Lake Constance takes its German name, Bodensee, from this village. Bodman, at the western tip of the Überlinger See arm of the lake, was the site of a royal palace in the early Middle Ages, and the name of the place spread to the water. Below the village, in the shallows at Schachen and Löchle, lie the remains of prehistoric pile dwellings, part of the transnational World Heritage Site of Prehistoric Pile Dwellings around the Alps, inscribed in 2011.
The pile dwellings of Lake Constance are among the best known in Europe. At Unteruhldingen, on the north shore a short ride east, a museum has reconstructed several villages on stilts in the lake, giving a vivid picture of what life looked like. At Bodman the remains are underwater and invisible, but the shoreline, with reed beds, old trees and the steep wooded slopes of the Bodanrück, is lovely in its own right.
The landscape around Bodman is varied. To the west lies the Hegau, a volcanic landscape of extinct cones topped by castle ruins, including the Hohentwiel near Singen, one of the largest fortress ruins in Germany. To the north, the hills of the Linzgau roll away towards the Danube, with orchards, forests and small villages. The lake itself is always close, with ferries, sailing boats and swans.
Riding in this area is a pleasure, especially on the smaller roads. The B31 along the north shore is busy and slow in summer, but the back roads through the hills offer curves, views and little traffic. The road from Bodman up to the Bodanrück and the routes into the Hegau are particularly nice. Watch for cyclists, tractors and speed cameras, which are common in Baden-Württemberg.
Stockach, five kilometres away, is the place to refuel. It is also known for its carnival court, the Narrengericht, a tradition said to go back to the fourteenth century in which a prominent figure is put on mock trial each year. The local food includes fish from the lake, such as Felchen, a whitefish, and wines from the slopes around the lake. On a hot afternoon, a swim from the shore near Bodman with the Alps floating above the far end of the lake beats any café stop.