Tips for Tubingen + Lindau

For Tübingen, the bridge heading into town from the train station has a row of brightly colored houses over looking the river. So that is one shot you will want to get. Strolling along the river has some beautiful houses and you might see seme students out punting. The town square (Marktplatz) is also very pictuesque. There is also a place where Goetha lived. We ate at the Wurstkuche and it was really yummy. We didn't have time to visit the castle there, as we were there for a family reunion. Not too far outside Tübingen is a small town of Bebenhausen there is a old monestary there that was neat to wander around. I think it is a UNESCO world heritage site, but I cannot rememember.

If you are going to Tübingen in December, they have a Chocolate Festival. We tried to go, but there were so many people we couldn't move, so we gave up and went to Böblingen and looked at old cars at Motorworld. (also fun photography)

As for Lindau - Make sure to add the Lion and Lighthouse to your shot list, it has the lake and the alps in the background. There is also tower not too far that reminded me of repunzel. Some cool old hotels are in the area of the Lion statoue. We were there early morning, so that is really all we saw. You might see a Zeppelin flying over the lake too. Across the lake is the Island of Minau, which is a botanical garden, lots of senic shots to be had there too. Oh and the Rheinfalls, you can get up close to the waterfalls.

Spaghetti Eis is one of my favorite sweet treats :)

Lindau is just full of scenic spots, particularly the harbor with the Mangturm and the harbor entrance with the lighthouse and lion (the symbol of Bavaria) statue. You can get a good picture from the Hafenplatz looking across the harbor, through the entrance, past the lighthouse, at the mountains of Switzerland.

Also there's the view down almost any street in the interior, the Diebsturm (thieves' tower, a prison), the old city hall in Bismarkplatz.

As for other things to do, we took a boat across Bodensee to Rorschach, Switzerland, then came back to Lindau around the east end of the lake, stopping in Bregenz, Austria, to go up the Pfänderbahn from where we could see all the way down the lake to Konstanz.

We changed trains in Tübingen on our way from Sigmaringen to Herrenberg. We walked a short distance to the shore of the Neckar and had lunch at a riverside restaurant, sitting on a deck overlooking the river watching the "punts".

There is also tower not too far that reminded me of repunzel.

That could be the Diebsturm, which is farther back from the harbor, or the Mangturm, which is on the harbor.

Across the lake is the Island of Minau

Mainau is actually 25 miles down the lake, past Konstanz. And Rheinfall is on the Rhein River, past the end of the lake. There are some round trip boat trips from Lindau to Mainau, the fastest one leave Lindau at 9:50 and gets to Mainau at noon, returning from Mainau at 15:20 (3:20 pm), getting to Lindau at 17:25. If 3H20min isn't enough time at Mainau, there is a later (16:00), slower (3 hr) boat back to Lindau.

Wow thanks for the tip on Tubingen and Monastery and Palace Bebenhausen! Did not even know about that one.

I love free stuff so I can spend the extra cash on food and beer!

Re: Lindau. I will definitely look for the Mangturn and the lighthouse nearby. Any suggestions on the local food? Doesnt have to be German either however IF the local cuisine is great please share a restaurant bakery or two.

If the weather holds ie early May my plan is to do alot of photography and take in the history. Im not a shopper and could care less about the really trendy aspect of any city.

At any rate much appreciate the tips.

Tubingen - Check to see if the Stocherkahn ( gondola/punt boat ) rides are being given on the Neckar River. Reserve at the tourist office at the bridge

Mainau is larger than Lindau, and definitely the better island. Lindau gets crowded enough it's hard to find a place to sit near the harbor, and you can easily see the whole town in less than a day. Take to boat ride to Mainau, it's very good. The ferry will give you a great view of the lake, and it's faster than trying to drive, which would mean going up to Meersburg and taking the ferry from there to Konstanz and then another short drive to Mainau. Rhine falls is a 4 hour drive from Lindau (traffic around the lake rarely goes more than 30 mph once tourist season starts.)

Mainau is larger than Lindau

According to Wikipedia,
Mainau .45 km²
Lindau Island .68 km²

Not even close! Lindau is 50% bigger.

And, in my opinion, that's not the only place you're wrong. I think Lindau is the better island, but it is a matter of choice. They are totally different. Mainau is primarily an arboretum; Lindau is a town with lots of restaurants and shops, and it has a gorgeous view across the harbor to Switzerland.

I've visited it seven times in thirty years: two stopovers on trips between the Allgäu and Friedrichshafen; four day trips from the Upper Illertal; and, a few years ago, finally, a four night stay on the island.

Lindau gets crowded enough it's hard to find a place to sit near the harbor

Yogi Berra once said, "No one goes there nowadays, it’s too crowded."