Lake Constance is the third largest lake in Europe and crossing Lake Constance by Ferry is an ideal option to not just cross the lake, you can also travel to another Country very easy. Around Lake Constance are three Countries located: Germany, with the biggest part, followed by Switzerland and the smallest part around the Lake is under the administration of Austria. As the area around Lake Constance is a pure tourist delight, the roads around are often quite full in summer and traffic jams are not rare. So why not avoiding the roads around the Lake if you can travel more relaxed on the Lake? In this Article, you get to know the different ways of crossing Lake Constance by Ferry, Boat or Katamaran.
Crossing Lake Constance by Ferry from Friedrichshafen <> Romanshorn
If you are travelling by Car, and want to cross the Lake easily, the car ferry from Friedrichshafen to Romanshorn might ease your travel a lot. But not just for Cars and People, for sure you can use this one with your motorbike or bicycle or motorhome as well. The first5:42 am starts at 5:42 am and the last one at 9:30 pm. You can either pre-buy your ticket at a ticket office ashore or just aboard, what is recommendable if you’re travelling spontaneously. The ride takes about 40 minutes and little over 15 minutes the ferries can be boarded and left again. Upstairs is a gastronomy and seating, even without consumption, and in the basement there are toilets.
Price per Adult: 9,20 Euro / 10,20 CHF Price per Kid (6-15): 4,60 Euro / 5,10 CHF Price per Car: 31,40 Euro / 34,50 CHF to 44,30 Euro/48,70 CHF (different prices apply on different sizes of Cars/Vehicles!)
You can find their current timetable here.
Crossing Lake Constance by Ferry from Meersburg <> Constance
If you want to travel from Germany to Germany on a Car Ferry you should use the Car Ferry from Meersburg to Constance (Konstanz). With this, you can skip driving around Lake Überlingen, the upper-west part of the Lake, and save time on your route. The ferries depart every 30 minutes, run 24 hours a Day and one crossing takes 15 minutes. Upstairs all the ferries is a gastronomy and seating, even without consumption, and in the basement there are toilets. You should prepare yourself that, especially during the hot summer months, the ferry is used a lot and eventually you need to wait until the next one. During this time they often have more car ferries in service and reduce the waiting times a lot!
Price per Adult: 2,90 Euro Price per Kid (6-15): 1,40 Euro Price per Car: 8 Euro to 13,90 Euro (different prices apply on different sizes of Cars!)
You can find their current timetable here.
Crossing Lake Constance by Katamaran from Friedrichshafen <> Constance
The Katamaran connect the two biggest cities at the Lake, Friedrichshafen and Constance, on an hourly basis. Starting in the early morning they drive up to the late evening during the summer. Single Tickets for the experience cost 10,20 euro per Adult and 5,10 Euro for children aged 6 to 14. Talking about an experience, you should definitely try a Catamaran once! The ride from Friedrichshafen <> Constance takes about 45 Minutes and after 20 minutes of travelling you should either go to the back or front of the Cat as at this time both operations Katamaran pass each other and this always results in some waves – a fun experience especially for kids!
The Tickets can’t be purchased online, but there are ticket machines (they are not always working properly as I experienced by myself) at both entry points.
Price per adult: 10,20 Euro Price per Kid (6-14) and per Dog: 5,10 Euro Price per Bicycle: 4,60 Euro
You can find their current timetable here.
Travelling by Boat on Lake Constance
If you’re not travelling by Car you can enjoy even more ships or boats on Lake Constance. On most, it is allowed to take your bike or stroller with you, or just enjoy them while exploring many small towns and harbours around the Lake. As there are so so many Boat Lines available on Lake Constance there will follow an another Post dedicated on these soon.
If you have any more questions regarding the Boats or Ferries on Lake Constance, don’t hesitate to leave a comment below!
All the Pictures were taken on a ferry ride from Romanshorn to Friedrichshafen. All prices are from June 2015, eventually, temporary discounts may be available, or prices will rise.
10 responses to “Crossing Lake Constance by Ferry and Katamaran”
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[…] reached by Car, it’s not too far from St. Gallen, or with public transport. Personally, I took a Ferry to cross Lake Constance (coming from Germany, took a Train to Rorschach and eventually a Bus to ‘Wilen […]
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[…] is rather bland and quite frankly uninspiring. A very welcomed new addition is Café Karamell near the harbour at Paulinenstraße. The small, individually owned Café, offers food and drinks in a cosy […]
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[…] the summer season I’ll probably go somewhere to the Lake and then just order some Cono’s as Cono Pizza in Friedrichshafen is also a delivery service, […]
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[…] To travel any further, or just out of pure enjoyment, you can take Ships or Boats on Lake Constance. Or even cross the Lake with a car ferry. After crossing the Lake from Switzerland to Germany, you can even board a Catamaran to travel to the City Constance, again a bordering city to Switzerland with the City of Kreuzlingen. In the past I already wrote more about how to travel on Lake Constance by Boat, Ship, Ferry and Katamaran. […]
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[…] Taking a car ferry or ship to Meersburg is a more leisurely option. Enjoy the benefits of Lake Constance, and arrive in style straight at one of the two ports in Meersburg. There is one port solely for the car ferries, and another one, more in the centre, for the boat lines. Some time ago I have already published an article dedicated on travel on lake constancy by Terry, Katamaran and co. […]
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[…] The catamaran boat Der Katamaran connects the two largest cities on Lake Constance – Friedrichshafen and Konstanz. As a much faster alternative to regular course ships, the catamaran is not only a right choice for commuters but of course also for tourists and holidaymakers in the Lake Constance are. Except, of course, when there is a storm warning, then the catamarans (as well as ships) cannot depart onto the Lake and have to stay in the ports. But otherwise, the catamarans are actually very punctual and remain to the timetable. Whether in Friedrichshafen or Constance, the departure is hourly at :02 with an arrival just 52 minutes later, hourly at :54 in the other port. After 10 minutes for the passengers to get off and on again, the catamaran ships by Der Katamaran commence again in the other direction. The catamarans only connect both Friedrichshafen and Constance, there is no additional stopover. You might also be interested in: a complete guide on travel by ferry and boat on Lake Constance. […]
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[…] During my round trip, we only got to our coffee and cake halfway through the journey, as I was told by phone that the corresponding ticket of 15 euros for the round trip and coffee and cake should be bought from the cashier on the ferry. As the ferry was quite busy, he came to us relatively late. However, cake was fortunately still available and we were able to enjoy it in the port of Romanshorn. Despite this initial huge annoyance about the delay in getting the tickets, it was a nice excursion. Tip: tickets for the round trips can also be purchased ashore at the ticket office, and should be if you want to avoid queuing on the ferry and missing out on sightseeing time. You might also be interested in: Crossing Lake Constance by Ferry and Katamaran […]
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[…] of Lake Constance, it is 14 km to the opposite shore, to Romanshorn. Despite the cold weather, the auto ferry was still in operation. So the snow walk on Lake Constance in mid-January 2021 led from the ferry […]
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[…] country life. And the Lake Constance Bike Tour #1 ends where it started 17 km and about 1 hour ago, at the Harbour of Friedrichshafen (Friedrichshafen Hafen). Now you can enjoy a well-deserved ice cream from one of the cafés on the waterfront […]
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[…] board the “Konstanz Express Bus” or the catamaran Der Katamaran at the Zeppelin Museum at the harbour Friedrichshafen Hafen. All of the above options have Constance railway station (Konstanz Bahnhof) as their final […]