Stage 4 of the Bodensee Radweg is 42 km long with 140 m ascent/descent and starts in Lindau, Germany, crosses through Austria, and ends in Rorschach, Switzerland. Although I didn’t make any major stops on this stage, I really enjoyed the easy biking with the mountains and lake in view. On a side note, this is the first blog entry for anything in Austria.
Detail Summary
| Where: | Lindau, Germany to Rorschach, Switzerland Germany, Austria, and Switzerland (Canton St. Gallen) |
| Train: | Zürich HB -> Lindau (Germany) – 2 hrs 24 min Rorschach -> Zürich HB – 1 hrs 25 min Note: As of 2026, you can use the SBB app to purchase tickets to points in Germany. Tip! Whichever route you choose, check the schedule carefully before deciding, many trains here require a bike reservation. |
| What: | Bodensee-Radweg – Stage 4 Lindau, Germany to Rorschach (SwissMobility) Trail Map (Swiss Mobility) Bodensee Radweg Cycle path signs consist of a black line drawn cyclist with a blue back wheel.  If you always head in the direction of Bregenz and then Rorschach, you’ll get there. When in Switzerland, this part of the Bodensee Radweg is the same as bike route 2 so you can follow those signs and they are very easy to spot (red and white with a blue number 2). Note: I found this quote from Cycling Lake Constance to be 100 percent true: “In Germany, it is easy to miss a signpost in some places and go off the bike path. Due to the green-on-white optics, the readability is somewhat suboptimal.” Note: SwissMobility is great in Switzerland but not great in Germany. Be sure to download the map before heading out. |
| Stats: | Length 25 km, Ascent 50 m, Descent 50 m Mostly asphalt but some sections are packed dirt/gravel. |
Additional Info
Photo Stories for all Stages
| The Bodensee Radweg is a 265 km bike path that completely circles the Bodensee (Lake Constance). This is an international trail that takes you through Switzerland, Germany, and Austria. SwissMobility breaks this route into 8 sections and I am following along with that plan.Photo stories for each stage I’ve done are here: Stage 1 – Konstanz to Überlingen, Germany Stage 2 – Überlingen to Friedrichshafen, Germany Stage 3 – Friedrichshafen to Lindau, Germany Stage 4 – Lindau, Germany to Rorschach Stage 5 – Rorschach to Kreuzlingen |
Getting There
When I finished stage 3 at the Lindau train station, I decided to just continue with stage 4 as the weather was absolutely perfect and I still had plenty of daylight left.
So, to start stage 4, I stayed on my bike and pedaled on past the train station.
The Route
This stage started with some beautiful views over the lake. I even took a selfie!
A really nice thing about this section was how wide the paved bike path was. It really made for easy riding. I’m not sure exactly when I crossed the border into Austria, but it was obvious I was in Austria when I passed the harbor in picture two and the train station across from it was OBB. I stopped to take a picture to document that I was in Austria.
Some very pretty lake, mountain, and river views!
After crossing into Switzerland, the bike signage got easier to read. The white on brown with blue numbers is so much easier to read than the green and white signs in Germany and Austria. This part of the Bodensee Radweg is the same as bike route 2 and those signs were super easy to spot as I was riding along. This section also takes a detour away from the lake and through the Rhine delta. Some really pretty wide open views.
I had foolishly passed a few fountains without filling up my water bottle so I was really happy when I got to the fountain in picture one below. This final section of the trail was mostly gravel and packed dirt so a bit slower biking than on the earlier roads or paved paths.
At this point with about 6 km to go, I was getting tired and I stopped taking any pictures.
Getting Back
When I got to the Rorschach train station, I snapped a couple of pictures to document the end of the ride.
This stage was all about the biking, and it really was just a great route to bike. Scenic and easy, so in my opinion, perfect. The next section will take me down the Swiss side of the lake and I am looking forward to it!
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