tourist info meersburg

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Tourist-Info

Herzlich willkommen in meersburg.

Besuchen Sie unsere Gästeinformation im Herzen der Altstadt. Das Gästeservice-Team empfängt und berät Sie gerne persönlich bei Ihrer Urlaubsplanung und Ihren Fragen zu Meersburg und die Destination Bodensee. Wir lassen Ihren Aufenthalt in Meersburg zu einem Erlebnis werden. Übernachten Sie in Meersburg und erkunden Sie unsere tolle Stadt und die Destination. Bei der Unterkunftssuche und dem Buchen einer für Sie passenden Unterkunft sind wir sehr gerne behilflich. Von Meersburg aus bequem die Region erkunden, das ist unser "Motto". Ob Zimmervermittlung, Tickets für Veranstaltungen, Karten für die Schifffahrt, Prospektlesestoff zu Meersburg und der Region, oder Ihre ganz persönlichen Fragen, wir helfen Ihnen sehr gerne weiter und stehen Ihnen während und auch nach dem Aufenthalt für Ihre Wünsche, Fragen und Anregungen gerne zu unseren Öffnungszeiten persönlich zur Verfügung. Sie erreichen uns auch bequem telefonisch oder per E-Mail.  Wir freuen uns auf Sie. Schauen Sie vorbei!

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Meersburg, Germany Travel Planning Guide

Visit one of Lake Constance's most Charming Villages

Meersburg, the "Burg on the lake" is located directly across from the town of Constance ( Konstanz ) on the shores of Lake Constance . It is a popular summer travel destination for both Germans and foreign tourists. Meersburg has a fine and meticulously kept medieval center surrounded by vineyards and makes a good hub for exploring destinations around the lake.

How to Arrive in Meersburg

Meersburg is connected by car ferry from the larger city of Constance. You can arrive at Meersburg by car via the E54 from Überlingen or Friedrichshafen, other towns on Lake Constance (See the Lake Constance Map ). Meersburg is about a three-hour drive from Munich .

Friedrichshafen airport is 20km (12 miles) to the east of Meersburg. The closest international airport is Zurich Airport .

The nearest rail station is in Überlingen, 14km (9 miles) to the northwest of Meersburg on the Basel to Lindau line.

What to See and Where to Stay in Meersburg

Meersburg is comprised of two distinct areas, the lower town ("Unterstadt") and uptown ("Oberstadt"). You can walk between them via stairs or a steep street. The tourist office is located on Kirchstrasse 4 in the upper town.

Meersburg Tourism offers many ways to tour the city, from thematic tours to general city tours .

Meersburg Attractions

The New Palace --Neues Schloss, the elegant palace that once served as the residential palace of the prince-bishops of Constance faces the Schlossplatz forming the southern boundary of the square. Construction began in 1712 and finished in 1740. You can take a tour into the living quarters and also see the painting gallery and the Dornier Museum focusing on the history of aviation (the Lake Constance area was a hotbed of Zeppelin development as you'll see later).

The Old Palace --a privately owned medieval castle you can visit that lacks the elegance of the New Palace. The Altes Schloss was a successful defender of Meersburg and the narrative of the self-guided tour is all about knights and weapons of war.

The Bible Gallery includes exhibits not only of bibles but of the Guttenburg press that first made printed copies.

Other museums include the Zeppelin Museum, Meersburg Tapestry Art Museum Droste Museum, the Town Museum, and a Viticulture Museum (wine is a very important part of the culture of Meersburg, try the local "Weissherbst" wine, which grows on the northern slopes of Lake Constance.

Of course, there are many well-kept half-timbered houses and interesting town gates to keep your camera busy for a while.

Where to Stay

Meersburg and the loop of interesting cities around the lake make it easy to think of a longer stay for this leg of your European vacation, perhaps in a cottage or, for a large family or gathering of friends, a larger villa. HomeAway lists 47 vacation rentals around Meersburg.

One of the top-rated hotels in Meersburg, although a bit pricey, is the Romantik Hotel Residenz am See.

The bargain choice for where to stay near Meersburg is Hotel-Gasthof Storchen with spa and restaurant. It's near the lake north of Meersbug in Uhldingen-Muehlhofen near the station.

Meersburg Impressions

If you're not into shopping for tourist trinkets or fake medieval swords and don't like museums or pretty German medieval villages, Meersburg will probably not be a good place for you to visit. This is the reason for giving the destination only 3.5 out of 5 stars. 5 Stars for medieval eye candy and museums though.

There are plenty of restaurants and hotels in Meersburg, as it is a prime tourist destination on the lake.

Near Meersburg

The entire area of Lake Constance is a good place for a longer vacation. Meersburg is worth a day or two and can be done as an easy day trip from Constance, a larger town, also in Germany.

To the northwest is the pile-dwelling museum in Unteruhldingen, Germany, a good stop for those interested in archaeology and ancient cultures.

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Tourist-Information Meersburg Kirchstrasse 4 88709 Meersburg Germany

Attractions

Old Castle in Meersburg

The oldest inhabited castle in Germany invites you to travel back in time all year round. Let yourself be taken back to the Middle Ages 365 days a year or dine like the prince-bishops in the baroque...

Meersburg Prince’s Vineyard House

The Fürstenhäusle (prince’s vineyard house) affords breathtaking views of the old town and Lake Constance, all the way to the Alps. This house amid the vineyards served as famous poetess Annette...

Meersburg New Palace

The New Palace crowns the city silhouette of Meersburg high above Lake Constance. The representative residence of the Prince-Bishops began to be built in 1710 and since then has lost none of its...

vineum bodensee

“One of the best museums I have ever visited! A gem with a big fun factor. Every room is a sensory learning experience.” A rich and varied interactive exhibition awaits visitors at the new,...

Omas Kaufhaus exhibition and showroom, Meersburg

This is where childhood dreams come true. Hand-crafted collectors’ metal ships travel along a water channel that passes through the entire floor of the house while metal toy trains make their...

Red House | Bodenseekreis Gallery

In the historical Baroque palace rooms at the Schlossplatz in Meersburg, the Galerie Bodenseekreis presents exhibitions of contemporary and modern art throughout the summer. Focussing on Upper Swabia...

Meersburg Bible Gallery

This bible museum explores the world of bibles in art, history, contemporary culture and everyday life. Entertaining and informative for all ages, our interactive exhibits include the nomad tent and...

Guided tour of Meersburg

Enjoy a guided tour through the old town with all its romantic alleys and squares for historic insights including a visit to the palace church. Meet at the Meersburg Visitor Information.

• Biberach an der Riss

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• Meersburg am Bodensee

Meersburg, Germany

Where is meersburg.

Meersburg am Bodensee is an attractive small port on the northern shore of Lake Constance in the southwestern part of Germany.

Once a residence for the prince-bishops of Konstanz on the other side of the lake, the old town centre is filled with evidence of its history.

The 'old castle' - the medieval Burg Meersburg - still towers above the surrounding houses while the 'new castle' - the Neues Schloss - sits above the steep vineyards that are a striking feature of the town.

The historic town is nowadays an attractive centre for exploring Lake Constance, with regular ferries across to Konstanz and the flower island of Mainau as well as to other destinations along the shoreline.

How to get to Meersburg

Nearest airport to meersburg.

The two more local airports at Friedrichshafen and Memmingen are definitely the preferred option but only if appropriate flights can be found to these much smaller destinations.

Distance to Bodensee Airport: 22km Distance to Memmingen Airport: 102km Distance to Zurich Airport: 115km ( 78km (with ferry)) Distance to Stuttgart Airport: 185km Distance to Innsbruck Airport: 237km Distance to Munich Airport: 240km

Zurich and Stuttgart are the best options when it comes to major international air routes, with the extra journey around the lake from the motorway making both Munich and Innsbruck just a bit more unattractive.

Train station near Meersburg

Meersburg does not have its own train station, with the nearest being six kilometres away at Uhldingen-Mülhofen on the Lake Constance northern shore local rail route. Probably the best option for rail travellers is to use the main Friedrichshafen Stadt railway station and then take a local bus to Meersburg.

Ferry travel across Lake Constance

Probably the best ferry service is the extremely cheap and frequent service to Konstanz run by the municipal ferry operation, Stadtwerke Konstanz. Website : www.stadtwerke-konstanz.de

The BSB ("Bodensee-Schiffsbetriebe GmbH") is also owned by the Stadtwerke Konstanz and they operate the slower regular passenger ferry around the lake from Bregenz to Konstanz. There is also a popular service to the flower island of Mainau . Website : www.bsb.de

Where to stay in Meersburg

Meersburg is set on a steep hillside with the main road following Lake Constance near the top section of the town. The old town descends to the area containing the castles and then drops suddenly via steps or alleys to the lake promenade and the main street in the lower town.

Many of the main hotels are located on the lakeshore or just behind it.

Meersburg accommodation map

If you know when you are planning to go but haven't decided on accommodation, then use the map below to get an idea of which properties are available and to compare prices during the period you wish to travel.

Enter your proposed dates and use the '+' to zoom in on a location and reveal more properties. Click on the price above a property to see more information.

( Please note that this selection will also include some guesthouses, pensions and self-catering apartments for those who are interested in that form of accommodation !)

Check Meersburg accommodation availability

Alternatively, if you would like a list of properties available on your proposed dates of travel, use the search box below to find accommodation:

History of Meersburg

Little is known about the foundation of Meersburg am Bodensee. It is thought that there might have been a fortification here constructed by the Franks. The first use of a name recognisable as a forerunner of Meersburg was in the 11th century.

The history of the town is closely connected to the Prince Bishops of Konstanz on the opposite shore of Lake Constance.

A Prince Bishop was a medieval combination of religious and worldly power with a special place in the hierarchy of the Holy Roman Empire and who controlled towns and the surrounding regions in the Middle Ages.

Meersburg had become the property of the bishops of Konstanz in the 13th century when the ruler of the town died without any heirs. They developed what at the time was a small town around the old castle with city walls and obtained the rights to hold a market. On the shores of the lake, reclamation work extended the area which could be used under the town.

Konstanz had become a Free Imperial City and subsequently the scene of frequent political disputes between the city council and the prince bishops. As Konstanz had also declared itself for the Reformation, the prince bishops decided to move their residence across the lake in the 16th century.

Even though Konstanz later became officially Catholic again, the prince bishops decided to stay in Meersburg and remained in the old castle until the construction of the impressive new palace in the 18th century.

With the secularisation of German states in the Napoleonic era, the prince bishops were removed and the town became part of Baden. As it was no longer an important residence for those in power, the removal of the infrastructure led to an economic downturn which was eventually compensated for by the growth in tourism in the later part of the 19th century.

Part of this was due to the introduction of the ferry service on the lake and the rail connections to other nearby towns. The harbour was expanded and Meersburg became an important location for visitors with its position between Konstanz and Friedrichshafen .

Nowadays the town boast more than a million visitors - including day trippers - in a year.

Meersburg Castles

Both the 'old' and the 'new' castles in Meersburg were formerly residences of the prince bishops of Konstanz and enjoy a stunning position high above Lake Constance.

The 'old' one - the Altes Schloss - is the oldest inhabited castle in Germany and is thought to date back to the 7th century.

The name 'Meersburg' is thought likely to refer to this imposing fortification - never taken by enemies in its long history. It now houses a museum offering a self-guided tour of various rooms. The castle tower can only be visited as part of a guided tour. Website : www.burg-meersburg.de

The 'new' palace, the Neues Schloss, is a very different building constructed in the Baroque style of the time at the beginning of the 18th century. It is now owned by the state of Baden-Württemberg and also houses a museum devoted to the history of the prince bishops. Website : www.neues-schloss-meersburg.de

Meersburg and Wine

Winemaking in the Meersburg area can trace its history back to the 13th century but in all probability grapes were being produced on the sunny slopes above the lake far earlier than that.

The wine production belonged to the Prince Bishops of Konstanz and today many of the vineyards above the lake belong to the Staatsweingut Meersburg (owned by the state of Baden-Württemberg).

There are a number of other private wine (and schnaps) producers in the Meersburg area who are part of the winemakers' organisation (' Winzerverein Meersburg '), one of the oldest in Germany.

The town organises two festivals to do with wine:

• the Winzerfest is organised by different groups from the town of Meersburg and is held on an early weekend in July
• the Bodensee Weinfest is held in the Schlossplatz in September and invites wine producers from other towns in the area

The Vineum Bodensee is a museum devoted to the history of the viticulture on the lake located in the upper town. Website : vineum-bodensee.de

Other towns on Lake Constance

Lindau, Germany, is an attractive medieval town on an island in Lake Constance. Lindau's old town features cobblestone streets and timber-framed houses. Lindau's famous lighthouse and lion statue serve as the town's emblem, with impressive views over the harbour from the top of the lighthouse.

Friedrichshafen is a town in a beautiful location on the northern shore of Lake Constance. It was a centre for the aviation industry and is home to the Zeppelin Museum and the Dornier Museum. Both companies were based in Friedrichshafen. Bodensee Airport is just to the north of the town and provides the closest flight link to the Lake Constance region.

Konstanz is situated on the border with Switzerland and is known for its beautiful location on the lake, as well as its historic city centre. Konstanz has a rich history dating back to Roman times and features many notable landmarks such as the Konstanz Minster, a 14th-century cathedral.

Tourist Office in Meersburg am Bodensee

The Meersburg Tourist Office is situated in the upper town near the start of the pedestrian area. (There is another location with brochures and information in the large wine and cultural centre on the main road.) The main office is open Mon-Fri except for lunchtimes with shorter hours on weekends and holidays. Website : www.meersburg.de

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