Crossing the Bodensee - Driving your car onto a big boat to cross a wide body of water is very civilized excitement. It's a delightful quarter-hour ride with cars, trucks, motorcycles, motorbikes, bicycles, and pedestrians. The upper-deck lounge sells coffee, sandwiches, snacks, and cold drinks. What more could you want? The fare depends on the size of your vehicle. A compact car like a Ford Focus or an Opel Astra costs nine euros, about $11 (in September 2005). Crossings are frequent and you shouldn't have to wait long as there is often a ferry loading when you drive onto the slip. Even at night times, ferries cross the lake hourly. If you travel by foot, be aware that buses might not be available all night, while ferries still are. There are usually taxi cabs waiting around the ferry docks though.
The fastest boat crossings are:
The ferry between Meersburg and Konstanz (for cars, bikes, pedestrians). Runs several times an hour from 06:00 until 24:00, and once an hour from 00:00 until 06:00.
The ferry between Friedrichshafen and Romanshorn (for cars, bikes, pedestrians). Runs hourly from approx. 05:30 until 22:30 (slightly reduced hours on weekends/holidays/winter season)
The katamaran between Friedrichshafen and Konstanz (for bikes, pedestrians). Runs once an hour from 06:00 until 19:00.
There are also more relaxed crossings between many cities and towns on the lake, giving you more time for a beer, meal, or even a nap out on the sunny top deck. . These boats normally only run from April until October and don't run at night.
A particularly nice time to be out on the lake is on a sunny day when there is a good view of the alps.
The Most Frequently Asked Travel Questions about Lake Constance
Where To Stay & Best Hotels in Lake Constance - updated Apr 2024
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Lake Constance Travel Guide from Wikitravel. Many thanks to all Wikitravel contributors. Text is available under Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0, images are available under various licenses, see each image for details.
