Konstanz am Bodensee
„Wenn ich denn See seh’, brauch’ ich kein Meer mehr."
Konstanz is the biggest town at the Lake of Constance (Bodensee) and even a lot of Germans go there to spend their vacation or a long weekend.
The lake, Bodensee, is the border of three countries: Germany 
Switzerland 
and Austria 
Konstanz is in Germany, but especially close to Switzerland. From the old town of Konstanz, you can basically walk to Switzerland. Konstanz indeed grew together with the Swiss town Kreuzlingen over the years and from the air you can’t even see a boarder. The old town is still originally medieval and very picturesque as it never got destroyed (in a lot of bigger German cities the houses had to be rebuilt after world war II).
The water of the lake is beautiful and clear so everyone goes swimming in summer, rents a kayak, a stand-up-paddle boat, etc.:
In winter the Christmas Market in Konstanz is incredibly beautiful, with all the lights reflecting in the water of the lake. Depending on the weather you can even go ice skating on some parts of the lake!
Also, you can do a lot of day trips from Konstanz, for example to:
-
Meersburg Take the ferry
to cross the lake to discover the old medieval castle 
and the lovely houses that surround it. The castle shows you how kings and knights and their families lived back in the days and you have an amazing view over the lake. Also, you can wander through vineyards and try the local wine together with some Flammkuchen. - Islands of Mainau, Reichenau and Lindau. There’s three islands: Mainau, the flower island, which belongs to the royal family of Sweden (looong story). Reichenau, the vegetable island, where you find lots of agriculture, wine and the best sunset spot. Lindau, the city island, as the old town of Lindau is on the island.
-
Zürich, Switzerland As I mentioned, Konstanz is right at the boarder to Switzerland, which is very expensive, as we all know. So why not stay in (the cheaper) Konstanz, while spending a day in Zurich? It’s less than 1 hour by train or car.
-
Bregenz, Austria You feel like finding out how big Bodensee (lake of constance) really is? Take a boat to the other end to find out. It will take you to the Austrian city of Bregenz where you can try some Austrian dishes, too.
