Villas in Lake Constance

Kressbronn and Lindau suit lake swimming and Austria trips, Meersburg suits ferries and castles, and Salem suits quieter inland stays. All our homes are on the German side of Lake Constance (the Bodensee), mostly holiday flats and houses rather than villas. Lakeside places book up early for July and August, and Bregenz and the Swiss shore are easy day trips.

Where

Villas: 56
From, per week: £345
Cheapest month: July
Nearest airports: Zurich has the most UK flights and is around 45 minutes to an hour and a quarter from most areas, with flights from London taking around an hour and three quarters. Friedrichshafen is closest to the eastern shore but has few UK flights. Memmingen suits Lindau and Kressbronn, about an hour away.

Where to stay in Lake Constance

Kressbronn, Nonnenhorn and Lindau (eastern shore)

Kressbronn has the most of our homes here, a small town surrounded by apple orchards with a lakeside park and bathing beach. Nonnenhorn, next door, is a wine village with its own harbour. Lindau's old town sits on an island, linked by a causeway, with a lion and a lighthouse guarding the harbour mouth. Bregenz, in Austria, is about 20 minutes on. Friedrichshafen airport is around 20 minutes from Kressbronn. Hergensweiler is a village about ten minutes inland from Lindau.

Best for: Families who want lake swimming and easy trips into Austria

Not for you if: You want a lake view from every window: many homes are in orchards and villages back from the shore.

Meersburg, Immenstaad and Uhldingen-Mühlhofen (northern shore)

Meersburg climbs from the harbour to an old castle and a baroque New Palace, with vineyards on the slopes around. The car ferry to Konstanz runs all year and takes around 20 minutes, and Mainau, the flower island, is a short hop beyond. Unteruhldingen, part of Uhldingen-Mühlhofen, has reconstructed Stone Age pile dwellings on the water, part of a UNESCO site. Immenstaad is quieter, with a beach and orchards. Friedrichshafen airport is around 25 minutes away.

Best for: Couples who want old towns, ferries and lakeside walks

Not for you if: You want quiet streets in summer: Meersburg's lower town fills with day visitors.

Friedrichshafen, Tettnang and Meckenbeuren

Friedrichshafen is where the Zeppelin airships were built, and the Zeppelin Museum on the harbour has a walk-through section of the Hindenburg. A ferry crosses to Romanshorn in Switzerland in around 40 minutes. Tettnang, inland, is surrounded by hop gardens and has a large baroque palace. Meckenbeuren is home to Ravensburger Spieleland, a theme park built around the board-game maker. The airport is on the edge of town.

Best for: Families who want a town base, a games park and the Swiss ferry

Not for you if: You want a village feel: Friedrichshafen is the lake's main industrial town.

Überlingen, Sipplingen and Bodman-Ludwigshafen (Lake Überlingen)

Überlingen has a long lakeside promenade, a Gothic minster and a spa park. Sipplingen sits on a steep slope of vines and orchards, with paths up to viewpoints over the lake. Bodman and Ludwigshafen, at the far western tip, have beaches and boat hire. Stockach and Orsingen-Nenzingen are a few minutes inland, on the way to the motorway. The Birnau pilgrimage church, pink and white baroque above the vineyards, is between Überlingen and Uhldingen. Zurich airport is about an hour and a quarter away.

Best for: Walkers and swimmers on the steeper, quieter western arm

Not for you if: You want ferries to Austria and Switzerland close by: boats from this arm mainly run to Mainau and Meersburg.

Radolfzell and Öhningen (the Untersee and the Swiss border)

The Untersee is the lake's western basin, with reed beds and fewer crowds. Radolfzell has a harbour, an old town and the Mettnau peninsula for walks. Reichenau, a monastery island on the UNESCO list, is about 20 minutes away. Öhningen, on the Höri peninsula, is a few minutes from Stein am Rhein, a Swiss town of painted houses, and the Rhine Falls at Schaffhausen are about 40 minutes on. Zurich airport is roughly 45 minutes from Öhningen.

Best for: Cyclists and anyone who wants Switzerland on the doorstep

Not for you if: You want a big choice of homes: there are only a few on this side of the lake.

The hinterland (Salem, Markdorf, Illmensee, Oberteuringen, Herdwangen-Schönach)

Salem has a former abbey and palace with gardens, and the Affenberg, a forest park with free-roaming Barbary macaques, is nearby. Markdorf sits below the Gehrenberg, where a lookout tower gives views across the lake to the Alps on clear days. Illmensee is a small village on its own little lake with a bathing area, around half an hour north of Überlingen. Oberteuringen and Herdwangen-Schönach are farming villages among orchards and woods.

Best for: Space, quiet and lower prices a short drive from the shore

Not for you if: You want to walk to the lake: most of these villages are 15 to 30 minutes' drive from it.

When to go to Lake Constance

July and August are warmest, with the lake good for swimming, but they are also the busiest months, with German school holidays and heavy traffic on the shore roads. May, June and September are calmer, and the orchards blossom in April. Most passenger boats run from around Easter to October, while the Konstanz to Meersburg car ferry runs all year. Late autumn and winter bring long spells of fog over the lake, and many cafés and attractions close, though Christmas markets open in Lindau and Konstanz.