Varied hiking tours

Even if you don’t necessarily associate the island and garden city of Lindau at Lake Constance with extensive hiking – there is plenty to explore and discover here. Of course, you can simply take a relaxing walk around the island. But if you are looking for something a little more challenging, the surrounding villages as well as the Allgäu and Vorarlberg invite you to go hiking with attractive routes.

From Lindau you can quickly reach the nearby hiking areas on the one hand, and on the other you can use the large hiking network around the town.

15 routes for Nordic Walking

For fans of brisk walking, the Nordic Walking Park offers the best conditions: The towns of Lindau, Nonnenhorn, Wasserburg and Bodolz have created a 120-kilometre network of trails with 15 different rounds ranging from 2.6 to 17.5 kilometres in length for Nordic walkers. The individual rounds are fully signposted and run through the hilly countryside around Lake Lindau and along the shore. Individual rounds can be shortened or combined with other rounds as desired. The routes are divided into three levels of difficulty and are of course also open to joggers.

Jogging in Lindau

Lindau offers a variety of jogging routes – for every pace, all ages and all fitness levels. Those who stay overnight on the island and only want to complete a short unit can go around the Kleiner See and then, if necessary, run around the island again. For those who want to walk longer, there are numerous paths along the water, flat routes through green parks and more demanding routes through the fruit-growing areas:

Speaking of demanding: Every year the Sparkasse Marathon starts at the Lindau harbour promenade. Along the lake shore, this three-country run takes you through Bregenz in Austria, into the Rhine delta to Hard and then to St. Margrethen in Switzerland. The finish of the marathon is the stadium in Bregenz. Those who do not want to cover the entire distance are also welcome to take part in the shorter distances of the run.

The Lake Constance circular trail

A popular long-distance hiking trail is the Bodensee-Rundweg, which, at 260 km, leads around the lake and through the three countries Germany, Austria and Switzerland. Historic places, lively towns, beautiful landscapes with orchards and vineyards and a breathtaking view of Lake Constance and the Alps make this tour a highlight.

Maximiliansweg starts in Lindau

Lindau is also the starting point of the Maximiliansweg, named after King Maximilian II of Bavaria: In the summer of 1858, the monarch travelled this route to get to know his kingdom better. He covered most of the distance in a carriage or on horseback, but he also climbed some of the peaks on foot.

The long-distance hiking trail leads from Lindau with two variants and varying degrees of difficulty, 359 or 388 km long, via Füssen, Lenggries and Ruhpolding to Berchtesgaden.

Route of St. James

The route is the destination: the Jakobusweg (St. James’ Way) leads through the region on various stages to Lindau. Always following the sign of the scallop shell, the Augsburg and Munich St. James’ Way leads to Lake Constance. Particularly worth seeing along the way are the many small churches and chapels and, of course, the idyllic countryside with its picturesque Alpine foothills. Shortly before reaching the finish line in Lindau, Lake Constance and the impressive chain of Alps are almost everywhere in sight!

In Lindau, St. James enjoyed considerable veneration. A chapel of St. James once stood on a former islet off the main island, which fell victim to the construction of the Lindau harbour in 1812. In the collegiate church hangs an unfortunately very darkened oil painting of the Virgen del Pilar. In portraits of this type, the Virgin Mary appears on a column to the Apostle James, to encourage him to continue his missionary work in Spain, which has so far not been very successful.

For information on accommodation for pilgrims please click here.
Another overnight accommodation possibility only for pilgrims is offered by the hostel in Oberreutiner Weg 21. From April onwards, up to 12 pilgrims can stay here daily for a night from 17:00 for 10,00 €. To stay overnight, a pilgrim’s card and registration on +49 8382 5850 are required.

 

The Munich Way of St. James

From Munich to Lindau: set out and discover Bavaria on a royal route. The Munich Way of St. James offers an extremely impressive scenery between meadows, forests and mountains on a total length of 290km.

The route begins in the capital of Bavaria and ends in Lindau or optionally in Bregenz in the beautiful Vorarlberg. You can find more information here.