At the northwestern corner of the Bodensee, the small town of KREUZLINGEN is an anomaly, nothing more than a southern suburb of the cosmopolitan city of Konstanz – it just happens that Kreuzlingen is on the Swiss side of the international frontier, whereas Konstanz is on the German side. Kreuzlingen is like border towns everywhere, full of traffic streaming through without stopping and imbued with a feeling that the exciting stuff is happening elsewhere, just out of sight. It has little history of its own, but is nonetheless worth stopping in, both as a base from which to spend a day or two exploring Konstanz, and for its own Kirche St Ulrich, 150m south of the centre on Hauptstrasse. This Baroque church houses the remarkable Ölbergkapelle, containing a 1780 wood carving of the Passion comprising around 300 individual figures; the sculpture is teeming with intricate detail, and is surmounted by a fifteenth-century cross (Kreuz in German) which has survived three major fires. The church itself is no less dazzling, with a stunningly ornate choir screen in green and gilt.

Kreuzlingen’s main station, the Hauptbahnhof, is 150m south of the international border; head east (left) out of the station to reach the traffic lights on Hauptstrasse. The tourist office is more or less opposite, in the TCS travel agency at no. 39 (Mon–Fri 8.30am–noon & 1.45–6pm; 071/672 38 40). From here, Hafenstrasse continues east to the lakeshore, where you’ll find both the landing stage for boats and the Hafenbahnhof. Nearby is the old Villa Hörnliberg, housing an HI hostel, Promenadenstrasse 7 (071/688 26 63, fax 688 47 61; a; March–Nov) – dorms are Fr.23 and they also have bikes to rent. A little further south along the lakeshore brings you to the Fischerhauscampsite (071/688 49 03, fax 688 17 76; April–Oct). The best of the hotels is the Bahnhof-Post, directly opposite the Hauptbahnhof at Nationalstrasse 2 (071/672 79 72, fax 672 49 82; b), a serviceable place with friendly staff managing en-suite and shared-bath rooms. Park Kafi, Hauptstrasse 82, is the restaurant of choice, with a huge and affordable menu taking in pasta, meaty mains, veggie options and summer salads, for Fr.15–20. It’s also open daily until midnight for savouring a beer or two. In the same vein, Zapfenzieler, Hauptstrasse 44, is an amiable bar with pavement terrace. The giant Coop supermarket on Alleestrasse has a quality self-service diner attached.