Getting to Flughafen Friedrichshafen (FDH) by Car, Bus, and Train
Transportation to Bodensee Airport-Friedrichshafen (FDH) near Lindau and Bregenz on Lake Constance in Germany is fast by car, bus, boat, and train.
Getting to Bodensee Airport-Friedrichshafen (FDH) in southern Germany is easy by road or rail. Many transportation options are available from towns in the Bodensee (Lake Constance) and adjacent regions in Austria, Switzerland, and Liechtenstein. In winter, special ski shuttle buses are available to the Allgäu ski region in Germany and the Arlberg ski resorts in Austria. Suntransfers gives online quotations for private airport transfers without first requiring personal details or flight numbers.
By Car to Bodensee Airport-Friedrichshafen (FDH) in Germany
The Bodensee Airport-Friedrichshafen (FDH) is 5 km (3 miles) from Friedrichshafen’s waterfront on Lake Constance in Southern Germany. Taxis from Friedrichshafen to the Bodensee Airport take around 10 minutes and cost around €10.
Avis, Budget, Europecar, Hertz, National / Alamo, and Sixt have car rental counters inside the Bodensee Airport Friedrichshafen. Advance reservations for car hire are advisable. When returning rental cars, follow the Mietwagenrückgabe signs.
Trains to Bodensee Airport-Friedrichshafen (FDH) in Germany
Getting to Bodensee Airport-Friedrichshafen (FDH) by train is very simple as the airport has its own train station: Friedrichshafen Flughafen. This Friedrichshafen Flughafen train station is used by both Deutsche Bahn (German Railways) and the Bodensee Oberschwaben Bahn (BOB).
The Bodensee Oberschwaben Bahn (BOB) to Bodensee Airport
The Bodensee Oberschwaben Bahn (BOB) operates only from Friedrichshafen to Aulendorf. En route, it provides the most convenient connection to the Bodensee Airport (FDH).
The BOB runs up to twice hourly from Friedrichshafen Hafen (Harbor) station, which has connections to Lake Constance boat services, via Friedrichshafen Stadt (City) station, which has connections to other rail services, to Friedrichshafen Flughafen (Airport) station. From the Stadt station to Flughafen is only 5 minutes; add 5 minutes more for travel from Hafen.
From the Bodensee Airport, the BOB continues inland to reach Ravensburg in 15 minutes, Weingärten with the largest Baroque church in Germany in 3 minutes more, and Aulendorf in just over half an hour in total.
Deutsche Bahn (DB) tickets may usually be used on the BOB trains but some German Railways 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 Trains to Bodensee Airport
German Railways trains also stop at the Friedrichshafen Airport station. 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 takes two hours while it is 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). Occasionally, trains go directly from Lindau to the Bodensee Airport in 30 minutes.
Trains from Austria, Liechtenstein, and Switzerland to Bodensee Airport
The Bodensee Airport is convenient for travelers to parts of Austria, Liechtenstein, and Switzerland. When traveling by train from Austria, change either in Bregenz to the Friedrichshafen Airport Lines bus or in Lindau to Deutsche Bahn railways.
Train passengers from Switzerland and Liechtenstein have several options:
- From Basel – a direct Deutsche Bahn trains are available twice per hour as described above.
- From St Gallen and Zurich – use Swiss trains to Romanshorn, take the ferry across the Bodensee / Lake Constance to Friedrichshafen, and continue by rail or bus to the Airport.
- From Zurich and Wintherthur – use Swiss trains to the German city Konstanz and then cross the Bodensee by Katamaran. The Katamaran (Catamaran high-speed boat 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. Note that these trains pass through Austria and some rail passes may require surcharges collected on the train.
By Bus to Bodensee Airport-Friedrichshafen (FDH)
Regular buses are available to Bodensee Airport (FDH) from nearby towns while special shuttle buses run to ski resorts in the Arlberg and Allgäu.
Deutsche Bahn Städte Schnellbus to Bodensee Airport
The Deutsche Bahn Städte Schnellbus connects the airport up to seven times per day on weekdays only with Friedrichshafen Stadt and Hafen as well as Meersburg (40 minutes) and Konstanz (90 minutes).
Deutsche Bahn Montfort Liniebus to Bodensee Airport
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 to Bodensee Airport
The Friedrichshafen Airport Lines is operated by the Austrian Postbus service. It connects the Bodensee 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.
Ski Shuttle Buses to Bodensee Airport
During the ski season, the Bodensee Airport is popular with low-cost airlines bringing skiers to winter sport resorts in Eastern Switzerland, Liechtenstein, the Bavarian Allgäu, and the Arlberg region in Austria. Several shuttle bus services are available but requite reservations at least two days in advance.
- 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 is a great option for small groups, families, and the infirm when traveling with luggage or at odd hours. These airport shuttle services require advance reservations and are generally cheaper than metered taxis. Suntransfers gives online quotations for private airport transfers without first requiring personal details or flight numbers.
The Bodensee Airport-Friedrichshafen (FDH) is mostly used by low-cost airlines, such as Intersky, although Lufthansa offer connections to Frankfurt International Airport (FRA).
