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Voykit pocket guide · Germany
Überlingen
Give Überlingen one full day and one night: old town and lakeside promenade on foot, spa or a boat in the afternoon, then move on.
Überlingen is a small lakeside town of about 23,000 people on the north shore of Lake Constance, between Meersburg and Friedrichshafen. The old town, wall remains and promenade fit into a half day on foot; the spa, the Goldbacher Stollen and boat or bike trips along the lake fill a second. It works as a quiet base for the western Bodensee rather than a destination in itself.
- Country
- Germany
- Best months
- May–Sep
- Avoid
- Nov–Feb (grey, many lakeside places shut)
- Stay
- 1–2 nights
Checked 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change; anything marked (check) is not confirmed.
Essentials
- Currency
- EUR
- Money
- Currency is the euro (EUR). Card acceptance has improved but some bakeries, bars and small restaurants are still cash only.
- Daily spend
- Budget €60–95 excl. bed · Mid €95–160 excl. bed · High €160+ excl. bed (estimate; check)
- SIM and data
- Telekom, Vodafone and O2 are the networks; Aldi Talk, Lidl Connect and congstar resell them cheaply in supermarkets and electronics shops.
- Emergency
- Fire and ambulance 112 · Police 110 · Out-of-hours doctor 116 117
- Plugs
- Types C, F · 230 V · 50 Hz · Round two-pin plugs; UK and US devices need an adapter.
- Tipping
- Restaurant: Round up or add 5–10%; say the total you want to pay as you hand over money or card.; Bar and café: Round up to the nearest euro.; Taxi: Round up by €1–2.; Hotel housekeeping: €1–2 a night, optional.; Free walking tour: €10–15 per person.
- Water
- Tap water is safe everywhere. Restaurants usually sell bottled water; fizzy (mit Kohlensäure) is the default, ask for 'still' or 'ohne'.
- Toilets
- Station toilets cost €0.50–1.50 (Rail&Fresh WC); restaurant toilets are for customers; the 'WC' at motorway rest stops takes coins and gives a voucher.
What things cost
| Item | Price |
|---|---|
| Coffee and cake in a café | €4–8 |
| Plate of lake fish (Felchen) in a lakeside restaurant | €18–28 |
| Beer, 0.5 l | €4–6 |
| Bus ride in town | €2–3 |
| BodenseeTherme entry | €25–35 |
| Bike hire, one day | €15–25 |
Desk estimates, checked 2026-09; check locally.
Get in
By air
- ZRH · Zurich
- Rail via Winterthur and Singen; about 2–2.5 h to Überlingen
- FMM · Memmingen
- Bus or rail via Friedrichshafen; long and awkward, check connections
- STR · Stuttgart
- Rail via Ulm or Singen; about 2.5–3 h
Typical fares
- Bus 7395 Überlingen → Friedrichshafen
- about €6, 45–60 min
- Boat Meersburg → Überlingen
- about €12, 30–45 min, seasonal
- Taxi in town
- €10–18
Get around
The centre is a pedestrian zone and walkable; the town is hilly in parts. Eight local bus routes meet at the bus station by the main train stop. Three rail stops serve town (Therme, Mitte, Nußdorf) but fast IRE trains stop only at the main station. Bikes are the best way along the lake; the Bodensee cycle circuit passes through and there is a free air pump at the main station.
See and do
Known for
- Lakeside promenade and old town
- BodenseeTherme spa
- Goldbacher Stollen (WWII tunnel)
- Bodensee Rider sculpture by Peter Lenk
Day trips
| Where | How | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Meersburg | Bus 7395 along the lakeshore, or boat in season | About 30–45 min |
| Konstanz | Train via Singen, or bus and ferry via Meersburg | 1–1.5 h |
| Friedrichshafen | Bus 7395, about every 30 min on weekdays | About 45–60 min |
| Reichenau | Train to Konstanz then bus, or bike the lake circuit | 1.5–2 h |
| Mainau | Boat in season, or train and bus via Konstanz | 1.5–2 h |
Sleep
- Old town (Altstadt) and Münster
- Pedestrian streets, cafés, most hotels; walk to the promenade in 5–10 min.
- Lakeside promenade / west end
- Closest to the BodenseeTherme and the boat landing; quiet at night.
- Nußdorf
- Eastern district with the campsites; 3–4 km from the centre, bus or bike.Eastern district with the campsites; 1.9–2.5 mi from the centre, bus or bike.
- Train station / bus station area
- Practical for one night with bags; 10 min walk to the old town.
Phrase card
| English | Say or show |
|---|---|
| Hello | Hallohallo |
| Thank you | Dankedanke |
| Please | Bittebitte |
| The bill, please | Die Rechnung, bittedee rekhnung bitte |
| Can I pay by card? | Kann ich mit Karte zahlen?kan ikh mit karte tsah-len |
| Where is the boat landing? | Wo ist die Schiffsanlegestelle?vo ist dee shifs-an-leh-ge-shtel-e |
Etiquette, safety and scams
Etiquette
- Greeting: Firm handshake with eye contact; 'Guten Tag' or 'Hallo'; avoid: Hugs with people you have just met
- Names: Herr / Frau plus surname until invited to use first names; avoid: Using 'du' with officials or older strangers
- Punctuality: Arrive on time for tours, dinners and appointments; avoid: Being more than 5–10 minutes late without a message
- Queues and rules: Follow signs, wait at red lights, sort rubbish; avoid: Walking in cycle lanes
- Conversation: Direct and factual; people say what they mean; avoid: Taking directness as rudeness, or joking about the Nazi era
- Home visit: Bring flowers (odd number, not red roses) or wine; shoes off if the hosts do; avoid: Arriving early
- Paying: Say the total including tip as you pay; avoid: Leaving coins on the table and walking off
Scams and watch-outs
- The Goldbacher Stollen opens for public tours only on the first Friday of the month at 17:00: check before you plan around it.
- Parking in the centre is scarce; use the garages or the park-and-ride near the hospital.
- Many lakeside restaurants and hotels close or cut hours from November to March.
- Lake Constance weather turns fast: carry a rain layer even in summer.
Überlingen is a low-risk town; the real issues are cold water and fast weather on the lake, bikes on the promenade, and quiet unlit paths after dark.
One and two days
No timed day plan for Überlingen yet. Suggested stay: 1–2 nights. Build a day from the list below, mornings for the big sight.
- Lakeside promenade and old town
- BodenseeTherme spa
- Goldbacher Stollen (WWII tunnel)
- Bodensee Rider sculpture by Peter Lenk
Sources
Written by Voykit; facts cross-checked against these sources, last desk check 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change: check on the day.
- Bodensee tourism (official region site): www.bodensee.eu/en
- Überlingen city website: www.ueberlingen.de/
- BodenseeTherme Überlingen: www.bodenseetherme.de/
- Deutsche Bahn (timetables and tickets): www.bahn.de/
- Wikivoyage: Überlingen, revision 5241385 (CC BY-SA 4.0): en.wikivoyage.org/w/index.php?oldid=5241385
Pocket card
Cut along the border and keep it in your wallet. Show the local-script lines to a driver.
Überlingen
Zu dieser Adresse, bitte
To this address, please
My hotel (write the name and address in the local script)
No embassy in town; the nearest consulates-general are in Munich and Frankfurt, embassies in Berlin. US citizens: consulate general in Munich.
Tipping: round up or add 5–10%, said to the server as you pay.
Voykit · checked 2026-09
Printed from Voykit (/uberlingen). Written by Voykit; checked 2026-09. Estimates only: confirm prices, hours and entry rules on the day.