Mainau and Reichenau: gardens or World Heritage
Mainau is a ticketed garden island with seasonal displays; Reichenau is a lived-in agricultural and monastic landscape. They offer different visits and do not need to share one day.
Mainau is open year-round, but its displays change
Mainau publishes year-round visitor access, while opening details and the character of the gardens vary by season. The island includes a baroque palace and church, an arboretum and a butterfly house. Check its official opening and ticket information before travelling, especially if a particular floral display is the reason for your visit.
Mainau admission in autumn and winter 2026–27
Day-visitor admission checked on 21 October 2026: Mainau’s autumn hours ended on 18 October. Admission runs 09:00–16:00 from 19 October to 18 November 2026, 09:00–15:30 from 19 November 2026 to 9 January 2027 (09:00–14:00 on 24 and 31 December) and 09:00–16:00 from 10 January to 28 February 2027. Individual attractions and restaurants have separate hours. Check the period from March 2027 separately; bicycles are not permitted on the island.
Reichenau centres on three Romanesque churches
UNESCO inscribed the Monastic Island of Reichenau in 2000. Its principal churches are the Minster of St Mary and St Mark, St Peter and Paul, and St Georg. Current conservation rules matter: St Georg is closed to general visits from May through September, with access in that period limited to guided tours according to Reichenau Tourism. Check church access before setting out. Reichenau Tourism currently lists public St Georg tours at 11:00 and 16:00 during the May–September conservation restriction; confirm the exact date in its event calendar. The Minster and St Peter and Paul are generally open 09:00–17:00, with some seasonal extensions. Group tours require prior arrangement.
Choose one island or verify the connection
Choose Mainau for formal gardens and family attractions; choose Reichenau for churches, history, agriculture and cycling. Both can be reached from the Konstanz area, but do not assume a direct boat connection between them. Check the current BSB route or use land transport and allow each island enough time.
Reichenau boats after the 2026 season
Checked on 21 October 2026: BSB’s 2026 scheduled season ended on 18 October, and its Untersee services between Radolfzell, Iznang, Mannenbach and Reichenau (courses 613–620) are still listed as suspended until further notice because of low water. BSB had not published its 2027 timetable. The notice applies to those BSB services, not to every operator on the lake. Plan the land route to Reichenau and check the operator’s current notice before relying on a boat.
Common mistakes that weaken the trip.
These are practical cautions, not live availability claims. Current ferry and boat timetables, garden seasons, opening hours, and cross-border rules still belong to official sources.
Expecting the same Mainau garden display in every month.
Arriving at St Georg between May and September expecting unrestricted entry.
Building a tight itinerary around an unverified direct boat link between the two islands.
Keep the lake plan coherent.
Continue with the guide that matches your next question: base and shore, getting around, the islands, the postcard towns, cross-border day trips, and season. For a separate stop in Munich, use munichguide.app.
Where to stay on Lake Constance: five useful base towns
Choose between Konstanz, Meersburg, Überlingen, Friedrichshafen and Lindau by shore and transport, see lakeside and spa hotels, then compare live availability.
Getting to and around Lake Constance
Plan rail and air arrivals, BSB boat seasons, year-round car-ferry and catamaran timetables, and the 260-kilometre Bodensee-Radweg.
Lindau and Meersburg: plan the towns separately
Plan Lindau's island harbour and Meersburg's two castles, compare the seasonal Meersburg–Lindau boat with bus and train, and know where the car ferry runs.
Current details belong to official sources.
Ferry and boat timetables, garden seasons, opening hours, festival dates, and cross-border rules can change. This page gives the practical context; the sources below verify current facts.
- Insel MainauCurrent year-round visitor access to Mainau, opening information, tickets, and seasonal changes to its gardens and attractions.
- Reichenau TourismCurrent visitor access to Reichenau's three Romanesque churches, including the conservation restrictions at St Georg.
- UNESCO — Monastic Island of ReichenauThe World Heritage inscription (List No. 974, inscribed 2000) for the Monastic Island of Reichenau and its Benedictine monastery and churches.
- Bodensee-Schiffsbetriebe (BSB)Current route-specific timetables for the scheduled BSB passenger ships, low-water boarding notices and links to the operator's 2026 timetable downloads.
- Konstanz TourismKonstanz destination context: the Niederburg old town, the Council of Constance history, the harbour and Imperia statue, and current visitor information for the largest lakeside town.
- URh: Untersee and Rhine boatsThe end of the 2026 scheduled season on 18 October, the autumn hop-on/hop-off boat on the Untersee until 8 November and the usual April–October sailing season.
- St Georg: conservation and guided accessPublic and group visits during the May–September conservation restriction.
How we verify
We check changing boat and ferry timetables, tickets, garden access, and border details against the relevant official authority or operator.