The centerpiece of the 2000 year old city at the eastern shores of Lake Constance is the baroque Martinsturm (St. Martin’s Tower), located in the medieval center of town. In recent years, exceptional architects like Hans Hollein, Jean Nouvel and Peter Zumthor as well as the "Vorarlberger Baukünstler" group have played an important role in shaping the city’s appearance. The Kunsthaus Bregenz is an architectural gem located opposite the marina, from where pleasure boats leave to the island village of Lindau and the flower island of Mainau.

Lake Constance also provides the setting for the Bregenzer Festspiele, a renowned summer music festival that features a different opera every second year. Even James Bond has found himself on the floating stage during the filming of "Quantum of Solace". The concerts are performed by the Vienna Symphonic Orchestra on the vast, open-air floating stage at the edge of the lake. Other highlights include the Bregenzer Frühling, a dance festival of international reputation, as well as hundreds of exhibitions and concerts.