21 Best Hotels in The Bodensee, Germany

With its original cloisters intact, this former 16th-century monastery, filled with spacious and stylish bedrooms with lake views, is now the most luxurious lodging in town. But in earlier days, the church reformer Jan Hus was held prisoner here, and later, Graf Zeppelin was born here. Bedrooms are more like those of a private home than a hotel. The formal terrace restaurant has superb views of the lake, while the Dominikanerstube is smaller and more intimate. Both restaurants feature regional specialties. For drinks, there's the clubby, relaxed Zeppelin Bar and Rothaus Biergarten, which also has great water views.

This stately hotel with a charming 19th-century villa annex is both on the lake and in town, with oak-floor modern rooms done in crisp white with small bursts of color. Try to get a room looking toward the park and the lake, though these are a bit more expensive. The restaurant is furnished in airy Mediterranean style, and the food is a lighter version of local Swabian cuisine.

This family-run, half-timbered pension is in the middle of the Old Town, near the harbor. The rooms are small but have room for a child's bed, if needed. There's a place to store bikes as well.

A typical, family-owned Swabian inn, the Ochsen consists of a traditional Gasthof and an adjoining, renovated Ochsen Hotel am Mehlsack featuring more modern (and pricier) rooms. The two parts of the hotel share a lobby and an elevator. When checking in, reserve a table for dinner, as the wood-paneled Restaurant Ochsen can often book up. This is the place to try Maultaschen (Swabian ravioli) and Zwiebelrostbraten (steak with lots of fried onions).

Right across from the Mangturm, this modern boutique hotel commands some of the best views of the lake and promenade, whether you're sipping a local gin and tonic at the restaurant's spacious and popular patio, people-watching from a balcony off one of the chic suites, or floating in a heated rooftop pool (no clothes allowed!!). A focus on wellness entails organic ingredients, a Finnish sauna, a spa, an indoor pool, a gym, and a steam room.

This is the address in town, a stately hotel directly on the edge of the lake, its terrace lush with semitropical, long-flowering plants, trees, and shrubs and its luxuriously appointed rooms featuring lake and mountain views. Freshly caught pike perch is a highlight of the extensive menus in the stylish restaurants. Rooms at the adjoining Hotel Reutemann-Seegarten next door (under the same management) are a little cheaper than those at the Bayerischer Hof.

Tucked into one of the Old Town's ancient, narrow streets near a quiet plaza, this venerable property with a pedigree dating back to 1390 positively exudes history with renovated rooms that maintain a rustic elegance. Twisted oak beams are exposed inside and outside the terraced house. The traditional restaurant spread across two floors hums with Bavarian Gemütlichkeit (cozy hospitality).

This small, family-run and family-friendly hotel stands on the site occupied by the city wall in the Middle Ages. It's especially appealing for larger groups and families, as you can always add another bed to your three- or four-bed room. During the colder months, make use of the Finnish sauna and herbal steam room.

A former farm and tannery that's about 5 km (3 miles) from the city center, the Gerbe is now a pleasant, spacious hotel; its rooms (many with balconies) overlook the gardens, the countryside, and—on a clear day—the Swiss mountains. In summer you can enjoy Swabian food on the big terrace that leads into the garden. Even if you don't swim in the indoor pool, take a peek at it and its surprising barrel ceiling, which was constructed for the tannery more than 400 years ago.

Rooms at this local landmark—a centuries-old, ivy-clad tavern on Meersburg's market square—have their own corner sitting areas, some with genuine Biedermeier furniture. The welcoming restaurant with pine-paneling serves regional and seasonal specialties, notably a tasty stew of local fish.

In fine weather, you can enjoy breakfast alfresco as you watch the town come alive at this friendly central hotel on the pedestrian-only Maximilianstrasse. All rooms and interior spaces at the Insel-Hotel have benefited from a recent refurbishment; the location is superb and the service is warm.

This unpretentious, rustic country inn in a village a few miles northeast of Überlingen has a blue-and-white half-timber facade, scrubbed wooden floors, maple-wood tables, and thick down comforters on the beds. There are also 10 apartments in a separate house for families at very affordable rates and a large playground. The food is simple and delicious; trout is a specialty, as are several vegetarian dishes, such as potato gratin with fennel.

This large Bavaria-themed hotel in the Schnetzenhausen district's semi-rural surroundings, 3 km (2 miles) from the center of town, has a lot to offer active guests, including tennis, minigolf, bicycles to rent, a gym, saunas, and indoor and outdoor pools. The restaurant specializes in game dishes and fish.

This historic hotel in the heart of Old Town has been modernized inside, but such original elements as wooden support beams lend a romantic, authentic feel. Rooms are individually furnished, with several having been redecorated. The stained-glass windows and dark-wood paneling give the restaurant a cozy, warm atmosphere. Fish and game in season are the specialties. Enjoy sunshine and views over the city from the rooftop terrace.

Parts of this family-run, half-timber hotel in a small village north of Überlingen date from the 17th century, setting a romantic tone that's further enhanced by the huge fireplace in the center of the cozy restaurant. In the modern annex you can relax on your room's balcony. An 18-hole golf course overlooking the lake is 1½ km (1 mile) away.

This tastefully modern hotel overlooking the lake features a Michelin-starred restaurant, Casala (closed Tuesday and Wednesday), and a wine bar specializing in regional fare. Most of the elegant rooms face the lake, but the quieter ones look out onto a vineyard. The hotel is about a 10-minute walk from the harbor and Old Town.

The charm of this vine-covered hotel in the center of town has been preserved and supplemented through time—in the hallways you'll find quaint furniture and even an old Singer sewing machine painted with flowers. The rooms are done with light, wooden Scandinavian farm furniture. Guests and Überlingen residents congregate in the comfortable taproom, where the regional and international dishes are reasonably priced. The chef prides himself on his homemade Spätzle (Swabian egg noodles). For lake views, the hotel has a second, larger building a few steps away right on the lake, complete with a terrace café.

Nearly all rooms at this bright, airy, and crisply renovated hotel just a few steps from the shore offer balconies with views across the lake or vineyards. Owner Elisabeth Off has added many personal touches to make guests feel completely at home, and has designed several rooms according to the guidelines of feng shui. The wellness area includes all sorts of alternative healing measures, including reiki and aromatherapy. And there's swimming in the lake.

It's a five-minute walk to the lake from this friendly hotel, where rooms are modern, airy, and decorated in bright colors. Try for the rooms on the top floor, which have good views.

Standing commandingly on the water's edge fronted by its own boat pier, the Strandhotel (Beach Hotel) Löchnerhaus offers wonderful views of Switzerland over the lake and exudes a retro Riviera feel. Fresh lake fish figures prominently on the menu of the restaurant, as do the island's famous vegetables. Most rooms have lake views; those that don't look out over a quiet, shady garden.

Individually furnished rooms lend character to this historic hotel, whose ivy-covered facade, with its characteristic steeple, hasn't changed much over the centuries. Built in 1605 and incorporating 13th-century Gothic foundations, the building was an important staging point for Germany's first postal service. The restaurant (closed Monday and Tuesday) is rustic in an uncluttered way; people travel from afar to enjoy the rack of lamb. Some rooms are furnished with Bodensee antiques and brightly painted rustic wardrobes. Try to book Room 23 or 13: Both have semicircular alcoves with armchairs and windows overlooking the marketplace.