On the small market square of this “beautiful town, a fun place to visit”, on Lake Constance, this 17th-century inn is regularly praised. Owned for five generations by the Gilowsky family, it is now a “charming hotel”, run by Michael Gilowsky. “He parked our car as well as providing a good simple meal” (his cooking of zander fresh from the lake is praised). Visitors this year enjoyed eating on the pavement, “watching the world go by”. “Rustic, warm and comfortable”, the inn has antiques, steep, creaking stairways (no lift); and there are carvings and flowerpots on its picturesque corner tower, whose best bedrooms have an alcove where you can sit and watch the lively scene below. Each room is different: “Ours was a romantic ensemble of celadon-green antiques. The smart modern bathroom was small; others are larger. Breakfast was a nice buffet; staff were friendly.” One dining room has carved beams and chandeliers. The Obertor, next door, chimes the hour until 11 pm and starts again at 7 am: “It added to the ambience.” Annette von Droste-Hülshoff, probably Germany”s finest poetess, died of consumption and a broken heart in 1848, in the local fortress (now open to visitors).