How to get here

Arrival by public transport

In order to avoid congestion on the roads and possible delays, we recommend that you set off for Bregenz in good time and, if possible, travel by public transport. An admission ticket to a Bregenz Festival event entitles the holder to free travel by bus and train within the Vorarlberg Public Transport Network on the day of the event. For the return journey after a performance on the Seebühne, there is an additional train service to Bludenz and Lindau in Germany as well as additional bus services to Lustenau, the Bregenz Forest, Hörbranz/Hohenweiler and Rheineck in Switzerland. (Restrictions apply if the performance is transferred to the Festspielhaus owing to bad weather.) Extra municipal bus services within Bregenz are also laid on. The bus terminal and railway station are only five minutes' walk from the Festspielhaus. Simply follow the signposts!

Arrival by car

Visitors coming by car will find plenty of public car parks (subject to charges) in Bregenz. Please follow the routing system – 'Parkleitsystem' – which guides drivers to car parks where there are free spaces. Information displays are posted on access roads into the town. Near the Festspielhaus you will find a large number of metered parking spaces (see map). The Festspielhaus and the Seebühne are max. 15 minutes' walk away.

If you are coming from Switzerland, we recommend the following route, given the existing traffic situation: leave the motorway at the exit Au for the border crossing at Au/Lustenau; then drive in the direction of Dornbirn, join the motorway at Dornbirn Süd, and exit at Bregenz City Tunnel (NB: a motorway toll sticker is required when travelling on Austrian motorways).

Arrival by plane

InterSky, the official carrier of the Bregenz Festival, offers direct connections from Berlin, Hamburg und Düsseldorf to Friedrichshafen www.intersky.biz.

Arrival by ship

On the evenings of a Seebühne performance a ferry line operates from Lochau/Kaiserstrand to Bregenz Harbour. Bookings can be made with Vorarlberg Lines on tel. +43 5574 42868230 or online at www.vorarlberg-lines.at. After the performance you can travel back by train from Bregenz to the stations Lochau-Hörbranz. (An admission ticket to a Bregenz Festival event entitles the holder to free travel by bus and train within the Vorarlberg Public Transport Network on the day of the event.)

Bodensee Schiffsbetriebe
Konstanz	+49 (0)7531 3640 389
Friedrichshafen	+49 (0)7541 9238 389
Lindau	+49 (0)8382 27584 10
Email	info@bsb-online.com
Homepage	www.bsb-online.com

A passenger ship operates on the evenings of a Seebühne performance to ferry visitors from Lindau to Bregenz and back again after the show. The ship moors directly at the Seebühne stage. Tickets for the crossing can be ordered at www.bregenzerfestspiele.com or purchased directly from the Bregenz Festival Ticket Center on +43 5574 407-6.

Travel with the motor ship Graf Zeppelin, departing from Konstanz at 16.45 via Meersburg and Friedrichshafen direct to the Floating Stage – with a Festival dinner included. After the performance you can board the ship again right at the Festival stage and travel back to Konstanz. Alternatively you can book the journey to Bregenz by passenger boat and return by bus – from the harbours Überlingen to Wasserburg. There is a special package deal available for guests from Lindau (at 19.35) and Bad Schachen (at 20.00). This includes the boat trip, an entrance ticket and a complementary drink on arrival.

Raddampfer Hohentwiel

Raddampfer Hohentwiel
Phone	+43 (0)5573 839 83 11
Fax	+43 (0)5573 839 83 23
Email	office@hohentwiel.com
Homepage	www.hohentwiel.com

Arrive in style at the Bregenz Festival on the paddle steamer Hohentwiel! After a three-hour voyage lasting from 6 to 9 p.m. – including a four-course Festival dinner followed by cheese buffet – the steamer will bring you directly to the Floating Stage.

A video of the paddle steamer you find here.

Schweizerische Bodensee

Schweizerische Bodensee Schifffahrtsgesellschaft AG
Phone	+41 (0)71 46678 88
Fax	+41 (0)71 46678 89
Email	info@sbsag.ch
Homepage	www.bodensee-schiffe.ch

MS Sonnenkönigin

MS Sonnenkönigin - komitee MO eventservice gmbh
Phone	+43 5574 53700
Email	info@sonnenkoenigin.cc
Homepage	www.sonnenkoenigin.cc

Actually it's a ship. But if need be, it can also function as a concert hall. Or a theatre, a ballroom, a catwalk or a conference centre. Whatever you use it for, it's probably the most exclusive location to be found anywhere in the Lake Constance region. What we're talking about is the "Sonnenkönigin". A milestone in the history of shipping on the lake. Futuristic in design, unmatched in size.

Casino Bregenz

If you are looking for the perfect way to crown a wonderful day at the festival, then why not enjoy a small wager in the nearby Casino Bregenz? Either after the show for an elegant Casino or beforehand for a casual afternoon in the Jackpot Casino – there are thousands of reasons to visit Casino Bregenz. Info on tel. +43 5574 451 27 or at www.casinos.at

Lake Constance region

Experience the magical symbiosis of nature and culture. In addition to opera performances on the world’s biggest floating stage, you can visit the arts centre Kunsthaus Bregenz, take a boat trip on Lake Constance, visit the island of Mainau, take the cable car up Pfänder mountain behind Bregenz, go hiking in Bregenz Forest, and much more besides. For more information, contact the Bodensee-Vorarlberg Tourist Office, tel. +43 5574 43443 or  Stadtmarketing Bregenz, tel. +43 5574 49590.

Introductory talks

For the opera on the lake stage: on the evening of a performance an introductory talk will be given in the Festspielhaus at 7 p.m. and at 7.30 p.m. For the opera in the Festspielhaus: in the Festspielhaus one hour before the performance begins.

For Art of Our Times, an introductory talk will take place half an hour before the performance begins. Admission is free.

Guided tours

From 17 July, guided tours take place daily at 10.30 a.m., 11.30 a.m., 12.30 p.m., 1.30 p.m., 2.30 and 3.30 p.m. (limited ticket availability). On opening day, 17 July, there won't be a guided tour at 10.30 a.m. From 31 May to 12 July, a guided tour takes place every Friday at 4 p.m. Price EUR 7; admission free for children aged 10 or under. Rehearsals or performances may cause restrictions in the programme of the tours. 

Exchange/return of tickets

Tickets that have been paid for cannot be refunded or returned. Changes in the cast or the programme do not entitle holders to return or exchange tickets. If a performance is sold out, tickets can be returned for resale - without guarantee and for a fee. The commission charged is 20 % of the ticket value, if sold. Any refunds will be made after the Festival ends.

Wheelchairs

The Bregenz Festival reserves places specially for wheelchair users and the person accompanying them. These places are located right beside the stairway Aufgang H (in front of the Category 3H or 4G respectively). Tickets for wheelchair users and the accompanying person cost up to 40% less – depending on the seat – than regular seats in the seating-block category.

There are two types of admission ticket, subject to availability: 

"House tickets" (price per person: Sun - Fri 49,00 Sat 74,00): if the performance on the lake stage is cancelled or plays for less than 90 minutes, the ticket is valid for the semi-staged performance of Die Zauberflöte in the Festspielhaus and shall not be refunded.

"Lake tickets" (price per person: Sun - Fri 29,00 Sat 49,00) are valid solely for the performance on the lake stage. Ticket holders are refunded the value of their ticket (or can exchange it for a ticket to a later performance) in the event that the lake stage performance is transferred to the Festspielhaus if it played for less than 60 minutes on the lake stage or did not go ahead at all.

For organisational reasons, places for wheelchair users can only be booked by telephone, at +43 (0)5574 4076.

Parking spaces for the disabled: some disabled parking spaces can be found at the Festspielhaus, but they are public and cannot be reserved by the Bregenz Festival or its visitors.

Wireless device for people with impaired hearing

We have various types of hearing aid available for visitors. Thanks to a receiver about the size of a mobile phone "unrestricted hearing" is possible both in the Festspielhaus and the outdoor auditorium. If you need a hearing aid, please speak to our service staff beside the main entrance.

Food and drink

Enjoy the advantages of an early arrival and get in the mood for your festival visit by savouring the generous buffet in the Gastronomy Tent or dining a la carte in the Restaurant buehnedrei.

Gastronomiepark from 17 July to 18 August 2013, from 6 p.m. on evenings with a lake stage performance, Restaurant "buehnedrei" from 11 a.m. Reservations: tel +43 5574 407 279 office@eventz-hospitality.com, www.eventz.cc or www.bregenzerfestspiele.com.

Room reservations and travel arrangements

Bodensee-Vorarlberg-Tourist Office, Römerstraße 2, 6900 Bregenz

Te. +43 5574 43443 or office@bodensee-vorarlberg.com