Pure nostalgia: Zeppelin sightseeing flight over Lake Constance

A sightseeing flight by Zeppelin over Lake Constance is a magical experience. The cigar-shaped airships were once a common means of transport, until their era came to an abrupt end.

Zeppelin sightseeing flight over Lake Constance: nostalgia meets magic

The sun breaks through the cloud cover on the horizon as passengers gather on the shores of Lake Constance in Friedrichshafen. They are about to begin a very special adventure during their holiday in a vacation apartment at Lake Constance: a Zeppelin sightseeing flight over Germany’s largest inland lake. Friedrichshafen, an idyllic town on the lakeshore, looks back on a rich aviation history, especially when it comes to the development and construction of Zeppelins. A flight by airship over Lake Constance is a nostalgic experience that reveals the beauty and diversity of the region from a unique perspective. You see picturesque landscapes and historic towns from a bird’s-eye view while enjoying a sense of lightness and freedom.

Check-in next to Bodensee Airport

Your Zeppelin flight starts at the Zeppelin Hangar in Friedrichshafen, located right next to Bodensee Airport. The Zeppelin hangar is one of the largest halls in southern Germany and is home not only to the Zeppelins themselves but also to a restaurant, a fan shop and a museum. Before your flight you can learn more about the history and technology of Zeppelins, enjoy a meal or pick up a souvenir. You can also book a guided tour of the shipyard, which gives you a behind-the-scenes look at Zeppelin construction.

Check-in for your flight takes place 45 minutes before departure at the hangar reception. There you receive your boarding pass and a staff member escorts you to the airship. The Zeppelin is a modern airship based on the principle of the legendary Graf Zeppelin and equipped with state-of-the-art technology. It is 75 meters long, 17.4 meters high and 19.5 meters wide. The Zeppelin carries up to 12 passengers and two pilots, and its hull is filled with helium, which is lighter than air.

Sightseeing flight at 300 meters altitude

The flight begins with a gentle lift-off from the landing area in front of the hangar. The Zeppelin climbs to around 300 meters, giving you a fantastic view of Lake Constance and the Alps. The airship cruises at a speed of around 70 km/h and flies very quietly and smoothly. You can move around freely on board, enjoy the views from the large panoramic windows or watch the pilots at work in the cockpit. Along the way you have countless spectacular photo opportunities, which you can capture through the openable windows.

Zeppelin flights between April and November

Flights last between 30 and 90 minutes and cost between 320 and 950 euros per person. Zeppelin sightseeing flights take place daily from April to mid November, depending on the weather. The flight route leads over various landmarks and excursion destinations around Lake Constance and becomes an unforgettable highlight of your holiday in a vacation apartment in Friedrichshafen.

You can choose from different routes with varying length and focus, depending on your interests and budget. One option is the eastern route, which takes you over Lindau and the Obersee. Alternatively, you can choose the western route towards Meersburg, where you fly over historic castles, green vineyards and the shimmering surface of Lake Überlingen.

Journey into the history of Zeppelin construction

The Zeppelin story begins with Count Ferdinand von Zeppelin, born in 1838 in Constance. Fascinated by aviation, he began developing the first prototype of a steerable airship in 1892 and named it after himself. In 1898 he received a patent for his concept of a “steerable aircraft with several lift bodies arranged one behind the other”. He had his first airship built in a floating hangar on Lake Constance near Manzell, close to Friedrichshafen.

On 2 July 1900 he took off on his first flight with the airship LZ 1 from Lake Constance. The flight lasted 18 minutes and covered a distance of six kilometers. Encouraged by this success, he founded Luftschiffbau Zeppelin GmbH in Friedrichshafen in 1908. Zeppelin constructed further airships, which were used to carry passengers, for research and for military purposes. After his death in 1917, the aviation pioneer’s work was continued by his successors.

Zeppelins at their peak in the 1930s

Zeppelins reached their peak in the 1920s and 1930s, when they were used for transatlantic flights and world voyages. The most famous airship was LZ 127 Graf Zeppelin, which flew more than one million kilometers between 1928 and 1937 and carried over 34,000 passengers in total. It was the first aircraft ever to complete a circumnavigation of the globe. Another well known airship was the LZ 129 Hindenburg, renowned for its size and luxury. Zeppelin history also has a tragic chapter: in 1937 the Hindenburg caught fire while landing in Lakehurst in the United States, and 36 people lost their lives.

After many years of research and development, the Zeppelin NT (New Technology) made its maiden flight from Lake Constance in 1997. It is the most modern airship in the world and is operated by Deutsche Zeppelin-Reederei for sightseeing flights, advertising and research missions.