Konstanz in Baden-Wurttenberg, Germany lies across from the Swiss city of Kreuzlingen. They are separated by a borderline in the map, but in reality, distinguishing the start and end of the two cities is a feat. As Konstanz is located on the northwestern shore of Lake Constance (or Bodensee in German), it is also home to Lake Constance, which is shared by Germany, Switzerland and Austria. 

We like to call Konstanz the Johor of Zurich. We make monthly trips to this beautiful city to get our groceries since they are way cheaper (Eg. Potato chips for EUR 0.79 vs CHF 4plus, Sunflower oil for EUR 0.99 vs CHF3plus). The best thing is, the whole experience is seamless. We don't even have to go through the hassle of immigration checks. Just get down from the train, like you would in a Swiss city (have I mentioned that there are no gantries in most European train stations? They are very much open concept, and are based on trust. Just be sure to produce valid tickets during random ticket checks or pay a hefty sum as penalty), exit the train station and tadahhhh your eyes meet Lago (the shopping mall) for the very first time. Ahhh love at first sight. Only God knows how much I love this place. 

But a word of caution, if you're coming back to Switzerland, do note that Switzerland customs imposes a CHF 300 import limit per person/day. They do random checks on your receipts while you're coming back to Switzerland, by car, train or plane. If you exceed the limit, you'd have to pay taxes on the total purchase, not just on the excess. You can read more about this here. So kalau nak shopping sakan, jangan lupa repack and doa that they don't check. May the odds be ever in your favour!

How to get there

Take the train from Zurich HB to Konstanz. The trip will take approximately 1 hr 20 minutes and costs CHF 32 for a return trip on half-fare travelcard.

Things to do 

1) Shop. Note that this is Germany so don't forget to bring your Euros!

2) Sit by the lake and admire the Alps on a clear day. Watch the boats, yachts and ships whiz by and secretly wish you were a proud owner of one of those mighty fine yachts (tapi ini semua dunya ye kawan kawan hehe). You'd love the experience, especially since the temperature is mighty fine here and this is a lake guys ie freshwater. Spending hours by the sea at East Coast will make you feel icky and sticky from all the sea salt and the the salts from your own beads of sweat. But you'll feel so fresh and rejuvenated here, promise!

3) Go on a boat tour of the Bodensee

4) Sea Life Aquarium. You can get details here. The aquarium opens daily from 10 am to 5 pm (6pm in July/August). Tickets cost EUR 17.50 and EUR 12.95 for adults and children respectively. 

Where to solat/eat?

There's a mosque on Reichenaustraße called the Mevlana Moschee. If you need to grab a bite, there's a kebab shop and a halal supermarket at its lobby. The praying area is at the second floor, up the stairs. 

To get there, take bus no. 6 from the Konstanz Bahnhof and stop at Markgrafenstraße. Walk abit (as per the map below) and you'll reach your destination!

If you're at the Bahnhof and your stomach starts rumbling, there's a kebab shop owned by a Turkish family. They answered our salaam while we were there, so kita husnu dzon. When in a foreign land, you cannot be too waswas. Kalau waswas, nampaknye lapar la. Kita usaha, the rest we leave it to Him. 

Here's how much you need for this trip:

Return train tickets from Zurich HB to Konstanz Bahnhof - CHF 32 (half-fare)

Bus day ticket - EUR 4.50

Entrance fee for Sea Life Konstanz - EUR 17.50/ EUR 12.95 adult/child