Stage 7 of the Bodensee Radweg is 24 km long with 170 m ascent/descent. This stage starts in Switzerland at Stein Am Rhein and ends in Germany at Radolfzell. A real highlight of this stage is Stein am Rhein, a beautiful medieval town with cobblestone streets and elaborately painted buildings. It is well worth stopping at the start of this stage to explore the old town. When I did stage 6 back in August I was shocked at how dry everything was, and unfortunately, now in October the drought has not let up. It will be a very good thing when we get some rain again.
Detail Summary
| Where: | Stein Am Rhein, Switzerland to Radolfzell (Germany) Canton Thurgau, Switzerland and Germany |
| Train: | Zürich HB -> Stein Am Rhein- 1 hrs 8 min Radolfzell (Germany) -> Zürich HB – 1 hrs 7 min Tip! Whichever route you choose, check the schedule carefully before deciding as many trains here require a bike reservation. |
| What: | Bodensee-Radweg – Stage 7 Stein Am Rhein Radolfzell (SwissMobility) Trail Map (Swiss Mobility) Bodensee Radweg Cycle path signs consist of a black line drawn cyclist with a blue back wheel.  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.” |
| Stats: | Length 24 km, Ascent 170 m, Descent 170 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 Stage 6 – Kreuzlingen to Stein am Rhein Stage 7 – Stein am Rhein to Radolfzell, Germany Stage 8 – Radolfzell to Konstanz, Germany |
Getting There
This stage started where stage 6 left off, the Stein Am Rhein train station.
From the train station, I quickly found my route and was on my way.
The Route
Stein am Rhein is where the lake empties out and again becomes the Rhine river. After crossing the river, I entered the old town of Stein Am Rhein. The cobblestone streets and elaborately painted half-timber houses are incredibly charming and this town is worth a visit on its own. I often recommend visiting it and the nearby Rhine Falls together as that makes nice easy day trip from Zürich.
After leaving Stein am Rhein, the new sections were easy pedaling through countryside and occasional along the lake. The drought has not let up at all and the lake levels are extremely low. Fingers crossed for some rain soon.
The SwissMobility description listed the trail as entirely asphalt. While that was mostly true, there were some fairly long stretches of packed dirt. It was fine with my road bike, just wanted to note that here.
At 24 k, this section isn’t particularly long and rather quickly, I was at Radolfzell.
Getting Back
When I reached the Radolfzell train station, I stopped to take in the view at the lake, before deciding what to do next.
The train station was right there, and I could have ended the day here but the next and last section was only 22 k. I had time, so I decided I would continue on with stage 8 before going home. Will write that post soon.
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