Meersburg, the «Burg on the lake» is located directly opposite the city of Constance (Konstanz) on the shores of Lake Constance. It is a popular summer destination for German and foreign tourists. Meersburg has a well-kept medieval center meticulously surrounded by vineyards and is a good hub for exploring destinations around the lake.
How to get to Meersburg
Meersburg is connected by ferry from the larger city of Constance. You can reach Meersburg by car on the E54 from Überlingen or Friedrichshafen, other cities on Lake Constance (see Lake Constance map). Meersburg is about a three hour drive from Munich.
Friedrichshafen Airport is 20 km (12 miles) east of Meersburg. The closest international airport is Zurich Airport.
The nearest train station is in Überlingen, 14 km (9 miles) northwest of Meersburg on the line from Basel to Lindau.
What to see and where to stay in Meersburg
Meersburg is made up of two distinct areas, the Lower Town (“Unterstadt”) and the Upper Town (“Oberstadt”). You can walk between them via stairs or a steep street. The tourist office is located at Kirchstrasse 4 in the upper part of the city.
Meersburg Tourism offers many ways to get around the city, from themed tours to general city tours.
Things to do in Meersburg
The New Palace –Neues Schloss, the elegant palace that once served as the residential palace of the prince-bishops of Constance faces the Schlossplatz that forms the southern boundary of the square. Construction began in 1712 and ended in 1740. You can take a tour of the dwellings and also see the painting gallery and Dornier Museum focusing on aviation history (the Lake Constance area was a hotbed of Zeppelin development, as you will see later).
The Old Palace – A privately owned medieval castle that you can visit that lacks the elegance of the New Palace. The Altes Schloss was a successful defender of Meersburg and the narration of the self-guided tour is about knights and weapons of war.
The Bible Gallery includes exhibits not only from Bibles but also from the Guttenburg press that first made hard copies.
Other museums include the Zeppelin Museum, the Meersburg Tapestry Museum of Art, the Droste Museum, the City Museum and the Museum of Viticulture (wine is a very important part of Meersburg culture, taste the local wine « Weissherbst ‘, which grows on the northern slopes of Lake Constance
Of course, there are plenty of interesting half-timbered houses and city gates to keep your chamber occupied for a while.
Where to stay
Meersburg and the circuit of interesting cities around the lake make it easy to think of a longer stay for this stage of your European vacation, perhaps in a country house or, for a large family or a gathering of friends, a villa more big. HomeAway lists 47 vacation rentals in and around Meersburg.
One of the top-rated hotels in Meersburg, albeit a bit pricey, is the Romantik Hotel Residenz am See.
The bargain option for staying near Meersburg is the Hotel-Gasthof Storchen with spa and restaurant. It is near the lake north of Meersbug in Uhldingen-Muehlhofen, near the station.
Meersburg impressions
If you’re not interested in buying tourist trinkets or fake medieval swords and you don’t like museums or pretty German medieval towns, Meersburg is probably not a good place to visit. This is the reason for giving the destination only 3.5 out of 5 stars. 5 stars for medieval sweets and museums though.
There are many restaurants and hotels in Meersburg, as it is a major tourist destination on the lake.
Cerca de Meersburg
The entire Lake Constance area is a good place for a longer vacation. Meersburg is worth a day or two and can be done as a day trip from Constance, a larger city, also in Germany.
To the northwest is the Stacked Housing Museum in Unteruhldingen, Germany, a good stop for those interested in archeology and ancient cultures.
