Germany (Lonely Planet, 6th Edition) - Andrea Schulte-Peevers [397]
The Euregio Bodensee Tageskarte (1 zone €15, all 4 zones €28, 6-15yr half-price) gets you all-day access to land transport around Lake Constance, including areas in Austria and Switzerland. It’s sold at tourist offices, train stations and ferry docks.
PASSENGER FERRIES
The Weisse Flotte ( 281 389), a grouping of German, Swiss and Austrian companies, runs passenger and car-ferry lines that hop between towns along the lake, and link towns on opposite shores. Holders of rail passes get a 50% discount on certain services.
The most useful lines, run by German BSB ( 07531-364 0389; www.bsb-online.com) and Austrian OBB (www.bodenseeschifffahrt.at, in German), link Konstanz with ports such as Meersburg (€4.80, 30 minutes), Friedrichshafen (€10.40, 1¾ hours), Lindau (€13.40, three hours) and Bregenz (€14.10, 3½ hours); children aged six to 15 years pay half-price. There are seven daily runs from early July to early September, five from late May to early July and early September to early October, and three from early April to late May, making it possible to visit several places in a single day.
Other ferry runs, mostly operated by BSB, link Konstanz with Reichenau Island, and both Konstanz and Meersburg with Mainau Island and Überlingen.
Der Katamaran ( 07541-971 0900; www.der-katamaran.de, in German; adult/6-14yr €9.50/4.80) is a sleek passenger service that takes 50 minutes to make the Konstanz–Friedrichshafen crossing (hourly from 6am or 8am to 7pm, plus twice hourly from 8pm to midnight from May to early October).
CAR FERRIES
The roll-on-roll-off Konstanz–Meersburg car ferry ( 07531-8030; www.sw.konstanz.de; car up to 4m incl driver/bicycle/pedestrian €8/2.20/2.50) runs 24 hours a day, except when high water levels mean it can’t dock properly. The frequency is every 15 minutes from 5.30am to 9pm, every 30 minutes from 9pm to midnight and every hour from midnight to 5.30am. The Mini-Maxi Ticket (one-way/return €4/8) gets pedestrians a ferry ride plus bus transport on either end (to and from Meersburg and Konstanz). The crossing, affording superb views from the top deck, takes 15 minutes.
The dock in Konstanz, served by local bus 1, is 4km northeast of the centre along Mainaustrasse. In Meersburg, car ferries leave from a dock 400m northwest of the old town.
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KONSTANZ
07531 / pop 81,000
Hugging the northwestern shore of Lake Constance and clinging to the Swiss border, scored by the Rhine and outlined by the Alps, Konstanz is a natural stunner. Roman emperors, medieval traders and the bishops of the 15th-century Council of Constance all left their mark on this red-roofed town, mercifully spared from the WWII bombings that obliterated other German cities.
When the sun pops its head out, Konstanz is a feel-good university town with a lively buzz and upbeat bar scene, particularly in the cobbled Altstadt and the harbour where the voluptuous Imperia turns. In summer locals, nicknamed Seehasen (lake hares), head outdoors to inline skate along the leafy promenade and enjoy lazy days in lakefront lidos.
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Orientation
Konstanz is split in two by the Rhine, with the Altstadt on its south bank. The imperial-style Deutscher Bahnhof (German train station) and ramshackle Schweizer Bahnhof (Swiss train station) are adjacent to each other on Bahnhofplatz, at the Altstadt’s eastern edge. Delineating the southern edge of the Altstadt is Bodanstrasse; a few blocks south is the Swiss frontier.
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Information
English Bookshop ( 150 63; Münzgasse 10) Stocks a good selection.
ReiseBank (Hauptbahnhof; 8am-12.30pm & 1.30-6pm Mon-Fri, 8am-3pm Sat) Currency exchange, including Swiss francs.
Schweizer Bahnhof (Swiss train station; 6.50am-7pm Mon-Sat, 8.50am-12.10pm & 1.40-6pm Sun & holidays) The ticket counter changes currency at good rates.
Tel Center (per hr €4.20) Bahnhofplatz 6 ( 9am-10pm); Marktstätte 30 ( 9am-10pm Mon-Sat, noon-10pm Sun) Internet access.
Tourist