Konstanz; A City Made For Bikes

I flew from Bristol to Zurich for a few days away in September 2026, and our first stop was Zurich itself.

I'd describe Zurich as small fluffy dogs, chocolate and the finance capital of Switzerland. It's a very nice place, but it definitely has a certain level of wealth about it.

We spent the day wandering around the city and, of course, ended up by Lake Zurich. The lake was incredibly clear and looked really well looked after. There was barely any rubbish anywhere, people were swimming and sitting around the water, and we noticed electric cars everywhere.

It was one of those places where you notice how clean and organised everything feels without necessarily thinking about it at first.

Later that day, we drove to Konstanz in Germany, where a friend of ours lives.

Konstanz sits right on Lake Constance and is a relatively small, compact city. We headed out for some traditional German food that evening, which turned out to be Käsespätzle — essentially little pieces of egg dough covered in a lot of cheese. Not quite noodles, despite what we initially thought, but very good.

On the walk there, we started noticing something that would become pretty obvious over the next couple of days: there are bikes absolutely everywhere.

At one point, we crossed what our friend described as their "bike bridge". And it really is a bridge for bikes. There are no cars driving across it, just cyclists.

It sounds like a small thing, but it immediately made Konstanz feel different.

A genuinely cycling city

I've visited plenty of cities where cycling is supposedly encouraged. Usually, this means there's a cycle lane painted onto the edge of a road and you spend the entire time wondering whether a car is about to turn across it.

Konstanz felt very different.

There are proper cycle routes, separate paths and cycle streets, where bicycles are prioritised and cars can only use them in certain circumstances, such as accessing properties.

More importantly, people actually use them.

There were bikes everywhere. People cycling to work, students cycling around town, families on bikes, people carrying shopping — just normal everyday journeys.

And there were loads of people walking too.

In some areas, it genuinely felt like there were more people walking and cycling than there were cars.

That's probably what stood out to me most. Cycling didn't feel like a hobby or something you did because you were particularly environmentally conscious. It was just how people got around.

Konstanz is officially recognised as a cycling-friendly municipality, and the numbers back up what you see on the streets.

In 2023, 37% of all journeys made by Konstanz residents were by bicycle, rising to 41% for journeys entirely within the city.

That figure has increased considerably over the years. Cycling accounted for 22% of journeys in 2007, 30% in 2017 and 37% in 2023.

Cycling isn't just popular in Konstanz — it's becoming more popular.

In 2023, bicycles actually overtook cars as the most-used form of transport among residents.

And once you're there, you can see why.

The city is fairly compact, so lots of places are within an easy cycling distance. There's also a huge amount of cycling infrastructure, meaning you don't constantly have to compete with cars for space.

Getting around without a car

The cycling infrastructure isn't the only thing that makes getting around without a car easier.

Our friend is a student, and the public transport pass available to students is very affordable. It covers local buses and, importantly, can also be used on the ferry.

Lake Constance is such a big part of the area that the ferry isn't just something tourists use for a nice day out. It can be part of getting from one place to another.

And if you're travelling as a foot passenger, you can cross the lake for free with the relevant travel pass.

It made me think about how much transport systems influence the way people travel. If buses and ferries are affordable and convenient, and cycling is safe and easy, there is much less reason to get in a car in the first place.

The smaller things

We also noticed some nice touches in the shops, including water refill stations and recycling facilities.

Again, these aren't particularly revolutionary ideas. But they are the sort of things that make sustainable choices easier when you're actually going about your day.

You don't have to plan where you're going to refill your water bottle. There are places to do it.

You don't have to think too much about how to get across the city without a car. There are bikes, buses and ferries.

And you don't have to be an enthusiastic cyclist to use a bike. The infrastructure makes it possible for ordinary people to do it as part of everyday life.

What makes Konstanz different?

I think the biggest difference is that cycling doesn't feel like an add-on.

It's not a case of having a city designed around cars and then trying to squeeze bicycles into the remaining space.

The bicycles are part of the city.

There are dedicated routes, bike streets, bike bridges and plenty of people using them. The city has also been investing in its cycling network through its cycling programme, which focuses on things such as safer routes, signage and cycle parking.

There are still problems, of course. Bike parking is one of them, particularly around the Old Town and railway stations.

But despite that, Konstanz has managed to create somewhere where cycling feels completely normal.

And I think that's what I liked about it.

We're so used to thinking of sustainable travel as something that requires extra effort — cycling instead of driving, taking the bus instead of the car, finding a refill station instead of buying a bottle.

In Konstanz, those things didn't feel like extra effort.

They just felt like the easiest way to get around.

After a day in Zurich and then a couple of days in Konstanz, what stayed with me wasn't one particular attraction or tourist spot. It was the way people moved around.

Lots of bikes. Lots of people walking. Fewer cars.

And somehow, the city just felt better for it.