Trip to Lake Constance Autumn 2022

[Drsatan]

Evening all,

As part of an interrail trip in the autumn of this year, I will be spending three nights in Lake Constance with three friends.

At the moment, we haven't decided where to stay. I've heard that accommodation prices on the German side of the lake are lower than in towns on the Swiss side.

What places could we feasibly visit in a day trip from the German side of the lake? I understand there are ferries from Friedrichshafen to the Swiss side of the lake.

The other three people I'm travelling with aren't railway enthusiasts, so ideally we don't want to spend all day travelling by train!

 

[Richard Scott]

Evening all,

As part of an interrail trip in the autumn of this year, I will be spending three nights in Lake Constance with three friends.

At the moment, we haven't decided where to stay. I've heard that accommodation prices on the German side of the lake are lower than in towns on the Swiss side.

What places could we feasibly visit in a day trip from the German side of the lake? I understand there are ferries from Friedrichshafen to the Swiss side of the lake.

The other three people I'm travelling with aren't railway enthusiasts, so ideally we don't want to spend all day travelling by train!

If you stay in Konstanz itself there are lots of possibilities. I've been to Chur from there and covered some of the RhB system (scenery will appeal to non enthusiasts) and Zuerich is really simple as can get direct trains.

 

[306024]

Rhine Falls at Schaffhausen are quite impressive (entry 5 CHF). Konstanz is a nice town and yes Zurich is not far away. St Gallen has an interesting old town.

For added excitement (for you) there were some new Merseyrail class 777s stabled between Konstanz and Rorschach a couple of weeks ago, can’t remember exactly where.

 

[Drsatan]

If you stay in Konstanz itself there are lots of possibilities. I've been to Chur from there and covered some of the RhB system (scenery will appeal to non enthusiasts) and Zuerich is really simple as can get direct trains.

Thanks - I've considered staying there but getting from there to our next destination (Salzburg) will be problematic.

DB's online journey planner suggests that the most direct route is via St Gallen and Munich. Unfortunately, the day of departure happens to be the second day of Oktoberfest, so I'm assuming all trains heading towards Munich will be packed. I wonder if DB will run relief services, similar to BR back in the 70s and 80s, to accommodate the number of people travelling.

We could travel via Zurich Hbf and the RegioJet service to Salzburg, although this does involve a tight connection (about 15 minutes) at Zurich Hbf and takes much longer. An alternative route is to take the S bahn along the Swiss side of the lake to Buchs, changing at St Gallen, although I'm not sure if the Stadler FLIRTs used on that service will have enough luggage space.

I've subsequently found a hostel in Ravensburg as an alternative to Friedrichshafen. Many hostels and hotels are booked already in Friedrichshafen as there's a yacht exhibition there overlapping with our stay. If anyone's stayed in Ravensburg I'd be happy to hear any recommendations.

 

[Austriantrain]

At the moment, we haven't decided where to stay. I've heard that accommodation prices on the German side of the lake are lower than in towns on the Swiss side.

That is certainly the case. *Everything* is much less costly on the German (and Austrian) side than in Switzerland.

We could travel via Zurich Hbf and the RegioJet service to Salzburg, although this does involve a tight connection (about 15 minutes) at Zurich Hbf and takes much longer.

You might also want to look at travel options via Bregenz, from where you have hourly services (every two hours direct, every other hour with good connections at Feldkirch) on a railjet (Not regiojet) to Salzburg. Somewhat slower than via Munich, but then changing at Munich can be a hassle too because it is a really huge station, and you might easily miss a connection there.

 

[Gerald Fiennes]

Lindau? Bregenz? These are both good options as well. Although c.30km apart, you can certainly feel that they are in different countries (and both considerably cheaper than Switzerland...)

 

[eastwestdivide]

I've stayed in both Friedrichshafen and Bregenz, both absolutely fine.
Possible excursion for the intrepid is starting in Bregenz, train to Feldkirch, then walk the entire width of Liechtenstein to Buchs in Switzerland, from where you can get a train back to Bregenz, changing at St Margarethen.
Also, there are a lot of lakeside cycle routes round there for the non-enthusiasts.
If you've money to spare, they do rides in a Zeppelin from Friedrichshafen airport (€265 for 30 mins when I just looked!). Zeppelin museum on the waterfront, and another aerospace museum out at F'hafen airport.

 

[LNW-GW Joint]

I once did a Freiburg-Konstanz circular rail trip, out via Titisee/Donaueschingen and back via Basel Bad, through the Black Forest region.
There's the cable car to the Feldberg (highest point in the Black Forest), and the so-called source of the Danube in Donaueschingen.
This is all doable on local trains, using the Baden-Württemburg regional day ticket (€24, €45 for 4 people).

 

[davetheguard]

I stayed in Konstanz in Germany back in 2011, before moving on to Kandersteg in Switzerland for the second week of the holiday. I have to say Konstanz was considerably cheaper and better value.

As well as rail options, there's good boat connections across the lake from Konstanz to attractive Meersburg, or along the Rhine to Stein am Rhein.

Konstanz itself is a pleasant town with plenty of young people that give the town a buzz.

 

[30907]

The Arlberg route is well worth doing for the scenery, and a nice lunch in the RC will help on the less spectacular part.
From Konstanz DB tells me to change in St Gallen and Buchs rather than Zurich - I would spend as much of that as possible in SG which is a nice town rather than Buchs which is just a junction.

PS I have no experience, but wonder how busy the ECs to Munich will actually be, my suspicion being that the sozzlers will use cheap regional tickets.

 

[duesselmartin]

Regional tickets are not valid on the EC (which runs as an ECE in Germany). I would however always recommend a reservation.

 

[ricohallo]

There's also an hourly bus connection (line 700) between Konstanz and Ravensburg via Meersburg, with the bus taking the ferry between Konstanz and Meersburg (included in the fare, also included with the previously mentioned Baden-Württemberg ticket). The bus takes a little over 1.5 hours to get from Konstanz to Ravensburg, but it is totally worth it to get off in Meersburg if time allows as it is a gorgeous little town worth seeing. There are also buses from Konstanz to Friedrichshafen (line 7394) taking the same ferry covering the route in 1 hour, but these run a lot less frequent. There are very frequent buses from Meersburg to Friedrichshafen though (line 7395).

 

[rvdborgt]

We could travel via Zurich Hbf and the RegioJet service to Salzburg, although this does involve a tight connection (about 15 minutes) at Zurich Hbf and takes much longer.

15 minutes in Zurich HB is not tight, provided the train(s) you use to arrive there do not come from abroad (a train starting in Konstanz is OK though).

 

[Drsatan]

The Arlberg route is well worth doing for the scenery, and a nice lunch in the RC will help on the less spectacular part.
From Konstanz DB tells me to change in St Gallen and Buchs rather than Zurich - I would spend as much of that as possible in SG which is a nice town rather than Buchs which is just a junction.

PS I have no experience, but wonder how busy the ECs to Munich will actually be, my suspicion being that the sozzlers will use cheap regional tickets.

Thanks, I've read the 17th edition of Europe by Rail which recommends travelling on EC163 which runs along the more scenic Giselabahn from Worgle to Schwarzach-St Veit. Hopefully when we're travelling that particular train won't have been diverted.

15 minutes in Zurich HB is not tight, provided the train(s) you use to arrive there do not come from abroad (a train starting in Konstanz is OK though).

Thanks - I've passed through Zurich before, but wasn't sure if 15 minutes was enough time to change trains with luggage

 

[Austriantrain]

Thanks, I've read the 17th edition of Europe by Rail which recommends travelling on EC163 which runs along the more scenic Giselabahn from Worgle to Schwarzach-St Veit. Hopefully when we're travelling that particular train won't have been diverted.

Of course, that can not be absolutely excluded, but it is rare.

If there is a (planned or unplanned) disruption, the train is more likely to be bustituted on part of its way. While rare too, it happens - the line unfortunately sometimes suffers from storm damage and flooding.

Still, the odds are high there won’t be any problem. Traveling to Salzburg this way adds a couple of hours to your journey, though.

 

[rvdborgt]

Thanks - I've passed through Zurich before, but wasn't sure if 15 minutes was enough time to change trains with luggage

The minimum connection time there is 7 minutes. The new passenger tunnels really help to make quick connections between all levels.

 

[30907]

Thanks, I've read the 17th edition of Europe by Rail which recommends travelling on EC163 which runs along the more scenic Giselabahn from Worgle to Schwarzach-St Veit. Hopefully when we're travelling that particular train won't have been diverted.

It is well worth the extra 2 hours, especially if you are in the first class panorama car, and the change of train at Schwarzach is IIRC cross-platform.

 

[Austriantrain]

and the change of train at Schwarzach is IIRC cross-platform.

It is.

 

[43096]

Thanks, I've read the 17th edition of Europe by Rail which recommends travelling on EC163 which runs along the more scenic Giselabahn from Worgle to Schwarzach-St Veit. Hopefully when we're travelling that particular train won't have been diverted.

If you're interested in what traction you might get, as a bonus on EC163 between Buchs and Innsbruck the train is diagrammed for a pair of ÖBB's Taurus electric locos.

Excuse for gratuitous use of a photo showing just such a pair dropping on to EC163 at Buchs...

 

[AY1975]

I stayed in Konstanz in Germany back in 2011, before moving on to Kandersteg in Switzerland for the second week of the holiday. I have to say Konstanz was considerably cheaper and better value.

As well as rail options, there's good boat connections across the lake from Konstanz to attractive Meersburg, or along the Rhine to Stein am Rhein.

Konstanz itself is a pleasant town with plenty of young people that give the town a buzz.

I would second that. In 1990, when I was 15 and in my fourth year at secondary school (Year 10 they call it now) I did a German exchange with Konstanz and have been back there several times since then. I am also still occasionally in touch with my host family.

I can also recommend:

The Zeppelin museum in Friedrichshafen

The Pfahlbautenmuseum at Unteruhldingen, a kind of stone age living museum near Überlingen

Überlingen itself is also a nice town, well worth a visit

The islands of Mainau and Reichenau on Lake Constance

The Hohenloher Freilandmuseum (Hohenlohe Open Air Museum) at Wackershofen, a kind of Beamish-type open air living museum

The Sauschwänzlebahn

The Öchsle Bahn

 

[30907]

I would second that. In 1990, when I was 15 and in my fourth year at secondary school (Year 10 they call it now) I did a German exchange with Konstanz and have been back there several times since then. I am also still occasionally in touch with my host family.

I can also recommend:

The Zeppelin museum in Friedrichshafen

The Pfahlbautenmuseum at Unteruhldingen, a kind of stone age living museum near Überlingen

Überlingen itself is also a nice town, well worth a visit

The islands of Mainau and Reichenau on Lake Constance

The Hohenloher Freilandmuseum (Hohenlohe Open Air Museum) at Wackershofen, a kind of Beamish-type open air living museum

The Sauschwänzlebahn

The Öchsle Bahn

More than enough for a 3-night stay!

While Switzerland is expensive, most of the local lines (which are fascinating) would be covered by your Interrail.