There’s only 1 Lake Como. Plus Zeppelins, plus F-18’s!

[offshore171]

Having the outer skin covered in powdered aluminium didn't help either. It's effectively solid rocket fuel.

Yes, Mythbusters did a piece on this a few years back. Apparently the material on the skin, combines with fire and hydrogen to create thermite. Nasty.

 

[offshore171]

The lead travel article in today’s SMH, is about Lake Constance.

This stunning lakeside region is one of Europe's hidden gems

Go now before everyone else finds out about it.

www.traveller.com.au

Interestingly, footnote indicates the writers travel was funded by the “Tourist Board of Lake Constance” .

This must be a concerted effort to boost non domestic tourism to the area. The group getting off the Zeppelin immediately before our flight was 14 US travel writers on a junket.

 

[offshore171]

We arrived in the city of Konstanz in heavy fog. If it's anything like Sydney, a morning fog normally turns into a spectacular day...

Sure enough, the fog lifted after an hour or so, as we wander through the vineyards just outside town.

The predominant local grape is Müller Thurgau if anyone was wondering.

Next, it's time to drop one of the kids off at a local primary school for the day as part of a hastily arranged school exchange.

We go for a walk along the waterfront, past a number of sailing clubs and then visit the old town area.

Call me a heathen, but I have a strict 1 church limit on Europe trips, so we climb the steeple of the main cathedral, which offers a great view of the district, out to the lake and vineyards that surround the city.


The old town is really well preserved. Like Ravensburg, it wasn't bombed during the war, but for a different reason. Konstanz is right on the Swiss border, and the allies didn't risk hitting neutral Switzerland.

Long, late lunch is at Hafenhalle, a restaurant / beer garden on the waterfront.

I didn’t get a photo, so here’s one from the website:

Hafenhalle Konstanz - Restaurant, Biergarten, Cafe — Hafenhalle

Direkt am See und am Hafen gelegen, bietet das Restaurant Hafenhalle die einzigartige Atmosphäre eines Biergartens mit mediterranem Flair und Alpenblick.

www.hafenhalle.com

Wonderful day.

 

[offshore171]

Next morning it’s off to Zurich. Plan is to spend a couple of days there prior to the trip home.

Fairly simple travel day: Ferry back across the lake to Romanshorn, then about a hour on the train to Zurich HB.

 

[jb747]

We liked Zurich. It was only a quick stop on our journey, before heading to Austria, but we're planning on visiting again in a year or two, and we'll give it more time.

 

[Milboo]

I spent 3-4 days there in Nov 17 and really enjoyed it too - other than $7 coffees!

 

[jb747]

I spent 3-4 days there in Nov 17 and really enjoyed it too - other than $7 coffees!

I try not to convert any local currency into Aud. That just gets depressing.

 

[offshore171]

We liked Zurich. It was only a quick stop on our journey, before heading to Austria, but we're planning on visiting again in a year or two, and we'll give it more time.

Agreed, it's a great city in its own right, and has a very international 'feel' to it.

As you suggest, Zurich also works well as a gateway to the western part of Austria.

Over the years I've done a number of ski trips to the Tirol region, particularly St Anton. Zurich has been a really convenient place to start and end these trips, as there's a 2 hour direct train from Zurich HB right into the village at St Anton - the best all round ski resort in the world.

You can land at Zurich airport at 7am and be skiing St Anton by lunchtime. Much closer than Vienna.

Normally I lay up for a night at Zurich for the flight home, and have formed something of tradition visiting a particular Beerhall and have the exact same dish each time.

The beerhall is Rheinfelder Bierhalle, and the dish is a beerhall staple: a veal bratwurst with potato rösti .

Rheinfelder Bierhalle

Die Rheinfelder Bierhalle ist ein Restaurant, gelegen in der Altstadt Zürichs. Sie ist einer der ältesten Bierhallen Zürichs, eröffnet im Jahr 1870.

www.rheinfelderbierhalle.com

So on this trip, we didn't want to break the tradition.


2015 edition


2012


And so on...

 

[offshore171]

Finding accomodation in Zurich had been a bit of a challenge.

I was looking for a family room within about 10 min walk of the main station, for a non stratospheric price. Most places insisted on two rooms, which at Zurich prices gets very expensive.

I ended up clicking on the Qantas hotels link in MMB, and found the perfect option. Payment was in AUD and it worked out cheaper than via any other site.

So we ended up at Hotel Rössli.

Rössli Hotel Zurich | Boutique Hotel in Zurich's Old Town

A trendy three-star boutique hotel as your retreat in Zurich's old town - Hotel Rössli Zurich. Book now with best price guarantee.

www.hotelroessli.ch

In the old town, one block back from the waterfront, and 10 mins walk to the HB.

This turned out to be the best room of the entire trip. A full blown 2 story, 2 bedroom, 2 bathroom apartment with its own private roof terrace.

A great find and highly recommended.

 

[jb747]

This is the AirBnB we used. It fits most of your requirements too.

Rental unit in Zürich · ★4.83 · 2 bedrooms · 3 beds · 2.5 baths

Downtown Duplex Apartment (140m2), incl. Parking

www.airbnb.com.au

We're into planning the next trip now. Your visit to Como has convinced us to include a few days there.

 

[offshore171]

This is the AirBnB we used. It fits most of your requirements too.

That does look ideal. Maybe I need to rethink my resistance to Abnb?

 

[offshore171]

Last day in Zurich is another cracker, weather wise.

We take a wander along the famous Bahnhofstrasse, one of the world’s great (window) shopping streets, then through the old town.



Next morning it’s a short train ride to the airport for the flight home.

EK checkin opens a generous 4 hours before take off. We check in and head to the EK lounge and relax before the 21 hour journey home.

 

[jb747]

That does look ideal. Maybe I need to rethink my resistance to Abnb?

Our recent trip to Europe was all AirBnB. It was our first major use of them. Even the worst apartment was pretty good, and the best were amazing. Wouldn't even consider a hotel for that sort of holiday in the future.

 

[offshore171]

So wrapping this one up with a few general musings from the trip:

-After 12 years since last visiting, this trip reminded me that Lake Como is the most spectacular natural setting in the world. Very easy to justify a week's stay.​

​

-Unlimited ferry pass on the lake is a very good idea.​

-Car free travel is the way to go in Europe. Sure there are some itineraries where you might need a car, such as rural intensive travel, but where possible, using the trains and ferries is more enjoyable and fuss free. Plus you don't have to worry about ZTL's, where to park, rental administration, break-ins and so on.​

​

-Italy is an entire country looking for a parking spot.​

​

-Electric cars are getting popular.​

​

-Get the various countries rail apps on your phone and create an account in advance. (SBB, OEBB, DB Navigator) etc. In most cases I bought digital tickets in the app only a day or two prior to each train journey. In peak travel times such as high summer, or over xmas, I'd suggest booking a bit earlier).​

​

-Lake Como is full of Americans and Germans. Swiss alps incredibly popular with mainland Chinese. Lake Constance seems to be popular with domestic tourists but largely off the radar of international travellers - for now.​

​

-If you don't like crowds, avoid Milan on a sunday morning.​

​

-Zeppelin ride is a superb experience​

​

-EK are still using remote stands in Dubai for 777's​

​

-Early October is a great time to travel in Europe.​

​

 

[Antoallison]

Thanks for the TR, I absolutely agree with everything you say/recommend, especially about train travel in Italy.

Unlucky for me but I found the weather patchy in late May around Lake Como, so perhaps a late September, early October would be better next visit.

 

[BriarFlyer]

Thanks so much for this trip report, @offshore171. A spectacular part of the world and your photos do it justice. Our preferred travel time is late September/October and this area is on our radar. I'm sure your report and travel tips will come in handy once we start planning.

 

[OZDUCK]

Thanks for the TR, you really took some fabulous photos and it was a pleasure to see them and read your thoughts.

 

[VPS]

Great TR and thanks for making the effort

 

[RB]

Thank you for the report. We remember our time at Lake Constance fondly & still marvel at the stamina of the pushbikebike riders we saw-many certainly didn't look that fit

 

[Black Duck]

I have gained a lot of great information thank you. I haven't been to lake Como for a very long time but have been thinking of going so you report is very timely for me.