Discover Berlingen on Lake Untersee

Berlingen on Lake Untersee combines a historic village centre with art history and activities on the water. When looking for a hotel in Berlingen, you can take the different sides of the village into account when planning your stay.

Village Centre and Architectural History

The oldest part of the village lies on the alluvial delta of the Wildbach stream. Here, Lake Untersee is at its widest in the north, while the Seerücken ridge is steepest and highest in the south. The historic village centre is densely built along the curved Seestrasse; it includes a church, a harbour and buildings dating from the 17th to the 20th century. The village’s development can still be traced in its neighbourhoods, buildings, outdoor spaces and streets.

With its 48-metre-high tower, Berlingen’s church is considered a landmark of the village. The present-day church was built in 1842 and is one of Switzerland’s first neo-Gothic churches. The nave and tower of the Reformed Church combine neoclassical and Gothic design elements.

Individual houses also give the village its distinctive character. Wiesli is a tall half-timbered building with a mansard gable roof and a small half-timbered annex in front, dating from around 1475. The Grosse Haus, or Kehlhof, is considered one of the largest and most beautiful half-timbered houses in Thurgau. Together with the rectory opposite, it forms the western entrance group to the compact, town-like village centre. The Kehlhof was the residence and administrative seat of the Meier, or Ammann, who represented the rights and interests of the landowner and collected the tithe on their behalf.

Adolf Dietrich House and Village Tours

The Adolf Dietrich House is located in Adolf Dietrich’s former home in Berlingen and is open to the public as a place of remembrance. A video installation introduces Dietrich as a person and a painter. You can browse digitised sketchbooks on tablets; the painting room on the first floor has been preserved unchanged. The house offers guided tours and organises events.

Guided village tours in Berlingen are offered as journeys of discovery. A tour may include a short walk following in Adolf Dietrich’s footsteps, with stories and anecdotes along the way. This is a way to combine local history with a walk, though not every tour necessarily follows the same itinerary.

Art Trail and Activities on Lake Untersee

The Adolf Dietrich Art Trail starts at the Adolf Dietrich House and leads to three selected locations where the Lake Untersee landscape is shown from Adolf Dietrich’s perspective. The easy circular walk is 5.7 kilometres long, takes 1 hour 45 minutes and includes 132 metres of ascent. Check the route details before setting off, as the figures may change if the route is altered. At the landing stage, the trail commemorates the explosion of the steamboat Rheinfall on 20 December 1869.

Berlingen’s lakeside promenade, locally known as “Chlose”, is a meeting place for families and anyone who wants to enjoy the lake and the views. Berlingen lido is a public bathing area on Lake Untersee with a bathing hut, a sunbathing lawn and direct access to the lake. It also has a bathing island with a slide. Located right on the Lake Constance Cycle Path, it makes a suitable stop for cyclists and a starting point for walks along the shore.

Wakeboarding and wakesurfing are available at the Boarderhouse in Berlingen; these activities are weather- and season-dependent. On request, the Boarderhouse can organise a guided SUP tour on Lake Untersee. The tour starts at the Boarderhouse and crosses Lake Untersee to Reichenau. The Boarderhouse also offers a windsurfing course. According to the course description, you can learn the sport in eight hours; check the course arrangements before your trip.

For practical planning: Berlingen landing stage is about a 10–15-minute walk from the railway station. The tourist offerings also include fish caught by the village’s own fisherman. When planning your stay, you can choose between different focuses: architectural history and art on the one hand, and time by the shore and activities on the water on the other.

Discover more destinations: Eschenz, Pfyn, Müllheim Dorf, Steckborn, Wagenhausen, Homburg, Mammern, Hüttwilen.

Back to the main travel overview: Steckborn.