The heart of Überlingen is the unusually grand Minster of St Nicholas (Münster St. Nikolaus), the largest late-Gothic church on Lake Constance and the visual anchor of the entire old town. Its main tower rises 66 metres above the surrounding streets and holds the Osanna bell, an enormous bronze instrument weighing close to seven tonnes. Construction began around 1350 and continued in stages for more than two centuries, with the central nave rebuilt in the early sixteenth century along lines inspired by Ulm Minster. The five-aisled basilica is dedicated to Saint Nicholas of Myra, patron of sailors, fishermen, merchants, and travellers, and the interior is filled with side chapels donated by the citizens of the medieval city. The richly carved Renaissance high altar of the early seventeenth century, painted figures arranged around a tall framework of light linden wood, is widely considered one of the finest of its kind in the region.

The old town around the minster is one of the best preserved on Lake Constance. Cobbled lanes wind between painted half-timbered and stone houses, opening onto small squares with sculpted fountains and into quiet inner courtyards behind heavy wooden gates. The medieval city walls still partly enclose the old centre, with surviving towers and gates marking the boundary between the historic streets and the newer parts of town. Just inland from the harbour stands the Greth, the former lakeside granary, now a striking historic building looking out over the water. The Rathaus, the old town hall, dates from the late Middle Ages and preserves one of the most remarkable carved wooden council chambers in southwestern Germany, with intricate late-Gothic vaulting and a near-complete set of original fittings.

The lakeside promenade is the natural counterpart to the old town and one of the most rewarding strolls anywhere on Lake Constance. It runs for several kilometres along the water's edge, lined with public gardens, sculpted hedges, and Mediterranean plantings that flourish in the unusually mild lakeside climate. From here, the view stretches across the open water of the Überlinger See, the long northwestern arm of Lake Constance, and on clear days the snowcapped Alps rise on the southern horizon. The promenade links the old town with the lakeside thermal baths and continues toward the harbour, where small ferries arrive and depart for other towns around the lake.

What sets Überlingen apart from the other lakeside towns, however, is its long tradition of health and natural healing. It is the only Kneipp-inspired health resort in Baden-Württemberg, and its reputation for natural therapies has grown steadily for more than a century. The town offers an unusual concentration of recognised approaches under one roof, from the classic hydrotherapy methods developed by Sebastian Kneipp to the Buchinger fasting programmes pioneered locally by Dr Otto Buchinger, alongside Jentschura base fasting and F. X. Mayr treatments. Several specialist clinics and a major rehabilitation centre have grown up around these traditions, drawing visitors from across Europe in search of slower, more deliberate forms of recovery.

At the heart of this tradition lies the Lake Constance Thermal Baths (Bodensee-Therme Überlingen), set directly on the lake at the edge of the old town. The complex draws hot thermal water from 1,006 metres below ground, rising naturally at 36.2 degrees Celsius, and channels it into a series of indoor and outdoor pools that look out directly over the open water. A wide sauna landscape, steam rooms, and quiet relaxation rooms complete the experience, and the combination of thermal water and lake view is genuinely uncommon in Germany. After a long stretch of cycling, an afternoon in the thermal baths followed by an evening on the lakeside promenade is one of the most genuinely restorative experiences available anywhere along the EuroVelo 6 corridor.

The wider landscape around the town adds a final layer. Vineyards rise gently into the hills above Überlingen, and the surrounding country is dotted with small villages, pilgrimage chapels, and apple orchards. Day excursions by boat or train along the lake reach the medieval island town of Lindau, the great Baroque Birnau Pilgrimage Church just to the west, and the flower-covered island of Mainau a short ferry ride to the south. Even without leaving Überlingen, however, the rhythm of slow mornings in the old town, long afternoons by the water, and quiet evenings in family-run wine taverns is enough to fill a full day and leave most travellers wishing they had planned a second night.

Überlingen has two main rail stops, Überlingen-Therme at the eastern edge of the lakeside promenade and Überlingen itself closer to the centre, both of them within a short walk or bike ride of the old town. The minster, the harbour, the Greth, and the Lake Constance Thermal Baths are all reachable on foot or by bike in well under fifteen minutes from either station. Cycling infrastructure in and around the town is good, and the lakeside promenade itself doubles as a long, flat cycle route that connects easily with the wider Lake Constance Cycle Path (Bodensee-Radweg), one of the most popular cycle routes in Europe. Bike racks are available at both stations for shorter stops. For onward travel, the same lines connect back toward Radolfzell, Tuttlingen, and the wider Danube and Lake Constance corridors, so Überlingen works equally well as a one-night detour or as a longer base for exploring the northern shore of the lake.