A while back, when I was traveling through Europe in an interrail trip, I visited Mainau. I do not even remember how I found this place or who recommended it to me, but it was one of the nicest places I visited during that trip. Because I wanted to share that experience with you, here you have a guide, and some tips, for whenever you decide to visit Mainau. Because you definitely should.
To visit Mainau: Where is it and how to get there?
Mainau is on an island in lake Konstanz or Constance. Depending on whether you mention it in German or in French/English. As I said before, you can visit Mainau from either Germany or Switzerland, since it is quite close to the border. It is possible to get there by car although you will have later to walk through the bridge that connects the island with the mainland. Another possibility is to reach the island by far more picturesque means. And the landscapes will also be well worth it.
My recommendation, if you want to visit Mainau, is to go to Konstanz (town). Obviously, by the lake. From there, you can get by bus to the island. You will only need to walk up to the east side of town or to the train station. Once there, you can either pick bus 4 or bus 13 to “Mainau” and you will be dropped in front of the bridge to the island.
Another option, if you are staying or coming from North of the lake, is to arrive via Meersburg. To visit Mainau from Meersburg you will have to take a boat (Bodensee Schiffsbetriebe), and you will be dropped in the island, opposite from the bridge. And the nice “lake” cruise will also be lovely.
The cheapest option will be, of course, to stay in Konstanz and visit by bus. But depending on where are you coming from, it may be better to arrive by boat. And to be honest, it almost takes the same time to arrive there by any of these means.
Also, the park is open all year long from sunrise to sunset. There are different activities available accross the seasons but most of the park is permanently available .
What is Mainau?
To the fun part now. I visited Mainau when I was doing a tour around a few countries in Europe to visit castles and palaces. A few posts ago, I talked about it, interrail post, and there will be soon more information to go with it (itinerary and travel journal). I only heard about this place because on a book a colleague let me borrow, they had a small section on the castle in the island. Unsure on what to expect, I did some more digging and I thought it was a stunning park. And I kinda loved that it was on an island on a lake. I had never visited a place like this before.
I arrived to the bridge and saw the views to the lake over that lovely pasarelle. And I instantly knew it was going to be a good day. The lovely background of the blue water and that nice bridge with so many flowers. Once I crossed the bridge, I saw some drawings on the floor made with rocks picturing the Roman goddess Diana. Which by the way, is the goddess of the hunt, nature and wilderness, so it was quite on point. I just loved it.
All the different parts of Mainau
This park is known as the Flower Island. A tiny spot on the map of 45 hectare covered in flowers and sculptures made out of some different types of plants. These gardens are part of: the Dahlia Garden, the Hydrangea Path, The Mediterranean Terrace, the Arboretum, The Italian Cascade, the Herbaceous and the Roof Gardens, the Rose Garden… And I could continue for a while. There are more than eighteen areas designated as thematic gardens. Each one of these parts are beautiful on their own. But in combination, they form an amazing landscape. In addition to these gardens, there is also a small Baroque Palace a church, a greenhouse… And a butterfly house!
The Gardens
As I just mentioned, if you visit Mainau, there are many areas to enjoy if you like gardens. Because this post would look like a Tolkien book if I were to give you details on all of them, I will focus only in those I enjoyed the most.
Flower Statues
Because I am a simple woman who finds interesting how people can build figures out of flowers… These were my favorites. The first big flower out of flowers was a bit meh, but the peacock and the ducks were adorable. In addition, even though technically they are not made out of flowers, there are a couple of giants in one area that are also very interesting. They represent a couple and their official name is “Together in the Garden”.
Mediterranean Terrace
The next thing I really loved was this terrace. With views to the lake, this area includes a lovely fountain with two swans. Or at least that is what I told myself they were. All of this, surrounded by very colorful and small flowers. I am Mediterranean and although it spoke of home, I think I identified that more with the lakes in the North of Italy. Similar to when I was in Sirmione di Garda or to the pictures that I have seen or Lake Como. Also, down from that fountain and taking water into the lake Konstanz there is the “Italian Floral Water Cascade”. These beautiful stairs, so typical from Italy and Spain are another beautiful sight in the park.
The Rose Gardens
Again, because I really love rose gardens, this needed to be included. This is one of these geometric gardens with marble sculptures and benches that incite you to sit down with a book. Preferably, a romance from the 19th century. While you listen to the water move around you relaxedly.
While there are many more gardens to visit in Mainau, these were the highlight of my day there.
Other Areas in the Park
Again, there are quite a few other areas that are not gardens in Mainau. Some of them are more extensive than others, and also more or less interesting depending on your preferences. These are some of those I enjoyed the most.
The Butterfly House
I think this one was the first butterfly house/greenhouse I ever saw in Europe. It was not as impressive as those in Costa Rica, but it was definitely very well taken care of. And there were many different species of butterflies. It was truly a lovely place. For some reason, like most other butterfly houses do, there were also some turtles around.
The Baroque Church
Back then, during my whole interrail trip, I had seen many different churches. And even though for me they are only nice buildings, I can’t help to imagine the effort and devotion that was behind their construction. Yes, Pillars of the Earth big fan here. So, even though spiritually they are only buildings for me, I really enjoy visiting them. And despite coming from viewing much greater and more complex churches, this one had something special. Maybe it was the light, or the pinkish tone. But it was a one of highlights of my visit to Mainau.
And many others
You can visit many other places on the island, but these were the ones I liked the most!
The story behind this park
Even though I would love to tell you a story about the curiosities behind the construction of this park. Such as I did with Cochem am der Mosel many moons ago. In this situation, I can’t. This location was a private island until a German Duke bought it in the mid-19th century to build a summer palace. Then it passed through a few generations and it ended up being open to the public in the 2000s.
How expensive is to visit Mainau
To visit Mainau you can spend as much as you want. Up to some point. The entrance fee is on the 20s per head (21€ to date), although children up to 12 years old enter for free and, obviously, this is a fantastic place to visit with them. There are multiple restaurants and bars across the island ranging in prices for different budgets. But, consider that because you are on an island and very close to Switzerland, any prices will be higher than whatever you would expect in Germany or in the rest of Europe. My advice, if you are traveling on a tight budget would be the usual: sandwiches all the way!
I hope you have enjoyed this “light” reading! Are you going to visit Mainau? Have you already been there? What do you think about it?
Let me know in the comment section and don’t forget to pin this post for later if you enjoyed it!
Happy Thursday to you all.
