At Illmensee, the lake and its trails are central to planning your trip. The swimming area is in the village center, while a circular hiking trail runs directly along the lake. You can therefore tailor your stay to your priorities: time by the water, hiking or other leisure ideas.
By the water: swimming and boat hire
The Illmensee swimming area offers swimming and non-swimmer areas, boat hire, mini golf, a beach volleyball court, extensive sunbathing lawns and a large adventure playground with water and sand play. This gives you a range of activities both in and out of the water. You can decide which ones will shape your stay based on your own interests.
At Illmensee, you can rent rowing boats for fishing from a boat hire service. If you plan to do this, check current availability before setting off on your trip.
Hiking with different focuses
The circular hiking trail around Illmensee runs directly along the lake. The “Uferrunde” glacial trail is approximately 4.5 km long. The “Kantenlauf” and “DerHöchste” glacial trails can be combined into a premium hiking trail. The municipality also includes the Swabian-Alemannic Dialect Trail with its Prominentenpfad (Path of Prominent Figures), a 1 km route.
These trails offer different points of reference: the circular hiking trail is described as running along the lake, while the Uferrunde is given an approximate length. The two glacial trails, in turn, can be combined into a premium hiking trail. You can choose among them based on the feature that matters to your hiking plans.
More leisure ideas in Illmensee
A newly built boules court has been located in front of the Drei-Seen-Halle since 2021. It adds another activity to the leisure options in the village, alongside the swimming area and hiking trails.
Culture and landscape in the wider travel destination of Sigmaringen
In the wider travel destination of Sigmaringen, Sigmaringen Castle is a distinct historical highlight. It developed from a medieval castle into a princely residential palace and is considered a landmark of the town. Castle tours provide insight into almost 1,000 years of Hohenzollern family history; the private arms collection comprises around 3,000 objects.
The Zündapp Museum at the Zoller-Hof brewery offers a different focus. It is located in the Marstall building at Fürst-Wilhelm-Straße 5–7 in Sigmaringen and displays more than 100 exhibits from the Zündapp brand. Check the address before your visit.
The DonauFelsenLäufe are also part of the wider travel destination of Sigmaringen. The five premium hiking trails pass through the Danube Valley, the Schmeiental and the Lauchert Valley. This gives Sigmaringen its own hiking context alongside the lakeside trails and glacial traces described for Illmensee.
Sigmaringen’s events calendar also includes recurring events: the annual Fidelisfest includes a church service at St. Johann town parish church on April 24, followed by a procession of lights through the town center. The Sigmaringen Town Festival takes place every year in the town center on the last weekend in June. The specific program may vary; check the latest information before your trip.
Discover more destinations: Veringenstadt, Herdwangen-Schönach, Sigmaringendorf, Scheer, Ostrach, Leibertingen, Bad Saulgau, Sauldorf
Back to the wider travel overview: Sigmaringen.
