Transport to Bodensee Airport FDH
Getting to Friedrichshafen Flughafen, Germany by Car, Bus, or Train
Feb 25, 2008
Bodensee Airport-Friedrichshafen (FDH) in southern Germany can easily be reached by road or rail from most towns in the Bodensee (Lake Constance) and adjacent regions in Austria, Switzerland, and Liechtenstein.
By Car to Bodensee Airport-Friedrichshafen (FDH)
Bodensee Airport-Friedrichshafen (FDH) is a mere 5 km (3 miles) from Friedrichshafen’s waterfront. Taxis take around 10 minutes and cost around €10.
Avis, Budget, Europecar, Hertz, National / Alamo, and Sixt have car rental counters inside the airport. Advance reservations for car hire are advisable to ensure both availability and lower rental prices. For car rental returns, follow the Mietwagenrückgabe signs.
The road hugging the shore of the Bodensee is lovely but can get very slow especially during holiday season and rush hours. If time is limited, use inland roads, which are often faster even if the distances are longer.
By Rail to Bodensee Airport-Friedrichshafen (FDH)
Bodensee Airport-Friedrichshafen (FDH) has its own train station: Friedrichshafen Flughafen. It is used by both Deutsche Bahn (German Railways) and the Bodensee Oberschwaben Bahn (BOB).
- Bodensee Oberschwaben Bahn (BOB)
The Bodensee Oberschwaben Bahn (BOB) operate only on one line – Friedrichshafen to Aulendorf. However, it is often the most convenient way to the airport.
The BOB runs up to twice hourly from Friedrichshafen Hafen (Harbor) with connections to boat services, via Friedrichshafen Stadt (City) with connections to other rail services, to Friedrichshafen Flughafen (Airport). From the Stadt station to Flughafen is only 5 minutes and 5 minutes more from Hafen.
From the Airport, the BOB continues inland to reach Ravensburg in 15 minutes, Weingärten in 3 minutes more, and Aulendorf in just over half an hour in total.
Deutsche Bahn (DB) tickets are generally accepted in the BOB although some rail passes may not be valid. BOB tickets often allow journeys to be continued on local buses without a further charge.
- Deutsche Bahn (DB) / German Railways
The Inter-Regio Express (IRE) from Basel to Ulm stops at Friedrichshafen Flughafen (and Stadt) at least every two hours. This train also stops amongst others at Schaffhausen, Singen, Überlingen, and Aulendorf. From Friedrichshafen to Basel is two hours and just less than an hour to Ulm. (Ulm is a stop on the busy Stuttgart to Munich line with high-speed Inter-City-Express (ICE) trains to all parts of Germany.)
Trains from Lindau usually require a transfer at Friedrichshafen Stadt station (around 45 minutes) but occasionally trains go directly to the airport (30 minutes).
- By Train from Austria and Switzerland
If traveling by rail from Austria, change either in Bregenz to the Friedrichshafen Airport Lines bus or in Lindau to Deutsche Bahn railways.
Passengers from Switzerland have several options:
- From Basel – direct Deutsche Bahn trains are available twice per hour
- From St Gallen and Zurich – use Swiss trains to Romanshorn, take the ferry to Friedrichshafen, and continue by rail or bus.
- From Zurich and Wintherthur – use Swiss trains to Konstanz and then by Katamaran (Catamaran high-speed boat) to Friedrichshafen. The Katamaran connects Konstanz and Friedrichshafen Hafen hourly in 46 minutes for a total traveling time to the airport from Konstanz of just less than 70 minutes.
- From Eastern Switzerland and Liechtenstein – use Swiss trains to Lindau or Bregenz.
By Bus to Bodensee Airport-Friedrichshafen (FDH)
- Scheduled Buses
- Deutsche Bahn Städte Schnellbus
- Deutsche Bahn Montfort Liniebus
The Deutsche Bahn Montfort Liniebus connects Friedrichshafen Stadt and Hafen stations with Friedrichshafen Flughafen before continuing to Tettnang. The bus runs up to twice per hour on weekdays and generally hourly on weekends.
- Friedrichshafen Airport Lines
The Friedrichshafen Airport Lines is operated by the Austrian Postbus service. It connects the airport with towns in Voralberg up to eight times on weekdays and twice on Saturdays. The journey to Bregenz takes half an hour and just over an hour to Feldkirch.
- Shuttle Buses
Several shuttle bus services are available to and from Bodensee Airport Friedrichshafen during the ski season. Reservations, at least two days in advance, are essential.
- The Allgäu Walser Express runs from Thursday to Sunday to popular ski resorts in the German Allgäu and Kleinwalsertal region. The journey is around 90 minutes and passengers are dropped off at their respective hotels.
- The Ski-Express-Arlberg offers a service from the airport to hotels in the Austrian Arlberg ski region.
Shuttle services by car or minivan can be arranged to most towns in the region and pre-booked are generally cheaper than metered taxis.
- The Bodensee Airport-Friedrichshafen (FDH) is popular with low-cost airlines although regular flights are also available on Lufthansa to connect with flights at Frankfurt International Airport.
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