The British Berliner
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Bodensee – Where’s that?
©Victoria Ade-Genschow – The British Berliner – Bodensee Lake Constance – August 2020
Honestly speaking, Germany is a country with a bunch of surprises.
Who would have thought it?
Geeeeeermany!
Omigosh!
Now you all know that we recently went to Rügen.
On the Baltic Sea
And it was grand!
You might have thought that we stopped there.
As if!
We took a second holiday and went to another part of Germany!
What?!
Don’t look at me like that.
These are terrible times!
Anyhoo!
My husband – The Music Producer – made a suggestion to go to Southern Germany.
Yes.
I’m with you.
Bavaria, the Rhine, the Black Forest, castles …
Yaaaaaas!
To Bodensee!
To where?
I had no idea what he was talking about.
The Music Producer looked at me in fear and awe.
You don’t know where Bodensee is?
He whipped out his phone and did a search for the English word for Bodensee and it was …
Drum-roll please …
Of course, I know of Lake Constance
I just hadn’t previously been there!
Duh!
©Victoria Ade-Genschow – The British Berliner – Bodensee / Lake Constance – August 2020
©Victoria Ade-Genschow – The British Berliner – Bodensee / Lake Constance – August 2020
I have now!
It was fantastic!
So fantastic in fact, that I thought I might share it with you.
You’re welcome!
So let’s get down to the nitty gritty!
Bodensee. Where’s that?
©Victoria Ade-Genschow – The British Berliner – Bodensee / Lake Constance – August 2020
©Victoria Ade-Genschow – The British Berliner – Bodensee / Lake Constance – August 2020
Bodensee, otherwise known as Lake Constance is a lake that stretches over three bodies of 539 km2 or 208 sq. miles and is 395 m or 1,296 ft above sea level at the Northern foot of the Alp mountains.
Its greatest depth is 252 metres or 827 ft exactly in the middle of the Upper Lake. It’s volume is about 48 km3 or 12 cubic miles, It is 63 km or 39 miles long and nearly 14 km or 8.7 miles at its widest point.
The three (3) bodies of water are known as Obersee or Upper Lake Constance, Untersee or Lower Lake Constance, and Seerhein or Lake Rhine.
In fact, Seerhein or Lake Rhine is so out of the way that geographically, some experts consider it to be a river rather than part of the lake!
Bodensee or Lake Constance covers the country borders of Germany, Switzerland, Austria and Liechtenstein, and is shared quite equally by all four (4) nations!
Officially, if you’re on the lake quite frankly, you’re in Germany, Switzerland and Austria!
All three (3) countries at the very same time!
Not only that but you can easily get to Liechtenstein too!
By road. Not by water!
As Liechtenstein is only half an hour from Bodensee or Lake Constance by car!
In fact, Bodensee or Lake Constance is the third (3rd) largest freshwater inland lake in Central and Western Europe and is an important drinking water source for South-West Germany!
Wow!
Here’s a few videos to whet your appetite!
Take Me There!
©Victoria Ade-Genschow – The British Berliner – Bodensee / Lake Constance – August 2020
Where is Bodensee or Lake Constance?
Bodensee or Lake Constance is a lake that stretches over three (3) bodies of water known as Obersee or Upper Lake Constance, Untersee or Lower Lake Constance, and Seerhein or Lake Rhine
It’s located at the Northern foot of the Alp mountains, covers the country borders of Germany, Switzerland, Austria, and Liechtenstein, and is shared quite equally by all four (4) nations!
Here’s an interactive map
How do you get to Bodensee or Lake Constance?
Whether by car, train, ferry or bus, there are many ways to get to the lakes of Bodensee or Lake Constance
Car
Depending on where you’re coming from and which road you use, it can take up to 10-12 hours!
If you’re not in a rush, take Germany’s version of Route 66, otherwise known as the Black Forest Panoramic Route or the Schwarzwald-Panoramastraße, rather than the autobahn!
It’s popular with motorcyclists who delight in riding hard and performing high-risk stunts on sharp edgy mountain corners, so take care while driving or motorcycling!
This picturesque route is a mountain route that curves along the peaks and hilltops of the Black Forest, the Rhine Valley, the Voges Mountains, and the Alps.
It has an altitude of 1000 metres, spirals on a stretching road that is almost 70 km long with stunning views. On a clear day you can actually see the Black Forest and the Alps!
Take the B500 road.
We took this route on the way back to Berlin. I highly recommend it!
Here’s the road route, click here!
Here’s the official website, click here!
Ship
If you’re going by ship, there’s so many ferries that sail between waterside harbours along the lake and between Germany, Austria & Switzerland.
The agency that connects most, if not all sailing vessels on Bodensee or Lake Constance is BSB – Die Bodensee-Schifffahrt. You need to have your ticket before you sail. Tickets are available at mini BSB offices on location along the lake.
We used this agency, and they are most efficient.
Don’t forget your face mask. You will not be allowed in their offices or on the boats, without it!
For more info, click here
Here’s the ferry time-table. For the pdf version, click here
Please note that due to covid-19, there might be changes not reflected on the time-table. I suggest you double-check. Here’s the online daily updated sailing schedule, click here
For the high-speed catamaran between Konstanz and Friedrichshafen, click here
We used the the car ferry that travels between Konstanz and Meersburg and Friedrichshafen and Romanshorn. For daily schedules, click here
In English, click here!
For weather and sailing conditions, click here!
Train
If you’re taking the train, you need to take the German Railway or Deutsche Bahn
From Germany, take a train to Bodensee or Lake Constance via Karlsruhe, Munich or Stuttgart. For the Deutsche Bahn, train click here
For day tickets by train, click here
For regional tickets by train, click here
From Switzerland, take a train to Bodensee or Lake Constance via Zurich. For the Swiss train, click here
From Austria, take a train to Bodensee or Lake Constance via Innsbruck. For the Austrian train, click here
Bus
There are a wide variety of long-distance bus / coach connections throughout Germany and many other European cities. Many bus / coach lines have direct connections to Konstanz, Friedrichshafen, Lindau, Bregenz and St.Gallen.
For Flixbus, click here
For Eurolines, click here
Here’s a bus route planner. For Omio, click here
Local Public Transport
If you are a tourist or visitor to the Bodensee Region, you are entitled to an inclusive guest pass which will be provided to you by your hotel, apartment owner or host. This guest pass depends on the local region that you are visiting and offers free travel on the public transport network, as well as reduced prices or discounts in local businesses, restaurants and tourist activities!
If you don’t feel like driving, you can purchase a Bodensee Ticket. This ticket enables you to travel via bus, train or ferry and is valid in all Bodensee or Lake Constance border countries: Germany, Austria & Switzerland!
For free / inclusive guest passes, click here
For the Bodensee Ticket, click here
For the Bodensee Card PLUS, click here
For the Swiss Travel Pass, click here
Anything else?
Obviously, you need to live in the EU at the moment or be one of the lucky nations allowed to send tourists to Germany.
If you’d like to go to the other parts of Germany, please do your research because like everywhere else in the world, things can change. Germany is brilliantly safe but nowhere on earth is by any means guaranteed as due to recent Covid-19 break-outs, some German destinations aren’t always allowing German native tourists either!
p.s If you’re booking hotels, houses and apartments, use this link to save 20% or more, between 5th January and 31st March 2021!
Booking.comAs much as I love train travel, I wouldn’t recommend using public transport at the moment and for goodness sake, try not to fly!
To be candid, the countries that we, as Germans and expat Brits, absolutely CANNOT travel to right now are the Balkan countries (minus Croatia), Russia, Belarus, Ukraine, Turkey, Georgia, Moldova. And the rest of the entire world!
As far as the German Federal Office is concerned, the travel warning for the vast majority of the globe will continue until at least September 30th, although it might change and be lifted on a country-by-country basis.
Because as you might have already seen, NOT every country is allowing everyone in.
Some countries request that you self-isolate or entry is restricted or you might be asked to quarantine.
If you’re from the USA or a “third country” outside the EU, quite frankly, you’re buggered right now!
And besides, for most countries, and certainly in Germany, foreign travel isn’t recommended at all!
However if you insist, here’s a list of Europe’s country-by-country travel restrictions explained as well as the very reliable web platform created by the EU!
Obviously, no-one is going to tie you in ropes IF you do go abroad, but if anything goes wrong, you’re on your own!
The fact is that primarily tourists destinations are over-whelmed, and there’s a legitimate and very huge risk that if you DO travel far and wide, your destination might have a sudden increase in outbreak, your friends or family might get infected, you are forced into quarantine for a certain unforeseeable amount of time, and if you’re very unlucky, the borders might close.
Again!
If you’re tired of reading bad news or anything at all about covid19, check out my upbeat and funny posts here instead!
Is this the future?
The stark reality is, there is NO “business as usual.”
How can there be?
Until we get a vaccine, and perhaps, even beyond.
There’s only a “new normal.”
The simple fact is, the COVID-19 isn’t a conspiracy theory, it isn’t the end of time, and the stock market isn’t more important than people’s lives, but given the closeness, speed, reliance and ease in which we connect via global trade or travel, is a real legitimate worry.
Start thinking about a staycation as most regions around the world, are beginning to re-open.
In fact, this might be the time to jump in your car / on your bike, and explore where you live.
Yep!
It’s time to go local and explore!
But remember, no jumping on the nearest plane and causing havoc abroad!
Just ‘cos there’s a relaxation of lockdown doesn’t mean that Covid-19 has disappeared.
It hasn’t.
It’s still very much with us and likely to be around for quite some time!
So if you’re looking for a change of scenery, stay local!
Even better, stay home!
I mean, come on!
Is it just me?
See you soon!
Bodensee – Where’s that?
Stay on top of things by listening / reading the news, but don’t go mad. Watch or read once, then switch it off!
To be sure, life will NOT be what it was before and you can expect real change about the way we choose to live, and the political leaders you can trust.
©Victoria Ade-Genschow – The British Berliner – Berlin – May 2020
Speaking of trust. As far as travel blogs are concerned, you can trust ME!
I do NOT write about places that I haven’t personally been to.
I do NOT get paid to write on my blog.
All content will continue to remain free of charge but if you feel like buying me a cup of tea, I will graciously accept!
Buy Me A Cup of Tea!
Make A Donation Donate so that I can continue to write hilarious stories and create amazing content! Thanks so much!
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Once again if you can, please do stay at home, keep your distance from others, and flatten the curve!
Better to be safe than sorry.
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Bodensee – Where’s that?
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Don’t forget.
Click here!
And book your luxury hotel for 2021 right here!
Don’t judge me!
BODENSEE – WHERE’S THAT?
This article is not sponsored, and all thoughts and opinions, are my very own!
A huge thanks goes to all the many doctors, nurses, healthcare staff, keyworkers and volunteers world-wide, who have and are still, putting their lives on the line in order to help others.
Thank you.
September is going to be something most of us have never ever seen in our lifetime before.
See you soon!
Watch this space!
DISCLOSURE!
Please note that The British Berliner is a participant in affiliate programmes designed to provide a means for sites to earn fees by advertising and linking to World Nomads Travel Insurance & Booking.com.
In short, there are two affiliate link companies connected to this post!
Every time one of these services is used, booked, and paid for via my link, I get a little percentage, but at no extra cost to yourself!
A win-win for all!
Note! I never travel without insurance as you never know what might happen.
I learnt my lesson in Spain. And obviously, in countries like Qatar, where technically the risk is higher, I can’t imagine going that far beyond WITHOUT INSURANCE. No siree! You can get yours here, at World Nomads!
So what are you waiting for?
Thanks a million!
Have you ever heard of Bodensee? Do you like lakes? Let me know in the comments below!
See you in Berlin.
If you have any questions, send me a Tweet, talk to me on Facebook, find me on LinkedIn, make a comment below or send me an Email: victoria@thebritishberliner.com
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