Cheap flights to Friedrichshafen from MKD876*

In Friedrichshafen, the sky is not the limit. After all, this lively waterside city at the northeastern corner of Lake Constance is known as the home of the Zeppelin airship. You can experience a slice of aviation history in the lakefront museum or spread your wings and take to the skies yourself on a Zeppelin flight. Back on the ground, walk the town’s pretty promenade offering views of snow-dusted peaks, go for a swim, enjoy water sports or hop on two wheels, then refuel with some freshly caught fish. Come evening, watch the sun slip below the mountainous horizon, sipping a glass of white from the surrounding vineyards. Or why not turn your lakeside holiday into a country-hopping adventure? Austria and Switzerland are just around the corner – and so are the Alps.

 

A magnificent three-country holiday

Nicknamed the Swabian Sea, Lake Constance (or Bodensee in German) is over 60 kilometres long with 270 kilometres of picture-perfect shoreline. Formed by the Rhine Glacier, this sprawling stretch of water laps the borders of Germany, Austria and Switzerland and reflects the surrounding scenery like a shimmering mirror. There’s plenty in the area to keep you busy, including castles and historic towns, abbeys and churches, vineyards and orchards. And mountains, so many mountains. Friedrichshafen makes a great base for your explorations and you’ll find that getting around here, be it on land or water, is a piece of cake. Meaning you could start the day in Germany, take the ferry across to Switzerland for lunch and nip over to Austria for some Schnitzel and sunset beers. Where else in the world can you do that?

 

Reach for the sky

Friedrichshafen was founded in 1811 as part of the Kingdom of Württemberg and named after King Frederick I, who made it a free port. The town’s main claim to fame, however, is as the birthplace of a different type of vessel: the gas-powered Zeppelin airship. It was here that Count Ferdinand von Zeppelin, inspired by hot-air balloons, launched his first lighter-than-air model in 1900 and it wasn’t long until commercial flights to far-flung destinations began. The Zeppelin dream came to a tragic end when the 245-metre-long Hindenburg, the largest aircraft ever built, exploded in New Jersey in 1937, but it’s changed the history of the town – and of aviation – forever. Intrigued? Learn more at the Zeppelin Museum, housed in the Bauhaus harbour station on Friedrichshafen’s waterside promenade. The pièce de résistance is a reconstructed 33-metre-long section of the ill-fated Hindenburg, with authentically furnished passenger cabins and luxurious lounges. Want to go the whole hog? Book a flight in a 12-seater Zeppelin (filled with non-explosive helium thankfully) and enjoy a cruise above Lake Constance. Friedrichshafen was almost completely destroyed by Allied bombing in World War II, but the twin-towered Palace Church (Schlosskirche), dating back to the 17th century, provides a glimpse into the town’s Baroque past. This is the only part of the Palace (Schloss) that’s open to the public, so don’t miss it. The city also boasts the longest waterside promenade around Lake Constance, perfect for an evening stroll and some people-watching. Dotted with cafés and restaurants, the Uferpromenade runs through the flowery Stadtgarten park and offers sweeping panoramas across the Bodensee and of the Swiss Alps.

 

Hearty meals and freshwater fish

For lakeside dining, opt for s'Wirtshaus am See, serving Swabian and Bavarian dishes in a modern rustic setting. Highlights include cheese soup with fried onions, pork and veal sausages and beer-marinated pork knuckles with sauerkraut and dumplings. How about the catch of the day? Fischerstüble is a popular choice among locals, featuring fresh Bodensee pike-perch and whitefish on its menu at wallet-friendly prices. Can’t get enough of the Zeppelin airship? Head back to the Zeppelin Museum, whose aviation travel-themed restaurant offers surprisingly good Swabian meals, snacks and cakes, plus vistas over the harbour.

 

Unwind by the lake

Should you need a pit stop during the day, laid-back café-cum-wine bar-cum-book shop Gessler 1862 is just what the doctor ordered. For coffee or cocktails, visit stylish Cafe im Rathaus in the centre or try to snag a table at the small but all the more popular Tiffany’s Lounge Bar. Is chilling with a lakeside panorama high on your list of priorities? Then the Beach Club it is. Choose Lammgarten for a beer with a view or the Motorcycles Rockhouse Bar for a quirky motorbike-themed decor. As for shopping, Bodensee Center Friedrichshafen will satisfy most of your needs, although you might want to stick to the pedestrianised centre and the Uferpromenade for souvenirs. Love a good old bargain hunt? Adenauerplatz, home to the City Hall, hosts a bustling flea market on Fridays and a farmer’s market on Saturdays.

 

One lake, three countries, countless sights

There’s a flat cycle path looping around the lake as well as excellent train and bus connections and an extensive network of boats and ferries if you’re short on time (or legpower). More than half of the shoreline lies in Germany, so you might want to start your three-country exploration there. Tiny Meersburg, 17 kilometres to the west of Friedrichshafen, is the stuff of fairy tales. Here, a stern-looking turreted castle, Germany’s oldest inhabited fortress dating to the 7th century, looms over a collection of cobbled alleyways, lined with half-timbered houses. If that’s not ancient enough for you, head to the Pile Dwelling Museum in Unteruhldingen, which showcases reconstructed Stone and Bronze Age lake houses perched on stilts. Across the lake, the pretty university town of Konstanz beckons with its beautifully preserved medieval core that was fortunately spared from Allied bombing. The town’s great moment of fame came in 1414 when three popes claimed rule at the same time, so the Council of Konstanz resolved the issue by replacing them with a fourth one. Ready for some island-hopping? Nearby Mainau is known for its colourful manicured gardens, while Reichenau has been granted World Heritage status for its rich monastic heritage. On the other side of the lake by the Austrian border, the alluring island-town of Lindau charms visitors with its petite harbour, framed by the town’s much-photographed lighthouse and huge Bavarian lion statue. Time to cross into Austria, you say? Make artsy Bregenz your first stop, famed for its open-air opera festival (with a large floating stage!) and quite possibly the best views across Lake Constance. Take the cable car up the 1,064-metre Pfänder for the ultimate panorama and be sure to visit the Alpine Game Park while there. On the Swiss side, St Gallen is well worth a detour for its UNESCO-listed Abbey District, including one of the world’s oldest libraries, a Rococo masterpiece housing some 160,000 books and manuscripts. And if you’ve acquired a taste for country-hopping, Liechtenstein is less than an hour’s drive away from here...

 

Friedrichshafen airport

Bodensee Airport Friedrichshafen is located just 3 kilometres outside the city, with train and bus connections to Friedrichshafen and beyond. The small airport has a café bar, a pizzeria and a duty-free shop. If you have more time on your hands before your flight, pop into the Dornier Museum next to the terminal building, which recounts 100 years of aviation history and features a dozen original aircrafts.

 

https://www.bodensee-airport.eu/en/

Friedrichshafen weather

Lake Constance is a year-round destination, blessed with lots of sunshine and a Mediterranean-like microclimate. Weather is usually pleasantly mild in spring and autumn, warm and a bit humid in summer and chilly in winter. Summer is the most popular holiday season, when temperatures usually stay in the mid-twenties and the water is around 20°C. Visit in spring to see the gardens in full bloom, or time your lakeside getaway for early autumn to experience the region’s boisterous grape harvest festivities. Bring your skis in winter, as there’s plenty of snowy fun to be had in the area!