Bottenschein travel

What Bottenschein travel does

Bottenschein Reisen GmbH & Co. KG is a family-owned German travel and bus operator headquartered in Ehingen, Baden-Württemberg, founded in 1952 by Willi and Hildegard Bottenschein and currently in its third generation of family management under Horst and Renate Bottenschein. The company runs a fleet of 60+ vehicles ranging from minibuses to double-decker 80-seat coaches and operates four regional locations (Ehingen, Laupheim, Blaubeuren, St. Johann-Gächingen) covering Alb-Donau-Kreis, Biberach, Reutlingen, and Heidenheim districts. It serves roughly 50,000 customers annually across 15+ tour categories including senior travel, premium tours, hiking tours, city breaks, beach holidays, flight tours, river cruises, day trips, wellness holidays, festive-season trips, and bistro-bus journeys, with pricing from €55 for a day trip up to €2,999+ for premium nine-day tours.

The company's revenue streams combine one-time packaged-tour sales, scheduled public-transport route concessions (Linienverkehr) in four districts, charter and group-travel services for associations, schools, and enterprises (including a long-running corporate shuttle contract with Boehringer Ingelheim), travel insurance add-ons, and its share of the P.I.T. Touristik joint venture (founded 1999 with Müller Reisen) that distributes a combined southern-German catalog. Technology is centered on the Easytourist CMS tour platform, the legacy back-office software co-developed with Ratio Software in 1988 (which became an industry leader), and a 600 sqm in-house workshop in Laupheim. Distribution is hybrid: a physical sales office and phone consultation in Ehingen, online booking and newsletter signup on bottenschein.de, Facebook/Instagram presence, Google AdWords, and print catalogs of 154+ pages. Recent strategic actions include a 2024 fleet refresh of seven new Mercedes city buses, the 2026 fleet electrification feasibility study, and ongoing hiring across sales, product management, and fleet operations; the company has no disclosed external investors, no funding rounds, and no app or consumer-facing AI features.

Name

Bottenschein travel

Legal name

Bottenschein Reisen GmbH & Co. KG

Website

https://bottenschein.de

Company type

Private

Founded year

1952

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Bottenschein Reisen is a family-owned German travel and bus operator founded in 1952, headquartered in Ehingen. It runs a 60+ vehicle fleet across four regional locations, serving roughly 50,000 customers annually with packaged bus tours, river cruises, scheduled public routes, and group charters.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Tour Operator and Bus Transportation Services

NAICS

Charter Bus Industry (4855), Charter Bus Industry (48551), Scenic and Sightseeing Transportation, Land (48711), Interurban and Rural Bus Transportation (485210)

SIC

Local & Suburban Transit & Interurban Hwy Passenger Trans (4100)

akta.pro primary industry

Escorted Coach & Bus Package Tour Operators (THAKADAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Tour & Sightseeing Coach Charters (THAIAIAB), Corporate & Employee Shuttle Charters (THAIAIAC), National Intercity Coach Operators (Scheduled Network) (THAIADAA), Coach & Bus Charter Fleet Rental (With/Without Driver) (TLABADAE)

Keywords

• Bus tour operator
• Group travel packages
• River cruise tours
• Scheduled bus services
• Guided travel tours

Headquarters

HQ city

Ehingen

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices5 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Tour Packages and Travel Arrangements: Core business revenue from packaged travel tours including bus trips, flights, and river cruises. They offer over 15 different travel categories from day trips to multi-week international tours.
2. Bus Transportation Services: Revenue from scheduled route services (Linienverkehr) in Alb-Donau-Kreis, Biberach, Reutlingen, and Heidenheim districts, plus charter services for groups.
3. Group Travel Organization: Custom travel programs for associations, companies, schools, and other organizations. Includes charter bus rental services.
4. Travel Insurance and Add-ons: Travel insurance sales and additional services like excursion packages, cabin upgrades, and optional tours.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Bottenschein Reisen is a family-owned German bus tour operator and transportation company that packages, sells, and operates bus-based travel experiences across Europe, including day trips, multi-day tours, senior-friendly tours, premium tours, hiking tours, city breaks, beach holidays, river cruises, and combined bus-and-flight tours. The company also operates scheduled regional bus routes (Linienverkehr) in the Alb-Donau-Kreis, Biberach, Reutlingen, and Heidenheim districts, and offers group charter bus services with driver for associations, companies, and schools through its own fleet of 60+ vehicles.

Product overview

Bottenschein Reisen is a medium-sized travel operator and bus company offering a comprehensive portfolio of travel services centered around bus travel, flight tours, and river cruises. The core offering includes various bus travel categories (senior travel, premium travel, hiking tours, city trips, vacation/beach holidays, day trips, spa/wellness travel, holiday travel, group travel, and scheduled bus services), supplemented by flight tours and river cruises. The company operates the P.I.T. Touristik sub-brand in partnership with Müller Reisen, offering combined 4-5 star bus travel packages. With a fleet of over 60 vehicles ranging from minibuses to double-decker buses with 80 seats, the company serves both leisure travelers and provides scheduled public transport services in multiple German counties.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Packaged Bus Tours (Busreisen) Comprehensive bus-based travel packages across European and international destinations ranging from single-day excursions to multi-week tours, with categories for seniors, premium travelers, hiking enthusiasts, city breakers, and bargain hunters. Delivered using the company's own fleet of over 60 vehicles including 5-star, 4-star, and 3-star long-distance coaches, double-decker buses, midi and mini sprinters.
• River Cruises (Flusskreuzfahrten) 7-8 day river cruise packages on European waterways in partnership with P.I.T. Touristik, offering multiple cabin categories (main deck, mid deck, upper deck, suite, single cabin). Example itineraries include Seine & Normandie from €1,799 and Saar-Mosel-Rhein from €1,699 with door-to-door pickup included.
• Flight Tours (Flugreisen) Combined bus and flight travel packages for long-distance international destinations such as Patagonia and Lapland, where air travel is combined with ground transportation and tour services for end-to-end travel experiences.
• Scheduled Route Services (Linienverkehr) Regular scheduled regional public bus route services (Linienverkehr) operating in the districts of Biberach, Alb-Donau-Kreis, Reutlingen, and Heidenheim with stops in multiple communities. Includes school transport, commuter routes, and city transit. Serves both individual commuters and organizations such as schools and municipalities.
• Group Travel & Charter Bus Rental (Gruppenreisen & Bus mieten) Customized group travel programs and bus charter with driver for associations (Vereine), companies (Firmen), and schools (Schulen). Includes dedicated inquiry forms, tailored itineraries, and group rates. Notable example: corporate shuttle service for Boehringer Ingelheim since 2004 between Biberach and Ingelheim plants using two conference-equipped buses.
• P.I.T. Touristik Cooperative Programs Joint venture cooperative brand 'Partner Internationaler Touristik' (P.I.T. Touristik GmbH & Co. KG) operated with Müller Reisen and Sailer Reisen since 1999, offering a combined travel catalog with tours in classified 4 or 5-star buses and trained travel escorts. Provides one of the largest travel offerings in southern Germany.

Quantifiable outcome

• 50,000 satisfied customers annually
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments8 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Müller Reisen (Bösingen)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 1999Strategic cooperation started in 1999 between Bottenschein Reisen (Ehingen) and Müller Reisen (Bösingen) to form P.I.T. Touristik. Over 30 years of proven collaboration providing comprehensive travel offerings with high travel execution rates.
• P.I.T. Touristik GmbH & Co. KGcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 1999Joint venture company founded by Bottenschein, Müller Reisen, and Sailer Reisen for cooperative travel distribution. Offers combined catalog of tours with all travels in classified 4 or 5-star buses with trained guides.
• Komm mit (Sonthofen)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerFamily company from Sonthofen in Allgäu with intensified cooperation in recent years to expand travel offerings.
• SVL - Süddeutsche Verkehrslinien GmbHcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorSubsidiary company founded in 2000 to operate city transit in Laupheim. Also involved in joint vehicle procurement with parent company, taking delivery of 25 Setra buses within a year.
• Boehringer IngelheimminorOthersCorporate shuttle contract since 2004 for pharma company commuter transport between Biberach and Ingelheim facilities using two conference-equipped buses.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Market position

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/bottenscheinreisen

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles9 records

Subsidiaries5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Bottenschein travel