The pleasure of experiencing a picturesque city from 300 meters above the ground, leisurely floating above the notable tourist attractions, is unmatched. While most popular cities across the world have helicopter services for such touristy excursions, choppers are usually very noisy, which often ruins the experience. However, if you are visiting southern Germany, you can experience flying in a zeppelin, which is quite possibly a better alternative to aerial sightseeing in a chopper. Travelers visiting Lake Constance, the third largest freshwater lake by surface area in Central and Western Europe, are often greeted with the droning sound of a zeppelin slowly hovering above.
Zeppelin is a type of rigid airship named after the German inventor Ferdinand von Zeppelin who pioneered the type of aircraft at the beginning of the 20th century. They look like giant capsule-shaped air balloons with an airplane-like fuselage at the bottom. Most people are surprised when they learn that zeppelins are still flying, mostly because of the infamous Hindenburg disaster that happened in 1937. The German commercial passenger-carrying airship crashed in New Jersey after a trans-Atlantic flight, which caused 36 fatalities. However, modern zeppelins are of a completely different breed of airplanes that are not only very safe but the experience of flying in one is simply amazing.
Experiencing a Zeppelin NT flight is super easy. With its base in Friedrichshafen on the Bodensee, up to two airships go on multiple daily flights in the Lake Constance area, which serves as the perfect location for a zeppelin thanks to its proximity to Austria, Switzerland and parts of Liechtenstein, which offer breathtaking views.
Slowly hovering at 35 knots, there’s no better way to experience southern Germany than flying in a zeppelin. There are multiple flight durations to choose from; flights usually last 30, 45, 60, or even 120 minutes. The cheapest ticket costs around $300, which is incredible value for the experience you get.
