Friedrichshafen Airport
 

Looking for advise from those familiar with Friedrichshafen! Next week I will fly in to Friedrichshafen Airport (FDH) for the first time ever (on Turkish, flight TK1387). The flight is set to arrive at 5.50pm - when I'm checking flight history it seems to have a great on-time record, often arriving either 10-15 minutes before scheduled arrival time.

- Are there taxis readily available/waiting at FDH upon exiting the airport?
- What would the approximate price be for a ride to the city's ferry terminal?
- How would you rate the chances of me making the last ferry to Bregenz departing at 6.25pm? I don't have any checked luggage but would still need to buy the ticket at the ticket office in port..

Would be great if I could catch the ferry as it would make a far more pleasant journey to Bregenz - also because train planners next week show a train replacement service by bus from Lindau to the Austrian border, making this a bit more inconvenient and uncomfortable! That said, my end goal is however Liechtenstein - which I can reach either through Austria (Feldkirch) or Switzerland (Buchs). Alternatively, I thus can also take a ferry ride on Lake Constance from Friedrichshafen to Romanshorn, or from Lindau to Rorschach - both ferries which have much later departure times and which therefore should be doable - even when going to the departure port by public transport.

- Is there any advantage in price/comfort on travelling via Austria as I originally planned, or are routes across the lake via Switzerland better? Routes that involve a ship in which I can chill for a bit, make some nice pictures, and drink a good pint of Weizen have my preference :)

I visited Liechtenstein and Friedrichshafen earlier this year and travelled between them a circle via both Lindau and Romanshorn/St.Gallen. For comfort I can say I would always prefer Swiss and Austrian trains to DB Regional trains and definitely over a replacement bus. To Romanshorn you can pay on board the ferry, but there are ticket machines at the port (not sure if you must buy before boarding on any routes).

Regarding prices, I bought a Bodensee ticket which includes trains, buses and the Romanshorn ferry, so didn't need to worry about it, however this does not cover St.Gallen to Buchs or the Bregenz ferry. Buses to Liechtenstein are more frequent from Feldkirch and you can pay in both euros and Swiss francs, or by card at Austrian ticket machines, the fares are different though and I didn't have time to get my head around them.

Taxis are pretty readily available at FDH and the fare to the port will be about 15EUR.

I would say you have a reasonable chance of getting the boat to Bregenz. Tickets can be bought on board the ship (cash only - €15.80) so as long as you get there by the departure time it's fine.

If you do miss that one, you still have the option of the ferry to Romanshorn (hourly until 20:27). The Lindau - Rorschach Option probably won't work, as the last departure is 19:05 (19:30 from Wasserburg to Rorschach).

The rail replacement buses are a bit of a PITA to be honest. From FDH, you would need to get to Lindau, then take a bus to Lochau-Hörbranz, then get back on the train to Bregenz or Feldkirch. I live in Bregenz and work in Lindau and have been driving in every day since the trains have been out.

I would aim for the 18:25 boat to Bregenz, with Romanshorn as a back-up option if you miss it.

Thanks all for your very helpful replies, I got a much better picture now. I do have some follow up questions in case any of you know these.

Until how far in Switzerland would the Bodensee ticket get me? I don't know what the price is of a normal one way journey Friedrichshafen-Romanshorn as I can't find it, but the Bodensee ticket seems extremely good value.

https://www.bodensee-ticket.com/zonen/

If I interpret this the right way all my travels would be in one zone (the green one), with a day ticket costing just 19 EUR. I could opt for a bus or train from FDH to the port, hop on the ferry to Romanshorn, and then take the train to Buchs (SG). For this I need to change trains at Rorschach - and if again I interpret is right, the Bodensee ticket would be valid until St. Margrethen? If I'm right that means I can buy just the Bodensee ticket + a one way St. Margrethen to Buchs - as both tickets combined would cover the entire travel up to the border station with Liechtenstein.

I think this is indeed what I will attempt to try! I still prefer a leisurely ferry ride to Bregenz if possible, but otherwise Romanshorn seems easier and faster.

The one-way journey from Friedrichshafen to Romanshorn is €9.60 (or included with the Bodensee Ticket).

The journey from Friedrichshafen to Bregenz is a nice journey. It takes almost exactly two hours and the ships are comfortable. At 18:25, that route will probably be operated by the MS Konstanz:

https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...f0ebee6be6.jpg

Just a short update back on this in case anyone would find it useful:

- I arrived five minutes late on my TK flight into FDH due to a late departure at IST
- At FDH, you simply deplane by stairs and walk to passport control. Even though I was seated in a window seat and not entirely up front (10F or so) I managed to overtake all other passengers who disembarked before me by simply walking a bit faster. This probably saved me a lot of time
- Taxis were readily available and within 7 minutes after arrival I was on my way to the port - total journey time something like 10-15 minutes only (costs around 15 EUR)
- I couldn't find the Bregenz boat - so I hopped on the 6.27pm to Romanshorn. You can just board the ferry directly - a ticket inspector will walk across all passengers and ask you to buy a ticket.
- I thoroughly enjoyed my glass of Swiss weizen beer from the boat cafe while watching the beautiful scenery from the ferry!
- In the end I found out the journey could have been done much cheaper. The website of the Bodensee ticket suggests that all rail transport up to St. Margrethen is included in said ticket. So I bought a ferry ticket separately with a Romanshorn-Buchs railway ticket as this was cheaper than a Bodensee ticket (with ferry included) and a separate St. Margrethen to Buchs (SG) ticket. However, maps and information leaflets in Switzerland read that actually the Bodensee ticket covers the railway line all the way up to Buchs and Sargans! So just a Bodensee ticket would have sufficed for both the boat and my train connections.