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Voykit pocket guide · Germany
Lindau
Lindau (Bodensee)
Give Lindau one full day and one night on the island; two nights if you want a boat day to Bregenz or Friedrichshafen.
Lindau's old town sits on a small island in Lake Constance, joined to the mainland by a bridge and a rail causeway. The island is walkable in an afternoon: harbour, lighthouse, old town hall, market square. Long-distance trains now stop at Lindau-Reutin on the mainland, so check which station your train uses before booking a bed near the water.
- Country
- Germany
- Local name
- Lindau (Bodensee)
- Best months
- May–Sep
- Avoid
- Nov–Mar (many sights and boats closed)
- Stay
- 1–2 nights
Checked 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change; anything marked (check) is not confirmed.
Essentials
- Currency
- EUR
- Money
- Currency is the euro (EUR). Card acceptance has improved but some bakeries, bars and small restaurants are still cash only.
- Daily spend
- Budget €60–90 excl. bed · Mid €100–160 excl. bed · High €180+ excl. bed (estimate; check)
- SIM and data
- Telekom, Vodafone and O2 are the networks; Aldi Talk, Lidl Connect and congstar resell them cheaply in supermarkets and electronics shops.
- Emergency
- Fire and ambulance 112 · Police 110
- Plugs
- Types C, F · 230 V · 50 Hz · Round two-pin plugs; UK and US devices need an adapter.
- Tipping
- Restaurant: Round up or add 5–10%; say the total you want to pay as you hand over money or card.; Bar and café: Round up to the nearest euro.; Taxi: Round up by €1–2.; Hotel housekeeping: €1–2 a night, optional.; Free walking tour: €10–15 per person.
- Water
- Tap water is safe everywhere. Restaurants usually sell bottled water; fizzy (mit Kohlensäure) is the default, ask for 'still' or 'ohne'.
- Toilets
- Station toilets cost €0.50–1.50 (Rail&Fresh WC); restaurant toilets are for customers; the 'WC' at motorway rest stops takes coins and gives a voucher.
What things cost
| Item | Price |
|---|---|
| Coffee and a bakery pastry | €4–7 |
| Plate of lake fish or a schnitzel in a tavern | €14–24 |
| Beer, 0.5 l in a lakeside restaurant | €4.50–6 |
| Ice cream on the island | €1.50–3 per scoop |
| City bus single ride | €2.90 (2024) |
| Boat Lindau → Bregenz, one way | €5.70 |
| Lighthouse climb / city museum entry | €1.80 / €3 |
Desk estimates, checked 2026-09; check locally.
Get in
By air
- FDH · Bodensee-Airport Friedrichshafen
- Closest airport; rail link to Lindau, about 30–40 min
- MUC · Munich Airport
- EuroCity trains toward Lindau; about 2.5–3 h by rail
- STR · Stuttgart Airport
- Rail via Friedrichshafen or Ulm; longer and slower
- ZRH · Zurich Airport
- EuroCity toward Munich stops at Lindau-Reutin; about 2 h
Typical fares
- Boat Lindau → Bregenz
- €5.70 adult one way, 22 min
- Train Bregenz → Lindau, ÖBB machine
- €2.40 single (DB machine about €4.80)
- City bus single ticket
- €2.90 (2024)
Get around
Walk. The island is small and largely pedestrian, and you can cross it in about 15 minutes. City buses (routes 1–5) link the island with the mainland and Reutin; a single ticket was €2.90 in 2024. Bikes rent on the island and at the youth hostel on the mainland. Boats (BSB) run seasonal lake services April–October.
See and do
Known for
- Island old town and harbour
- Bavarian Lion and lighthouse at the harbour mouth
- Lake Constance boat connections to Austria and Switzerland
- Lindau Nobel Laureate Meetings
Day trips
| Where | How | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Bregenz, Austria | BSB boat from Lindau harbour, 22 min, or regional train from Inselbahnhof | About 30–45 min |
| Friedrichshafen | BSB boat along the lake, or bodo bus line 200 westbound | About 1 h by boat |
| Mainau Island | BSB boat via Meersburg/Friedrichshafen, or rail to Konstanz then boat | 2 h+ |
| Rorschach, Switzerland | BSB boat, three times a day each direction | About 1 h |
Sleep
- Island old town
- Everything on foot, harbour views, highest prices and the fewest rooms; book weeks ahead for summer.
- Near Inselbahnhof (island station)
- Regional trains only; handy if you arrive by boat or regional rail and want bags dropped fast.
- Reutin / mainland near Lindau-Reutin
- Where long-distance trains stop; cheaper beds, 15–25 min walk or a short bus ride to the island.
- Camping and hostel belt (Eichwald, Herbergsweg)
- Budget option on the mainland; lakeside swimming nearby, island by bus or bike.
Phrase card
| English | Say or show |
|---|---|
| Hello | Grüß Gottgruess got |
| Thank you | Danke schöndanke schoen |
| The bill, please | Die Rechnung, bittedee rekh-noong, bit-teh |
| One ticket to Bregenz, please | Eine Fahrkarte nach Bregenz, bitteeye-neh far-kar-teh nakh breh-gents, bit-teh |
| Where is the harbour? | Wo ist der Hafen?vo ist dair hah-fen |
| Can I pay by card? | Kann ich mit Karte zahlen?kan ikh mit kar-teh tsah-len |
Etiquette, safety and scams
Etiquette
- Greeting: Firm handshake with eye contact; 'Guten Tag' or 'Hallo'; avoid: Hugs with people you have just met
- Names: Herr / Frau plus surname until invited to use first names; avoid: Using 'du' with officials or older strangers
- Punctuality: Arrive on time for tours, dinners and appointments; avoid: Being more than 5–10 minutes late without a message
- Queues and rules: Follow signs, wait at red lights, sort rubbish; avoid: Walking in cycle lanes
- Conversation: Direct and factual; people say what they mean; avoid: Taking directness as rudeness, or joking about the Nazi era
- Home visit: Bring flowers (odd number, not red roses) or wine; shoes off if the hosts do; avoid: Arriving early
- Paying: Say the total including tip as you pay; avoid: Leaving coins on the table and walking off
Scams and watch-outs
- Two stations: long-distance trains use Lindau-Reutin on the mainland, not the island station. Check your ticket before you book a hotel.
- Many island sights, the city museum and the lake ferries are seasonal; outside roughly April–October expect closures.
- Car parking on the island is limited and expensive; park on the mainland and walk or take the bus.
- Lake weather turns fast: afternoon storms are common in summer, so keep a rain layer for boat trips.
- Crossing to Bregenz (Austria) or Rorschach (Switzerland) means a border: carry your passport or ID card.
Lindau is a low-crime small town; the real issues are seasonal closures, lake weather and the two-station confusion. Watch bags at the harbour and station in peak summer.
One and two days
No timed day plan for Lindau yet. Suggested stay: 1–2 nights. Build a day from the list below, mornings for the big sight.
- Island old town and harbour
- Bavarian Lion and lighthouse at the harbour mouth
- Lake Constance boat connections to Austria and Switzerland
- Lindau Nobel Laureate Meetings
Sources
Written by Voykit; facts cross-checked against these sources, last desk check 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change: check on the day.
- Lindau city website: www.stadtlindau.de/
- Lindau Tourismus: www.lindau-tourismus.de
- Stadtwerke Lindau city bus: www.sw-lindau.de/de/privatkunden/stadtbus/
- BSB Bodensee-Schiffsbetriebe: www.bsb.de/en/
- Bodensee-Airport Friedrichshafen: www.bodensee-airport.eu/
- Wikivoyage: Lindau, revision 5237024 (CC BY-SA 4.0): en.wikivoyage.org/w/index.php?oldid=5237024
Pocket card
Cut along the border and keep it in your wallet. Show the local-script lines to a driver.
LindauLindau (Bodensee)
Zu dieser Adresse, bitte
To this address, please
My hotel (write the name and address in the local script)
No embassies in Lindau; the US and UK have consulates-general in Munich, most other countries have embassies in Berlin.
Tourist-Information Lindau, Alfred-Nobel-Platz 1, opposite the island station (check hours).
Voykit · checked 2026-09
Printed from Voykit (/lindau). Written by Voykit; checked 2026-09. Estimates only: confirm prices, hours and entry rules on the day.