Have just booked flights to Memmingen from Dublin 10th to 14th June . This is my first time to visit so looking forward to lots of ferry travel, visiting gardens and pretty towns and villages.
Any ideas of where should I base myself in order to explor the lake?
I will be relying on public transport so many of the guesthouses I have viewed on line are not an option.
Looking for hotel/guesthouse close to ferry .Will travel to lake from airport by train/bus so any tips on this also very welcome.
What is weather in June usually like as travelling light (Ryanair) !!!
Hope you can help.
Many thanks,

Ottobeuren Abbey is about 14 minutes by bus from the Memmingen train station. Years ago we visited it a few times by car. I always thought that it was one of the best of the Baroque/Rococo basilicas that I had the opportunity to see.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ottobeuren_Abbey

Regards, Gary

Is it Lake Constance you are planning to visit?
If so you would take a city bus from Memmingen airport to Memmingen train station (€2.50), and then travel by train from there.
Express bus services only run to Munich, Augsburg, and Ulm - which are of no use for you.
If you don't feel uncomfortable to rent a car and drive on the wrong/right side of the road, you should give it a thought, though. Memmingen airport is located right on the motorway going to Lindau/ Lake Constance, appr. a 1hr drive.

Since Lake Constance is pretty large, the "accessibility" of the lakeshore communities differs quite a bit. The Eastern towns like Lindau or Bregenz are fairly easy to reach from Memmingen (with usually just one transfer, around 1.5hrs), while the Western regions require more transfers and time (3hrs).

Since few people can probably guess from the title of your posting that you are looking for a good place to stay on Lake Constance (if that is the case, by the way), it could be a good idea to start a new thread with a different title, e.g. "Where to stay on Lake Constance without a rental car" or something like that.

Weather.. good question! Since mid April, you guys in Ireland had warmer and drier climate than we here in Bavaria. In June, one should expect temps in the lower 20Cs at daytime as the "norm", and not below 10C at night. Lake Constance has usually one of the best/mildest/ warmest climate in Germany, but these days you can probably not rely on anything.
Anyway, I'd bring at least a light-weight rain jacket and one sweater or similar for the evenings - which can be a bit damp on any lake.

Many thanks Gary and Cowboy. Yes i am loooking for place to base myself or perhaps hiring a car and staying different places could be a better option. Only reason for not hiring car is I love ferry travel (many wonderful hols on lake Garda)and felt it could end up parked for the duration.However, perhaps without it I would miss mountain villages etc. As this is just a 5 day trip to 'test the water' would Lindau be the place to base myself?
will try a new thread as you suggest, cowboy.
many thanks. Maureen

If you want to get a glimpse of the Alps, do a sidetrip to Oberstdorf. The Alpenstrasse (Alpine Road) between Lindau and Immenstad is very scenic. Oberstaufen also offers access to the mountains.

Hi Weaver 101

I too am travelling on 10th June from Dublin - Memmingen Ryanair and then onwards to Constance! Did you decide if you will travel on to Constance and if so, are you going to take Train / Bus / Hire Car?

Thanks

Well, Friedrichhafen is an airport used by Ryanair.
.
From Memmingen you go to Ulm Nbf (main or central station). If you decide to quit Ulm, its impressive cathedral and the fisherman´s quarter at river Danube, you catch the next train to Friedrichshafen (100 km, about one and an half hour).

And here you are, and Bodensee is waiting for you.

Friedrichshafen makes a good hub, you have tha passenger boats of BSB Bodensee-Schiffahrts-Betriebe connecting the lakeside towns an villages with a line service.
You have a ferry to Romanshorn (Switzerland) and a catamaran speed boat to Konstanz (Constance).

For other places useful as a base, Meersburg or Lindau will be nice, Bregenz, Überlingen and Konstanz (Constance) are a bit off, you can discover those on day trips.

As the basic trick is to stay on the German side - just for the view in direchtion alps - consider trips to St. Gallen, Switzerland (abbey in the town´s center) and Stein am Rhein (the town´s houses decorated with frescoes or murals).

Maybe you like a well-made brew:
Weizenbier is the lakeside favorite, it comes clear (Kristallweizen) our cloudy (Hefeweizen), the latter contains ferment adding taste. Farny brewery makes good ones. The locals have their Kristall with a slice of lemon.
Lager beer of the pilsner type (more hoppy, less malty): Rothaus (brewed in the Black Forest) is a famous one, even with a cult status.
For lager beer of the export type (less hoppy, more malty) go for a Meckatzer Weiss-Gold. If you order just Ein Bier bitte, you get the houses export from draft, if you like the pilsner type, you will order Ein Pils bitte.