About Konstanz

Konstanz is a city located in South Germany and adjacent to Kreuzlingen, Switzerland. The city is situated where the Rhine River flows out of Lake Constance (Bodensee). It is the most popular tourist resort on the lake and is also a convention centre. The residential and industrial areas are mostly situated north of the Rhine (there bridged) in the district of Petershausen and adjacent suburbs. The city is split in two by the Rhine. Although the Rhine is the usual border between Switzerland and Germany, the historic part of Konstanz lies on the south ("Swiss") side of the Rhine and is more or less an enclave.

How To Get To Konstanz

By Plane

Konstanz has no commercial airport. The closest airports are:

Zurich Airport (Switzerland). By car 1 hour to Konstanz. By train 1 to 1.5 hours to Konstanz. There is a direct train from Zurich airport to Konstanz once an hour, and another train with a connection in Weinfelden once an hour.

Friedrichshafen Airport (Germany). By car 1 hour to Konstanz (take the car ferry between Meersburg and Konstanz). By train approx. 2 hours to Konstanz. By boat approx 1 hour to Konstanz (take the train from Friedrichshafen airport to Friedrichshafen Hafen and get the Katamaran to Konstanz.

Stuttgart Airport (Germany). By car 2 hours to Konstanz. By train 2.5 to 3 hours to Konstanz.

EuroAirport (Basel, Switzerland). About 2 hours by car. By train, 2 hours from Konstanz first to the Basel Bad Bahnhof (in Germany) then about 45 minutes by regular tram/bus to the airport via a transfer at the Basel SBB station on the Swiss side.

By Train

Konstanz has multiple train stations. The Konstanz Hauptbahnhof is the main station and is located in the old town. It's the last German stop before the Swiss border, and is therefore served by both German and Swiss trains. Hourly direct trains from Zurich Main Station (1hr 20min) go via Zurich Airport. Zurich Main Station has excellent connections to the rest of Switzerland as well as Italy, Austria and France.

By Car

From Germany: from the A81, take the B33 into Konstanz. From Switzerland: the A7 leads straight into Konstanz.

By Boat

Car ferry from Meersburg, runs several times an hour from 06:00 until 24:00, and once an hour from 00:00 until 06:00.
Katamaran from Friedrichshafen, runs once an hour from 06:00 until 19:00.

Where To Stay In Konstanz

Hotel Hirschen

Located at Bodanplatz 9 (Just south of the old city centre). The proprietors speak English and can arrange for nearby parking for a modest fee. Single room € 75 to 85, double room € 102 to 122, triple room € 135 to 160.

Hotel Graf Zeppelin

Located at St. Stephansplatz 15 (in the old town). Single: starting at € 70. Rooms for 2, 3 or 4 people starting at €45, €38 and €35 per person, respectively.

Hotel Halm Konstanz

Centrally located in the Old Town, this classic-style hotel is just opposite Konstanz Central Station and a 3-minute walk to Lake Constance. It offers stylish rooms with free WiFi.

Hotel Barbarossa

This hotel is centrally located in the lovely Old Town of the university town of Konstanz, which lies on the west shore of Lake Constance, right on the Swiss border.

ABC Hotel

This historic hotel in Konstanz offers spacious rooms with kitchenettes and free parking. It is located just 900 yards from Konstanz-Peterhausen train station and 1 kilometre from Lake Constance.

Steigenberger Inselhotel

This former monastery in Konstanz is located on a small private island on the edge of Lake Constance. It has soundproofed rooms, free breakfast and 13th-century wall paintings. Steigenberger Inselhotel is a 10-minute walk from Konstanz Central Station and historic Old Town centre.

Places and Landmarks in Konstanz

The Harbour

From the harbour on a clear day, you can see the Swiss and Austrian alps across the lake. The harbour is a great place to see sailboats, catch a boat across the lake, sit in a beer garden, rent a paddle boat or mini motor boat, or relax in the park.

Mainau flower island,

By car: follow Mainaustraße; by bus: bus line 4), [1]. Every day from sunrise until sunset. Flower gardens and parks, butterfly house, greenhouse. Mar 19 - Oct 24: €17.00 adult, €10.00 students, children under 13 free. Off-season is about half-price

Niederburg district

This charming district, located at the North-west corner of old town, is the oldest part of Konstanz. It is made up of narrow streets and old buidings, sometimes more then 700 years old. On the first Friday of each month from May to October, the shops of Niederburg stay open late and there is music, flea market tables, and art in the streets. It's a very cozy atmosphere and worth a walk through.

Bismarck Tower

Located on 'Bismarksteig' street in the Petershausen district. There are towers commemorating the first German chancellor Otto von Bismarck all over Germany. Konstanz's Bismarck tower is located at the top of a grapevine-covered hill. There are benches and firepits at the base of the tower. It's a nice place to watch the sunset. There's a good view from the base of the tower and an even better one from the top. "Adults.

Imperia statue

Located at the harbour entrance and designed by artist Peter Lenk. The statue is of a woman holding two naked men--Pope Martin V and Emperor Sigismund--in her hands. The men wear only the papal tiara and the crown, respectively. The statue refers to a short story by Balzac, "La belle Impéria".

Sculptures along the German-Swiss border

Located along the border, next to the lake. Where there used to be a border fence, there is now a series of 22 sculptures representing the trumps of the tarot, the "Great Arkana"

Things To Do In Konstanz

Boat Trip

Take a boat trip on the lake. The ticket office is located at the harbour, just past the pedestrian underpass. You can take trips to e.g. Meersburg, flower island Mainau, Ueberlingen, Friedrichshafen, Lindau, Bregenz, or down the Rhine to Stein am Rhein and Schaffhausen.

Swim

Either in the Rhine near the pedestrian bridge, or at the beach "Hörnle" at the east-most point of Konstanz. (Bus 5 goes to the Hörnle.) The Hörnle has a nudist area (in German: "FKK") at its north end.

Black Forest

The Black Forest (Schwarzwald) in Germany is about 2 hours away by train or 1.5 hours by car.

Swiss Alps

In the winter, sign up at one of the local sports stores (e.g. Intersport Gruner across from the Lago Center, or Karstadt Sport in the basement of the Lago Center) to join a bus day-trip to a ski resort.

Visit Kreuzlingen

Neighbouring Swiss city Kreuzlingen has a really nice waterfront with large parks and playgrounds and a small zoo. Simply walk south along the waterfront from Konstanz to get there.

Gigantic cross-border flea market

This flea market is several kilometres long and crosses the border to Kreuzlingen, Switzerland. The bulk of the market is in Konstanz though. It sells the usual flea market stuff, but is impressive due to its sheer size. It takes place in June or July (2-3 July 2011).

Lake Konstanz