What a breathtaking trip! So much to review!
We arrived in Zurich Airport at 21:25 local time on December 1st, having been delayed for an hour due to fog at Heathrow Airport. After a short journey on the internal Skymetro from gate E to the main terminal (well worth a ride by the way) and baggage reclaim, we made our way to Zurich Flughafen train station to find that the next direct train to Konstanz was not until 22:46. Luckily however, the 21:16 to Romanshorn stopped in Weinfelden which provided a connection onto the S-Bahn to Konstanz, so we were able to catch that train. It wasn't ideal, particularly with both of us being tired and the night bitterly cold, but at least the trains were punctual and we arrived in Konstanz before the later direct train did.
During our visit, we managed to fit in four different modes of transport: bus, train, catamaran and cable car. Population-wise, Konstanz is around the same size as Gosport, but its transport links are far superior. For example, there are two circular bus routes running every 30 minutes between the city centre and Dettingen, a village roughly 5 miles away. Having spent an evening there with a relative, we were pleasantly surprised to find that there were still buses running hourly throughout the night. Even more, the last bus before midnight which we caught was standing room only, completely unheard of for a rural late-night bus bound for the city! The UK has so much to learn from German public transportation systems.
Another day saw us catch the catamaran to Friedrichshafen and a Deutsche Bahn train from there to Ravensburg, a picturesque German city about the size of Salisbury. Despite rumours that DB are always late, our train was on time both ways, and very speedy too considering we managed to catch the direct IRE service. Later on in the week we made a journey around the southern shore of Lake Konstanz on SBB trains, catching a RE from Konstanz to St Gallen before changing onto the Zurich-Munich intercity train to Bregenz. The RE train configuration was similar to that of a Class 450, but with more space and colourful headrests on the seats. The St Gallen - Bregenz train was very much like a Pendolino, with a noticeable tilt while travelling around the meandering bends threading through the Swiss hills. This was certainly the most scenic part of the journey, until we jumped onto the Pfanderbahn cable car of course. Couldn't beat such a breathtaking view with Lake Konstanz straight ahead, the Alps to the left and snow beneath our feet once we reached the top!
On our way back, we had some time to kill while waiting for a connection at St Gallen, so spent some time exploring the city. With the city being located in a steep, narrow valley, it appears quite small on a map, but upon visiting it is actually comparable to somewhere like Manchester or Newcastle. There are trams, trolleybuses, internationally recognised retail brands and a stunning cathedral with a Christmas Market inside. Unfortunately we did not have enough time to visit the Market, but that's not to say we hadn't already visited four other markets during our trip!
Coming home on the 7th December, we were absolutely exhausted from a full-on day, so jumped on the direct train from Konstanz to Zurich Flughafen and spent the next few hours resting at the airport before our British Airways flight back to England.
Overall an amazing experience, and three countries covered in the space of a week too! Not to mention all that Lecker Schnitzel and Pommes Frites we ate!
visitbregenz.com
www.railforums.co.uk
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end of the lovely loco hauled Munchen - Zurich Eurocity trains with 2x218 diesel haulage in Germany and 2 x Re4/4II haulage in Switzerland) the Munchen - Zurich inter city services are worked by ETR610 units cascaded from the Gotthard route
