FAQ section Frequently asked questions

The Bayern-Ticket of Deutsche Bahn is valid on the train network up to Nonnenhorn on Lake Constance.

Although Lindau belongs to the federal state of Bavaria, the Baden-Württemberg ticket of Deutsche Bahn is also valid here. This means you can use it to travel to Lindau or start from Lindau in the direction of Friedrichshafen.

With both tickets you can only use local trains (RE/RB/IRE) and no IC/EC.

With a fishing licence, you may fish all year round in the following places:

• in Lake Constance Upper Lake from the Bavarian shore
• on the Bavarian shore (25 metre depth line)
• on the Hohen See (Lake Constance-Obersee including Lake Überlingen) from the boat

Unfortunately, the Römerbad is only available to members of the “Förderverein Römerbad e.V.”.

With the Bodensee Card PLUS, you receive one-time free admission to around 160 excursion destinations. The excursion destinations can be used on all days the card is valid.

With the Lake Constance Card PLUS you can travel free of charge on all VSU scheduled boats. With the Bodensee Card PLUS for 3 days, you can use the boat on 2 of the 3 days. With the Bodensee Card PLUS for 7 days you can use the boat on 4 of the 7 days.

The included round trips and theme trips from private providers can be used (like the excursion destinations) once free of charge.

Children up to and including 5 years of age receive a Mini-Bodensee Card PLUS free of charge on request when purchasing an adult ticket.

Children aged 6 and over require a Bodensee Card PLUS for children.

No, the Bodensee Card PLUS is issued on a personalised basis and is only valid in conjunction with an identity card.

As the Bodensee Card PLUS is already an inclusive card with discounted prices, we ask for your understanding that we cannot offer any additional discounts for schoolchildren, students, senior citizens, groups or people who are in possession of a severely disabled pass.

The Bodensee Card PLUS includes the VSU scheduled boats as well as the adventure buses 1 and 2 between Salem, Uhldingen and Meersburg.

Other public transport, such as buses, car ferries or trains, cannot be used with the Bodensee Card PLUS.

Tip: The Bodensee Ticket is the ticket for public transport (bus, train, ferry) in the entire Lake Constance region. In spring and autumn you get the Bodensee Ticket at a special price when you buy a Bodensee Card PLUS.

The closing times of retailers on the island vary. Some shops are open until noon on Saturday, others until 4 pm and some until 6 pm

The REWE in Zeppelinstraße and the NETTO at Marktplatz 5 are open until 9 pm on Saturdays.

If you have a permanent residence in Switzerland, you can be exempt from VAT on purchases made in Germany.

• Download and complete the export form
• Attach the completed export form to the invoice of the purchased goods.
• Have the export certificate stamped at the German customs counter.

If the value of the goods exceeds 300 Swiss francs, you must present your goods again at the Swiss customs office and pay the usual VAT there. If the value of the goods is below this limit, it is sufficient to have them stamped by German customs.

Nearest customs offices from Lindau

• in Friedrichshafen at the ferry landing to Romanshorn
• in Constance
• at the border between Austria and Switzerland
• Lindau has no border with Switzerland and therefore no customs office
• Stamping is no longer possible on the ships of the BSB (Bodenseeschifffahrt)

(All information without guarantee)

You have free internet access at the following locations, among others:

• along the Lindau harbour promenade (from Eilguthalle to Römerschanze) – Lindau free Wifi
• in the area of the art museum at the Inselbahnhof – Lindau free Wifi
• near the Lindau casino – BayernWLAN
• Lindau public library, Maximilianstr. 52 (closed on Mondays), Tel.: +49 8382 2747470

In addition, numerous cafés and hotels offer free WLAN.

• Bicycle garage at the Inselhalle P4 car park in Zwanziger Straße 6 : 10 boxes with power connection for battery charging, €2.00 for 24 hours.
• Alfred-Nobel-Platz 1 / entrance in Ludwigstraße: three 24-hour charging stations for e-bike batteries (small compartments secured with a code of your choice, into which you charge the battery using a cable connected to a standard socket)
• Lindenhofpark / directly at the Lindenhofbad in the Bad Schachen district: three lockable charging boxes

Lake Constance consists of three parts: Obersee, Überlinger See, Untersee. If you really cycle along all the navigable shores of Lake Constance, the route is around 250 km long.

If you are travelling on the Lake Constance Cycle Path between the beginning of June and mid-October, you can have your luggage transported by Radweg-Reisen GmbH. You leave your luggage at the reception of your accommodation by 09:00 and it will be brought to your desired destination by 18:00 at the latest. This offer applies to cyclists, hikers and inline skaters. You can find more information here.

The lost property office is located at Bregenzer Straße 12 in Lindau, and can also be reached by phone on +49 8382 918-317 or fundamt@lindau.de.

Dogs are allowed to swim at all freely accessible shore areas. The rule of mutual consideration applies.

Dogs are generally allowed on city buses. Above a certain danger potential/size, the dog must wear a muzzle.

No dogs or animals are allowed in the City Museum.

The visitors tax is levied in the period from 1 April to 31 October and amounts to 3.30 €/day for persons from 16 years of age and 2.00 €/day for children and youths from six to 15 years of age inclusive.

In the period from 1 November to 31 March, the spa fee is €2.20/day for persons aged 16 and over and €1.20/day for children and young people aged six to 15 inclusive.

Children under the age of six are exempt from the visitors tax.

disability of at least 50 receive a 50% reduction on presentation of the severely disabled pass. If the need for a permanent companion is proven by a corresponding note on the severely disabled person’s ID card
B”), the necessary accompanying person will also receive this reduction.
reduction. Nevertheless, guests receive a guest card in order to benefit from the EBC discounts.

Holders of a severely disabled pass with a degree of disability of at least
of at least 80 are exempt from spa fees. Provided that the need for a permanent
If the need for a permanent accompanying person is proven by a corresponding note on the severely disabled person’s pass (feature “B”), the necessary accompanying person is also exempt from spa fees. Nevertheless, guests receive a guest card in order to benefit from the EBC discounts.

The degree of disability must be proven to the accommodation provider by presenting the disabled person’s identity card.

The spa tax will be invoiced directly to you by your accommodation provider and paid to the town of Lindau.

In a partial area of the Lindau municipalities of Reutin and Zech, which have predominantly commercial structures, there is no obligation to pay spa fees. Therefore, no guest card can be issued there. You can find out exactly which area is covered by the spa tax statutes.

You can find all information about the usage instructions of the EBC guest card here

The following toilets are available on the island:

• At Brettermarkt/Rüberplatz (open all year).
• Am Inselbahnhof (open all year)
• Car park P4/Inselhalle (open all year)
• WC container at P3 (only during the high season)
• WC at the Old Town Hall (only during the high season)

The toilets in the Inselhalle are not open to the public and are only available to visitors attending events.

Euro keys for public disabled WC facilities are issued in the home communities.

Anyone who does not hold a Lake Constance skipper’s licence can temporarily apply for a holiday or holiday skipper’s licence (temporary Lake Constance skipper’s licence) at the Lindau District Office in order to skipper a boat on Lake Constance. The prerequisite for this is the possession of another licence such as the SBF Binnen under sail or motor or the Sportküsten-Schifferschein. The holiday licence is valid for 30 days at a time within a calendar year and is only issued once a year.

You do not need a license for motorboats under 6 hp.
You can rent them at the following places:

• Boat rental Lindau
  at the pier / in the small lake
  Tel. +49 8382 5514
  info@bootsvermietung-lindau.de
• Boat hire Hodrius
  near the Lindau island hall
  Tel. +49 8382 297771
  info@bootsverleih-lindau.de

All watercraft with a machine drive require a permit for Lake Constance. Sailing boats that are equipped with a motor or with living, cooking or sanitary facilities are also subject to registration. The permit must be applied for at one of the district offices on Lake Constance.

Sailing boats without a motor as well as paddle boats and rowing boats longer than 2.5 metres only have to be registered. With the registration you will receive a boat pass at the same time.

There are five ways to obtain a guest berth in Lindau:

• Seaport Lindau
  Harbour master: Manfred Oberhauser
  phone +49 171 8361629, www.lindau.de/stadt
• Wassersportverein Kleiner See e.V.
  Harbour master: Thomas Karg
  phone +49 151 61373181 www.wsk-lindau.de
• Lindauer Segler-Club e.V.
  Harbour Master: Ken Strachan
  Tel. +49 160 96669311, www.lsc.de
• Yacht Club Lindau
  Harbour Master: Roland Klement
  phone +49 151 70825557, www.yacht-club-lindau.de
• TSG Zech Water Sports Dept.
  Harbour Master: Christoph Vieten
  phone +49 171 2704245, www.tsg-wassersport.de

You can request a water taxi via the following contacts:

• Porto Lindau | Sea Taxi
  Sea Promenade 3
  Tel. +49 8382 9130
  info@porto-lindau.de
• Boat hire Lindau
  at the pier / in the small lake
  Phone +49 8382 5514
  info@bootsvermietung-lindau.de
• Boat hire Hodrius
  near the Lindau island hall
  Tel. +49 8382 297771
  info@bootsverleih-lindau.de

There are two sailing schools in Lindau:

• Johanna Autenrieth Sailing School
  Barfüßerplatz 8
  Phone +49 172 7654474
  johanna@jazumsegeln.de
• Sporer-Yachting
  Brettermarkt 7
  Tel. +49 8382 2757558
  info@sporer-yachting.com

In the Old Town Hall, only the Former Imperial City Library (ERB) on the ground floor (access via Reichsplatz) can be visited.

The Council Chamber on the 1st floor is not open to the public.

Contrary to what some people think, the Mang Tower has nothing to do with the Lindau plastic surgeon Prof. Dr. Mang.

The tower’s name refers to a former building in its vicinity: the Tuch- und Mangenhaus. This was the name given to the warehouses of the clothiers’ guild in the Middle Ages. The name Manghaus is therefore derived from the mangle – the dyers’ smoothing machine.

The Mangturm can be visited during the fairy tale hour, during good weather as well as during the harbor Christmas.

Find more informations.

The New Lighthouse is open for tours as follows:

Monday – Friday: 10:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m
Saturday, Sunday: 10:00 a.m. – 7:00 p.m

Different opening times may apply due to weather conditions and special events. You can find out about this daily here.

Prices
€4.50 for adults
€2.50 for children (6 – 15 years) and people with disabilities (from GdB 50)

Lindau’s honorary citizen Count Lennart Bernadotte af Wisborg (1909 – 2004), whose family is still based on the island of Mainau and whose grandfather – the future King Gustav V of Sweden – awarded the first Nobel Prizes in 1901, was co-founder and longstanding spiritus rector of the Lindau Nobel Laureate Meetings in 1951.

Today, his daughter Bettina Countess Bernadotte is President of the Board of Trustees for the conferences. Their office, as well as that of the Lindau Nobel Laureate Meetings Foundation, is located in the house at Alfred-Nobel-Platz 1, as is the tourist information office. The close connection to the Swedish royal family was also demonstrated in 2019 by the visit of Queen Silvia of Sweden to Lindau and the Lennart Bernadotte House.

It is not permitted to drive on the island with a camper van or a caravan.

In Lindau there are the following waste water disposal and fresh water supply points:

• Car park Hartplatz Zech: 1.00 € for fresh water or waste water.
• Park-Camping Lindau, Fraunhoferstraße 20, Tel. +49 8382 8899-999, € 5.00 fee