Meersburg: what to see, where to stay and how to get around
Meersburg climbs from the lake to a cliff, and its two halves, lower town and upper town, are joined by one steep lane. The poet Annette von Droste-Hülshoff came here in 1841 to stay with her sister in the castle, wrote some of her best poems here and never left. This walk goes up through the gate, into the castle where she lived and out to the vineyard house she bought. About two hours with the castle visit, and the climb is short but steep.
A short history of Meersburg
Meersburg is a small town on the northern shore of Lake Constance, and its old castle is considered one of the oldest inhabited castles in Germany; according to tradition the Frankish king Dagobert began building it in the 7th century. From 1526 the prince-bishops of Constance resided here, and in the 18th century they built themselves a new Baroque palace beside it. In 1803 the town passed to Baden. The poet Annette von Droste-Hülshoff lived in the old castle in her last years and died there in 1848.
The ten best sights in Meersburg
1Meersburg CastleRooms furnished as lived in, down to the dungeon; allow an hour and a half
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2New Palace
The prince-bishops' baroque residence; the terrace view over the lake is free
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3Droste Museum (Fürstenhäusle)
The poet's little vineyard house above town; short opening hours, check first
4Vineum BodenseeWine museum in the old hospital; the giant wooden press is worth seeing
5Bible GallerySmall museum on the history of the Bible and its printing
6Birnau BasilicaPink-and-gold baroque church on a hill above the lake, 10 minutes by car
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7Salem Castle
Huge former abbey with a famous boarding school still in one wing
8Konstanz SynagogueThe new synagogue across the lake; services, visits by arrangement
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9Steigstraße
The steep lane joining lower and upper town, lined with half-timbered houses
10Lakeside PromenadeFlat walk along the water; the Alps show on clear evenings
Scan with your phone camera to open the map there
What is an audio walk?
Tours in Meersburg →A guide in your headphones: open the walk on our site, walk from stop to stop, and at each one your phone tells its story. No guide, no group, and free. This is the first walk in Meersburg:
Free walking tours in Meersburg
Droste's town
Meersburg climbs from the lake to a cliff, and its two halves, lower town and upper town, are joined by one steep lane. The poet Annette von Droste-Hülshoff came here in 1841 to stay with her sister in the castle, wrote some of her best poems here and never left. This walk goes up through the gate, into the castle where she lived and out to the vineyard house she bought. About two hours with the castle visit, and the climb is short but steep.
- Unterstadttor · The lower-town gate is where the harbour quarter ends and the climb begins; the old town was walled on both levels. Through it, the road turns straight into Steigstraße.
- Steigstraße · Steig means climb, and for centuries this lane was the only link between the fishermen and boatmen below and the bishops and officials above. The half-timbered fronts are mostly 16th and 17th century.
- Meersburg Castle · Tradition says the Merovingian king Dagobert I founded it in the 7th century, and it claims to be the oldest inhabited castle in Germany. Droste died here in 1848; her rooms are kept as she left them.
- Marktplatz · The upper town's market square, ringed by old inns and the former town hall. Droste's face was printed on the German 20-mark note, so for years half the country carried this town's most famous resident in their wallet.
- Droste Museum (Fürstenhäusle) · In 1843 Droste bought this small vineyard house at auction, paying with money from her own writing. She hardly lived in it, but it is the one home she ever owned, and her desk and papers are inside.
- New Palace · When the Reformation drove the bishops of Constance out of their city, they moved across the lake to Meersburg and later built this baroque palace. The grand staircase is credited to Balthasar Neumann.
Wine on the shore
Meersburg has made wine for over a thousand years, and the vineyards run right down to the water. The lake is the secret: it stores summer warmth and reflects light onto the slopes. This route starts at the harbour, passes the town's wine houses and follows the shore path east to the wine village of Hagnau. About 4 km each way, flat, and lovely in the late afternoon; a bus or a boat brings you back.
- Magic Column · The sculptor Peter Lenk, who also made Konstanz's Imperia, filled this column with caricatures of local figures, Droste among them. The town commissioned it, and some of its subjects were not amused.
- Lakeside Promenade · From here the far shore is Switzerland and, on a clear day, the snow peaks of the Säntis rise behind it. Lake Constance is shared by Germany, Austria and Switzerland, and its exact borders on the water have never been formally agreed.
- Vineum Bodensee · The wine museum sits in the old Heilig-Geist hospital, which was paid for partly by its own vineyards. Its prize is a huge wooden tree press, the kind the whole town once used at harvest.
- Staatsweingut Meersburg · The state wine estate grew out of the prince-bishops' own vineyards and passed to the state of Baden when the bishopric was dissolved in 1803. Ask for Weißherbst, a pale rosé from Pinot noir that is typical of the lake.
- Haltnau · An old wine farm on the shore between Meersburg and Hagnau, in the middle of the vineyards. It is the natural halfway stop on the path, with a garden right by the water.
- Hagnau am Bodensee · In 1881 the village priest Heinrich Hansjakob founded a winegrowers' cooperative here to save local growers from debt, the first in Baden. The cooperative still presses the village's grapes.
Across the lake
From Meersburg the car ferry crosses to Konstanz in a quarter of an hour, and a round of the western lake becomes an easy day. Konstanz hosted the only papal election ever held north of the Alps, and it has a living Jewish community again. On the way back the road passes a flower island, a baroque church and a prehistoric village built on stilts. A full day by car; Mainau and the pile dwellings each need two hours.
- Imperia · Peter Lenk's nine-metre courtesan, put up at the harbour entrance in 1993, slowly turns on her base. In her hands sit a naked pope and emperor, mocking the Council of Constance of 1414–1418.
- Konstanz Minster · During the Council the cathedral was its main hall, and in 1417 Martin V was elected pope in the city, the only papal election held north of the Alps. The tower can be climbed for a view over the whole lake.
- Konstanz Synagogue · The old synagogue of Konstanz was burned in November 1938. A new synagogue for the community, which grew again with Jews from the former Soviet Union, opened in the old town in 2019.
- Mainau Island · Count Lennart Bernadotte, a grandson of the Swedish king, took over the island in the 1930s and turned it into a garden open to the public. The family foundation still runs it, palm house and butterfly house included.
- Birnau Basilica · Built in the late 1740s by Peter Thumb, with stucco and figures by Joseph Anton Feuchtmayer. Find his Honigschlecker, a baby angel licking honey off his finger, beside the altar of St Bernard.
- Unteruhldingen Pile Dwellings · The first houses were rebuilt here in 1922, which makes it one of the oldest open-air museums in Germany. The originals lie under the lake bed and are part of a UNESCO site of prehistoric pile dwellings around the Alps.
Getting to Meersburg and getting around
- Friedrichshafen Airport · Small airport about 25 minutes east; flights from a few European hubs
- Uhldingen-Mühlhofen Station · Nearest train station, 5 km away; Meersburg itself has no railway, buses link the two
- Meersburg–Konstanz Car Ferry · Runs day and night, about 15 minutes across; no booking, just queue with the car
Cheap eats in Meersburg
Meersburg is a wine town, and food here is built around the glass: bakeries with salted Swabian breads in the morning, coffee and fruit cake in the afternoon, and lake fish in the evening. Whitefish, called Felchen, is the lake's own catch and appears on almost every menu. Prices are tourist-town German, so the cheapest good meal is from a bakery counter.
- Café Gross · Coffee and cake by the lower town, about €5-9
- Bäckerei Kränkel Café · Bakery-café; a filled roll or pretzel about €2-5
- Bäckerei Café Mayer · On the upper square; breakfast or a Seele about €2-8
- Eiscafé Bellavista · Ice cream by the harbour, about €2-3 a scoop
- Wok Asia Imbiss · Quick noodles and rice boxes, about €8-12
Museums in Meersburg
- Meersburg Castle · Living rooms, armoury and dungeon; about 90 minutes
- New Palace · Baroque state rooms of the prince-bishops
- Droste Museum (Fürstenhäusle) · The poet's own house and papers
- Vineum Bodensee · Wine history of the lake; good on a rainy day
- Zeppelin Museum Friedrichshafen · Walk through a rebuilt section of the Hindenburg airship
Nature and day trips near Meersburg
- Lakeside Promenade · Sunset walk with the Swiss shore opposite
- Mainau Island · Flower island, 20 minutes away by ferry and car
- Hagnau am Bodensee · Wine village 4 km east along the shore path
- Haltnau · Vineyards down to the water, halfway to Hagnau
- Reichenau Island · Monastery island of vegetable fields, joined by a causeway
Things to do in Meersburg with kids
- Affenberg Salem · Free-roaming macaques; feed them only the popcorn handed out
- Unteruhldingen Pile Dwellings · Walk into Stone Age houses over the water
- Meersburg Therme · Warm pools and an outdoor lake beach
- Sea Life Konstanz · Aquarium following the Rhine from source to sea
- Dornier Museum · Planes and flying boats by the airport
Where to eat in Meersburg
- Winzerstube zum Becher · Old wine tavern in the upper town; book ahead
- Hafenschänke · Pub by the harbour; fish and beer by the water
- Staatsweingut Meersburg · Tastings before dinner; Weißherbst and Pinot noir
- Hagnau am Bodensee · Wine-village inns 5 minutes east by car
Frequently asked questions about Meersburg
What is there to see in Meersburg?
The top sights in Meersburg are Meersburg Castle, New Palace and Droste Museum (Fürstenhäusle). The full list on this page has 10 sights, each with a photo and a short note.
How many days do you need in Meersburg?
Three to four days are enough to see the best of Meersburg without rushing, including at least one walking tour.
Is there a free walking tour in Meersburg?
Yes. sleepntrip has 3 free audio walks in Meersburg, with no guide and no group: your phone tells the story at every stop. The first one: Droste's town.
How do you get to Meersburg and get around?
The main ways are Friedrichshafen Airport, Uhldingen-Mühlhofen Station and Meersburg–Konstanz Car Ferry. Full details are in the transport section on this page.
Where to stay in Meersburg, and for how much?
sleepntrip shows only rooms in Meersburg that meet nine conditions: a good location, high guest scores, cleanliness, and a price of up to $80 a night for two. Pick your dates and see what is free.
Looking for a hotel in Meersburg for your dates?
Only rooms that meet nine conditions, up to $80 a night.