Konstanz is located in the state of Baden-Württemberg, in the far south of Germany and near the Swiss border.
The closest major cities are Zurich, Switzerland (to the south), Munich (to the east) and Stuttgart (to the north).
Konstanz is located on Germany's largest lake - Lake Constance, which borders Austria, Switzerland and Germany. There are many ways to reach Konstanz:
How do I travel to Konstanz?
By plane
The nearest international airports to Konstanz are in Zurich (1 hour), then Stuttgart (2-3 hours) or Frankfurt am Main (5-6 hours).
Budget airlines land in Friedrichshafen (Ryanair) or in Memmingen (Wizzair). To reach Konstanz from Friedrichshafen, you can use the Catamaran. Use the train to travel from Memmingen via Lindau to Konstanz.
1. via Zurich:
By train:
The best option is the train from the Zurich airport to Konstanz. The trains are available every half-hour and take approximately 1 hour and 20 minutes.
By bus/coach:
First you will take the train from the Zurich airport to the Zurich train station. The travel time is approximately 10 minutes. From the main train station in Zurich you can take the Flixbus intercity bus directly to Konstanz. The travel time is approximately 1 hour.
2. via Friedrichshafen
By train:
From the airport you can take the IRE (InterRegioExpress) towards Singen/Basel. Change trains in Radolfzell for a direct connection to Konstanz. The trains are available every two hours. Travel time is approx. 1 hour and 40 minutes.
By public transport:
From the airport take the Städteschnellbus 7394 (city express bus) from Friedrichshafen to Konstanz. The bus is usually available eight times a day. Travel time is 1 hour and 30 minutes.
3. via Stuttgart
By train:
From the Stuttgart airport take the S-Bahn (train) to Stuttgart-Hauptbahnhof (main train station). The train connection to Singen is available every hour. From there, you will take the train connection to Konstanz. The total travel time is approx. 3 hours and 30 minutes. If you don’t want to pay for the express trains (ICE, IC), you may also use the "Baden-Württemberg - Ticket Single” (weekdays from 09:00 and on weekends starting at 24:00) from Stuttgart to Konstanz.
By bus/coach:
From the bus terminal at Stuttgart airport you can reach Konstanz ("Döbele") directly with Flixbus. The travel time is approximately 2-3 hours depending on the traffic and connection.
4. via Frankfurt am Main
From Frankfurt airport/long-distance train station you can take the train south to Konstanz (with connections in Stuttgart/Singen or Baden-Baden or Offenburg). Travel time is approx. 4 hours and 30 minutes.
By train
On the websites of the Deutschen Bahn (German trains) or Schweizer Bahn (Swiss trains) you can find the fastest connections to Konstanz. From Switzerland you can reach Konstanz very easily from the Swiss train station in neighbouring Kreuzlingen.
Mobile in Konstanz
Konstanz is a medium-sized city with short distances. Most journeys can be made within 20 minutes.
The most popular means of transportation is the bicycle. But public transport also offers good connections to all parts of the city. Many things can also be done on foot, e.g. within the radius of the city centre.
Students can choose between different tickets for public transport. There is the VHB Studi-Ticket, the D-Ticket Jugend BW and the Deutschlandticket. None of the tickets are compulsory.
Ships
- You can reach Meersburg via the vehicle ferry in Konstanz-Staad.
- You can travel to Friedrichshafen from the Konstanz harbour with the Catamaran.
- You can ride the Bodensee-Schiffsbetriebe boats to reach a variety of other locations on Lake Constance.