There is nothing to see at Konstanz-Hinterhausen, and that is precisely the point. Below the surface of Lake Constance, along the shore near the city, lie the remains of prehistoric pile dwellings: wooden posts, floors, pottery and food remains preserved in the mud for thousands of years. They are part of the Prehistoric Pile Dwellings around the Alps, a World Heritage site that spans six countries and over a hundred locations. Archaeologists dive to study them, but the rest of us have to make do with the view of the lake and a bit of imagination.
For an idea of what those villages looked like, cross the lake to Unteruhldingen, where an open-air museum has reconstructed whole settlements of thatched huts on stilts over the water. It is a popular stop and makes the abstract real.
Konstanz itself is one of the most pleasant cities on the lake, with an old town that survived the Second World War largely intact, reportedly because it sat right against the Swiss border and kept its lights on, confusing bombers. Between 1414 and 1418 it hosted the Council of Constance, which ended a schism in the Catholic Church and condemned the Czech reformer Jan Hus, who was burned at the stake here in 1415. At the harbour entrance stands Imperia, a towering, rotating statue of a courtesan holding two small figures representing a pope and an emperor, a cheeky comment on the council that still amuses visitors.
The riding around the city is varied. The Bodanrück peninsula to the north has quiet lanes through orchards and woods, and the flower island of Mainau draws crowds. Over the border in Switzerland, the Seerücken ridge along the southern shore offers lovely views over the lake, and a car ferry links Konstanz with Meersburg on the northern shore, saving a long ride around. Traffic in and around the city is heavy, particularly on weekends with shoppers crossing from Switzerland, and the border crossings can be congested.
Konstanz has over eighty thousand people and every service you might need. Fuel tends to be cheaper on the German side than in Kreuzlingen, and remember that Swiss motorways require a vignette. Grab a coffee by the harbour and watch the ferries come and go.