The journey
A short but evocative visit to the shores of Lake Constance (Bodensee), one of the largest lakes in Europe at the border between Germany, Austria and Switzerland, in an October offering extraordinary autumn colours.
Friedrichshafen is the city of the Zeppelin airships — the famous aerostats were born here in the late nineteenth century, and the Zeppelin Museum tells their fascinating and tragic story, from Count Ferdinand von Zeppelin's inaugural flight to the Hindenburg disaster. Full-scale reconstructions of passenger cabins and original engines let you imagine what it was like to travel the skies between the two world wars.
The Friedrichshafen lakefront is a relaxing walk: the Swiss mountains stand in the background among vineyards and orchards that in autumn turn red and gold. The Bodensee in this season has a special charm — the morning mist rising from the water, the boats connecting the lakeside towns, the soft late-afternoon light transforming the Alps into purple silhouettes.
A perfect cultural weekend for anyone seeking the less touristy side of Germany: craft breweries, Swabian cuisine, and the slow pace of a provincial town overlooking a lake that feels like a sea.