemented through time—in the hallways you'll find quaint furniture and even an old Singer sewing machine painted with flowers. The rooms are done with light, wooden Scandinavian farm furniture. Guests and Überlingen residents congregate in the comfortable taproom, where the regional and international dishes are reasonably priced. The chef prides himself on his homemade Spätzle (Swabian egg noodles). For lake views, the hotel has a second, larger building a few steps away right on the lake, complete with a terrace café.