Mainau Island Lake Constance

Mainau Island Has Been Managed by Swedish Royalty Since 1932 and That Explains Its Specific Character

The Bernadotte family – Swedish nobility with Scandinavian royal connections by a circuitous route – took over the island in 1932 and turned a former hunting estate into an elaborate garden. The baroque palace at the centre still defines the layout. The result is a 45-hectare island in Lake Constance, connected to the southern German shore by a footbridge, that manages to feel genuinely cultivated rather than merely well-planted. Mainau has over 30,000 roses in the rose garden alone, an Italian Water Staircase modelled on Villa Carlotta, a palm house, and a butterfly house with free-flying tropical species.

The seasonal calendar is the point: tulips and narcissi from March, the Blumenteppich flower carpet (thousands of bedding plants in geometric patterns, different each year) at its best from late April through May, dahlias and late roses running to October. Each season has its headline feature, which the island’s management communicates clearly on their website and which serious garden visitors plan around.

Getting There

The boat from Konstanz harbour takes about 30 minutes and is the more pleasant approach. By bike the distance from Konstanz is about 8 kilometres along a well-maintained lakeside path. By car to the mainland entrance and then on foot over the pedestrian footbridge is also straightforward.

Konstanz is the logical base: a university city with a well-preserved medieval centre, reasonable accommodation, and direct trains from Stuttgart (1.5 hours) and Zurich (45 minutes).

What to Expect

The island is genuinely beautiful and genuinely popular. Weekends from late April to June are very crowded. Arriving at opening (usually 9am) or on a weekday morning makes the difference. Admission runs EUR 17 to 21 depending on season. The butterfly house costs extra. The restaurants on the island are priced for a popular visitor attraction, but the Rose Garden terrace is pleasant for a coffee between rush periods.

Allow two to three hours minimum; longer if you want to sit in the gardens rather than just walk through them.

Lake Constance Beyond Mainau

The lake (Bodensee) is shared between Germany, Austria, and Switzerland. The cycle path circumnavigating it – about 260 kilometres total – is one of the better multi-day cycling routes in Central Europe, flat, well-signposted, with ferries crossing the width of the lake.

Reichenau Island, also on the German side and also UNESCO World Heritage listed, has three Romanesque monastery churches from the 9th to 11th centuries and is essentially the opposite of Mainau: quiet, agricultural, uncrowded. The two make a good pairing if you are in the area for multiple days.