We recently travelled to Germany, and naturally, had to take some time to visit a flower island! Just the translated name alone (Flower Island) was enticing enough to set aside a day for the visit! Mainau Island, is located in the south of Germany, right off of the Bodensee (also known as Lake Constance). Although it is referred to as an island, you can park and walk to it without needing to take any additional transportation. I normally only feature free activities on the blog, but this one did have an entrance fee.
Based on how the island is advertised, I was expecting to see something similar to the flower fields in Carlsbad, California where there are just fields and fields of flowers. However, this was not that! There were beautifully landscaped flowers throughout the island, but this was really a family experience with something for everyone.
Mainau Island Activities
They have really done a good job making it a place for all members of the family. In addition to featuring flowers throughout the island, there is also a:
- Butterfly Greenhouse
- Palm Greenhouse
- Italian Rose Garden
- Children’s Playground & Water Activities
- Church – Palace Church St. Marien
- Castle – Baroque Palace
- Italian Floral-Water-Cascade
- Restaurants
You can see all of the features offered in the following map.
Italian Rose Garden
If you are a fan of this blog, you know how much I love rose gardens! I have showcased a few throughout the blog (such as the Luther Burbank Gardens), and I was surprised to not find any repeats while enjoying this rose garden. We visited Flower Island at the beginning of August and it was not ideal for the roses because only about 25% or less of the roses were in bloom, but as you can see in the slideshow below, there were still a lot of great finds! (To get an idea of what is in season when at Mainau Island, check out their website.)
My Favorite Attractions at Mainau Island
My favorite parts were the:
- Italian Floral-Water-Cascade
- Plant Sculptures
- Colorful flowers that could be found throughout
Other Places to Visit in Southern Germany
This is just one of the many features to visit in the south of Germany. In the same relative area, there were also a lot of castles and nature sites to visit.
As always, this trip just made me appreciate living in California even more. There are a number of similar places to experience these same things locally. However, I will say that the atmosphere and environment at the Mainau Island was put together perfectly as a tourist concept, and is something that could easily be taken and used in California, or anywhere else for that matter!
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