Planning a Trip

Getting There

By Air -- The Friedrichshafen airport (tel. 07541/28401; www.fly-away.de) lies 5km (3 miles) north of town. Flights to Friedrichshafen come in from Frankfurt, Vienna, Cologne, London's Stanstead Airport, and Berlin. For access to flights deriving from cities not mentioned above, consider flying into Zürich's airport, which lies about 100km (60 miles) away.

By Train -- Friedrichshafen is the largest railway junction along the northern edge of the Bodensee and is a major transfer point for rail passengers going on to other cities and resorts along the lake. The town has two railway stations, the Stadtbahnhof (tel. 07541/31390), in the center, and the Hafenbahnhof (tel. 07541/372717), along the Seestrasse, about 1km (1/2 mile) away. Both of these stations are interconnected by bus nos. 1, 2, 4, 6, and 7. Trains arrive from Ulm and Stuttgart at intervals of 1 to 1 1/2 hours throughout the day. For information and schedules, call tel. 01805/996633.

By Bus -- Regional bus service along Lake Constance is provided by RAB Regionalverkehr Alb-Bodensee GmbH (tel. 075/2766; www.zugbus-rab.de).

By Car -- Friedrichshafen is easily reached from Stuttgart and Munich. From Stuttgart, follow Autobahn 8 east to the city of Ulm, then turn south onto Route 30 into Friedrichshafen. From Munich follow Autobahn 96 west/southwest to Lindau, then head west on Route 31 along Lake Constance to Friedrichshafen.

By Boat -- April to October, about eight lake steamers travel between Friedrichshafen and Lindau, Bregenz (Austria), and Konstanz. For departure times and details, call BSB at tel. 07541/9238389 or visit www.bsb-online.com. A ferry runs year-round between Friedrichshafen and Romanshorn, Switzerland (trip time: 40 min.), and costs 8€ for adults and 4.50€ for children ages 6 to 15.

Visitor Information

The city's Tourist Information Office is at Bahnhofplatz 2 (tel. 07541/30010; www.friedrichshafen.info). It's open May to September Monday to Friday 9am to 6pm, and Saturday 9am to 1pm; April and October Monday to Thursday 9am to noon and 2 to 5pm, and Friday 9am to noon; and November to March Monday to Thursday 9am to noon and 2 to 4pm, and Friday 9am to noon.