Stein am Rhein looks like the illustration in a fairy tale about a town: two rows of medieval houses facing each other across a cobbled square, every facade painted with scenes, flowers, coats of arms and carefully rendered shadows. It sits at the point where the Rhine leaves the Untersee, the western arm of Lake Constance, and starts its journey across northern Switzerland. With about three thousand inhabitants, it is tiny, but it has the best-preserved old centre in the region, and the Rathausplatz is one of the prettiest squares in the country.
Many of the paintings date from the sixteenth century and later, and they were often a way for wealthy merchants to show off their taste and their education. The town hall, with its stepped gable, is covered in frescoes of historic scenes. On the hill above stands Hohenklingen castle, a medieval fortress with a long view over the Rhine and the lake, and in the town below, the former Benedictine monastery of St George has a museum with fine interiors and frescoes. The Rhine here is wide and green, and boats, ducks and swans glide past the quay.
For riders, the approach is a pleasure. The roads along the Untersee and the Rhine are quiet and gentle, with long, easy bends through orchards, vineyards and fields, and lake glimpses all the way. Surfaces are good, but speed limits are strictly enforced and fines in Switzerland are high, so keep an eye on the signs. The border with Germany is very close, and back roads cross it frequently, so carry your passport. The best light comes in the morning and late afternoon, and in spring the orchards are in blossom.
Stein am Rhein is busy with day-trippers in summer, especially at weekends, but it empties in the evening. You will find fuel in nearby towns, such as Rielasingen-Worblingen on the German side or Diessenhofen and Schaffhausen on the Swiss side, but few stations in the old town itself. Cafes and restaurants along the main square serve Bodensee fish, coffee and ice cream, and the lanes are pleasant to walk. Leave the bike at the edge of the old town and explore on foot, looking up, always up.