Vorarlberg
5
Day Itinerary •
Austria
Five days in Vorarlberg give you the full extraordinary range of Austria's most westerly and architecturally remarkable region, from the Bodensee lakefront and the Bregenz Festival floating stage to the extraordinary contemporary architecture of the Bregenzerwald, the Montafon valley's Walser villages and Silvretta glacier, the extraordinary Arlberg with Lech and St Anton, the finest ski resort in the Alps, and the medieval city of Feldkirch with the extraordinary principality of Liechtenstein. This route covers the complete Vorarlberg. Bregenz and the Kunsthaus Zumthor, the Bregenzerwald cheese road and architecture trail, the Montafon valley and Silvretta, the extraordinary Arlberg Pass with Lech, Zurs and St Anton, the medieval fortress town of Feldkirch, and the extraordinary miniature principality of Liechtenstein with its world-class art collection.
Best Time To Visit
June to September or December to March
Getting There
Fly into Zurich or Friedrichshafen, train to Bregenz 1 hour
Getting Around
Car essential throughout for all valleys and the Arlberg
Budget Per Day
Approx 90 to 180 euros per person per day
Difficulity
Easy to moderate, walking and driving
DAY 1
BREGENZ AND THE BODENSEE
MORNING
BREGENZ OLD TOWN AND THE BODENSEE
Bregenz is Austria's westernmost city, its extraordinary upper town of Roman origin rising above the Bodensee, the largest lake in the German-speaking world. The Martinsturm with its extraordinary Baroque onion dome is the oldest building in Vorarlberg. The extraordinary Roman fort of Brigantium excavations beneath the old town are outstanding. The Vorarlberg Museum in the lower town is the finest regional museum in western Austria. The lakefront gives views of Germany and Switzerland simultaneously. Travel: 15 min walk
MIDDAY
THE KUNSTHAUS BREGENZ AND THE FESTIVAL STAGE
The Kunsthaus Bregenz by Peter Zumthor, completed in 1997, is one of the most celebrated buildings of the 20th century, its extraordinary translucent glass and steel skin filtering natural light into the gallery spaces in extraordinary ways. The Bregenz Festival floating stage on the Bodensee is the largest open-air opera stage in the world, seating 7,000. Even outside festival season the extraordinary stage construction is remarkable from the lakefront promenade. Travel: 30 min ferry to Lindau
AFTERNOON
LINDAU, THE ISLAND CITY ON THE BODENSEE
Lindau is the most extraordinary island city on the Bodensee, its medieval old town connected to the Bavarian shore by a bridge, the harbour entrance guarded by a lighthouse and the Bavarian lion statue. The extraordinary Altstadt contains the finest guild houses on the lake and the remarkable Peterskirche with its extraordinary fresco cycle by Hans Holbein the Elder. The ferry back to Bregenz gives the finest view of the Vorarlberg Alps.
💎 HIDDEN GEM
The Pfänder mountain above Bregenz at 1,064 metres gives the most extraordinary panorama over the Bodensee, all three countries visible with the Alps behind Bregenz in extraordinary clarity. Cable car from Bregenz takes 7 minutes, approx 14 euros return. The view at sunset over the lake with Germany, Switzerland and Austria simultaneously visible is extraordinary.
🍽 WHERE TO EAT
Breakfast: Cafe Deuring Schlossle Outstanding breakfast in the extraordinary castle hotel above Bregenz. | Lunch: Restaurant Wirtshaus am See Outstanding lakeside restaurant. Local Bodensee perch and Austrian white wine. | Dinner: Restaurant Mangold, Bregenz Finest restaurant in Bregenz. Local Bodensee fish and extraordinary Vorarlberg cheese.
DAY 2
THE BREGENZERWALD
MORNING
THE BREGENZERWALD ARCHITECTURE TRAIL
The Bregenzerwald valley has the finest concentration of contemporary architecture in rural Austria, its extraordinary community of local architects creating outstanding public buildings alongside traditional farmhouses. The Werkraumhaus in Andelsbuch by Bernardo Bader won the EU Mies van der Rohe Award. The extraordinary bus shelters by local architects across the valley are the most celebrated rural bus stops in the world. The Kunsthaus Dornbirn by Staufer and Hasler is outstanding. Travel: 30 min drive
MIDDAY
THE BREGENZERWALD CHEESE ROAD AND LINGENAU DAIRY
The Käsestrasse cheese road connecting the dairy farms of the Bregenzerwald is the finest cheese trail in Austria. The Lingenau cooperative dairy is the most extraordinary, its extraordinary traditional process producing outstanding Bergkase mountain cheese and the finest Sennkase in Vorarlberg. The Bezau village museum tells the story of the extraordinary Bregenzerwald culture. Most dairies offer free tastings of their extraordinary cheeses. Travel: 20 min drive to Schwarzenberg
AFTERNOON
SCHWARZENBERG AND ANGELIKA KAUFFMANN
Schwarzenberg's extraordinary Baroque church contains the finest paintings by Angelika Kauffmann in their original setting, the greatest female painter of the 18th century who painted for the royal courts of London and Naples. The Kauffmann Museum tells her extraordinary life story. The village itself is the most beautiful in the Bregenzerwald. The extraordinary Bregenzerwald landscape from the Schwarzenberg hill at dusk is the finest view in the valley.
💎 HIDDEN GEM
The Rappenloch gorge near Dornbirn is the most extraordinary natural gorge in Vorarlberg, a narrow limestone canyon cut by the Ach river with extraordinary waterfalls, free to walk. The alpine garden at the Ebnitsee lake above the gorge is the finest hidden picnic spot in western Austria. Walk takes approximately 1 hour from the gorge entrance.
🍽 WHERE TO EAT
Breakfast: Gasthof in Bregenzerwald Coffee and local cheese in a traditional Bregenzerwald gasthaus. | Lunch: Sennerei Lingenau Outstanding dairy restaurant. Local Bergkase, fresh curd and Bregenzerwald bread. | Dinner: Hotel Taube, Schruns Outstanding traditional Montafon hotel. Local Kaspressknödel and Vorarlberg wine.
DAY 3
THE MONTAFON VALLEY
MORNING
THE MONTAFON VALLEY AND WALSER VILLAGES
The Montafon valley is the most extraordinary alpine valley in Vorarlberg, its string of traditional Walserdorf villages built by the Walser people from Valais who settled here in the 14th century. The villages of Gaschurn, St Gallenkirch and the extraordinary Gargellen above have the finest examples of Walserdorf architecture in Austria, their remarkable timber farmhouses with carved decoration entirely authentic. The Montafon Museum in Schruns tells the extraordinary story of this remarkable culture. Travel: 30 min drive to Partenen
MIDDAY
THE SILVRETTA HOCHALPENSTRASSE
The Silvretta Hochalpenstrasse is the most extraordinary Alpine toll road in western Austria, 26km of extraordinary switchbacks rising from Partenen to the Silvrettasee reservoir at 2,036 metres. The reservoir surrounded by the 3,000-metre Silvretta peaks and the extraordinary glacier above is the most dramatic high alpine scene in Vorarlberg. The walk around the reservoir takes approximately 1.5 hours through extraordinary mountain scenery. Toll approx 14 euros. Open June to October. Travel: 45 min drive back to Schruns
AFTERNOON
SCHRUNS, HEMINGWAY'S WINTER VILLAGE
Ernest Hemingway spent the winter of 1925 to 1926 in Schruns writing The Sun Also Rises in the Hotel Taube, describing it as wonderful country and the finest place I had ever been. The extraordinary central square with its traditional Vorarlberg farmhouses, the Montafon Museum and the view up to the Silvretta peaks from the village is extraordinary. The Silbertal side valley above Schruns gives the finest mountain hiking in the region.
💎 HIDDEN GEM
The Brand valley above Bludenz is the most extraordinary undiscovered valley in Vorarlberg, its extraordinary Zimba peak at 2,643 metres rising directly above the valley floor and the Lüner See mountain lake at 1,970 metres reached by cable car, approx 18 euros return. The finest hidden mountain lake in western Austria and almost entirely unknown to international visitors.
🍽 WHERE TO EAT
Breakfast: Hotel Taube, Schruns Outstanding hotel where Hemingway lived and wrote. Coffee and local bread. | Lunch: Restaurant at the Silvrettasee Outstanding mountain restaurant at 2,036m beside the glacier reservoir. | Dinner: Gasthaus Löwen, Schruns Outstanding traditional Montafon restaurant. Local venison and Vorarlberg wine.
DAY 4
THE ARLBERG
MORNING
THE ARLBERG PASS AND LECH VILLAGE
The Arlberg Pass between Vorarlberg and Tyrol at 1,793 metres is the most important mountain crossing in western Austria, historically dividing the German-speaking world between east and west. Lech am Arlberg on the Vorarlberg side is the most extraordinary Alpine resort village in Austria, its extraordinary collection of traditional Walserdorf houses around the church square entirely authentic. In summer the extraordinary meadow walks above the village through extraordinary flower meadows are outstanding. Travel: 20 min drive to Zurs
MIDDAY
ZURS AND THE ARLBERG PANORAMA
Zurs am Arlberg is the most extraordinary high-altitude resort in Austria, its extraordinary position at 1,720 metres giving the finest panorama over the Arlberg massif. The extraordinary Flexenstrasse road between Lech and Zurs, carved into the cliff face and protected by extraordinary snowgalleries, gives the most dramatic mountain road view in Vorarlberg. In summer the extraordinary Alpine meadows above Zurs are among the finest in the Austrian Alps. Travel: 30 min drive to St Anton
AFTERNOON
ST ANTON AM ARLBERG
St Anton am Arlberg in Tyrol is the most legendary ski resort in the Alps, the birthplace of alpine skiing and home to the extraordinary Ski Museum telling the story of how Hannes Schneider invented the parallel turn here in 1907. In summer the extraordinary Rendl cable car above St Anton gives the finest panorama over the Arlberg massif. The village itself is extraordinary in both winter and summer character. Ski Museum entry approx 8 euros.
💎 HIDDEN GEM
The Lech River above Lech village flows through the most extraordinary unmodified alpine river landscape in the Alps, the Lech one of the last wild rivers in Central Europe, its extraordinary gravel banks and braided channels the finest wild river scenery in western Austria. The riverside walk from Lech to Zuers takes approximately 2 hours through extraordinary wilderness. Entirely free.
🍽 WHERE TO EAT
Breakfast: Gasthof in Schruns or Lech Coffee before the drive to Lech. | Lunch: Restaurant Tannbergerhof, Lech Outstanding traditional Lech restaurant in the extraordinary village square. Local venison. | Dinner: Restaurant Schwarzer Adler, St Anton Outstanding traditional Tyrolean restaurant. Local lamb and the finest Arlberg wine.
DAY 5
FELDKIRCH AND VADUZ
MORNING
FELDKIRCH, THE MEDIEVAL FORTRESS CITY
Feldkirch is the most extraordinary and least known medieval city in western Austria, its extraordinary intact city walls, the Schattenburg fortress and the extraordinary Marktgasse with its arcaded facades giving a character far more authentic than the famous tourist cities. The Schattenburg above the city, built in the 12th century, contains an extraordinary museum of medieval Vorarlberg history. The Cathedral of St Nicholas has the finest late Gothic interior in Vorarlberg. Castle entry approx 5 euros. Travel: 30 min drive to Vaduz
MIDDAY
VADUZ, THE CAPITAL OF LIECHTENSTEIN
Vaduz is the capital of the extraordinary Principality of Liechtenstein, the fourth smallest country in the world and the only one to border two other landlocked countries. The extraordinary Liechtenstein Art Museum contains one of the finest private art collections in the world, the Princely Collections assembled over 400 years including extraordinary works by Rubens, Van Dyck and the finest collection of Biedermeier art outside Vienna. The Prince's castle above Vaduz is extraordinary. Museum entry approx 15 euros. Travel: 30 min drive back to Feldkirch
AFTERNOON
FELDKIRCH DEPARTURE
Feldkirch's extraordinary medieval centre is best explored in the afternoon when the day visitors have left. The Churertor gate, the Wassertor and the extraordinary Diebsturm are the finest medieval fortifications in Vorarlberg. The extraordinary Jewish quarter and the Johanniterkirche with its remarkable fresco cycle are outstanding. The train from Feldkirch to Zurich takes approximately 1.5 hours through extraordinary Rhine valley scenery.
💎 HIDDEN GEM
The Liechtenstein princely vineyards at Vaduz produce the most extraordinary wine in any sovereign principality in the world, the extraordinary Pinot Noir and Chardonnay grown on the steep Rhine valley slopes above Vaduz available only at the princely winery. Tastings by appointment at the Hofkellerei des Fursten von Liechtenstein. The most extraordinary wine experience in the tiny country.
🍽 WHERE TO EAT
Breakfast: Hotel Alpenrose, Feldkirch Outstanding hotel in the extraordinary medieval city. Coffee before the morning walk. | Lunch: Restaurant in Vaduz Outstanding Liechtenstein cuisine in the tiny capital. Local Pinot Noir and Alpine cheese. | Dinner: Restaurant Gasthof Löwen, Feldkirch Outstanding farewell dinner in the medieval city. Local venison and Vorarlberg wine.
Where To Stay
Bregenz, Night 1 Hotel Schwärzler or Deuring Schlössle. Lakefront location. Approx 100 to 280 euros. Schruns, Nights 2 to 3 Hotel Montafoner Hof or Taube. Traditional Montafon valley. Approx 80 to 180 euros. Feldkirch, Nights 4 to 5 Hotel Alpenrose or Gasthof Löwen. Medieval old town. Approx 80 to 160 euros.
Top Tips
1. The Bregenz Festival floating stage is the largest in the world. Book tickets a year ahead for July and August performances.
2. The Bregenzerwald cheese road in September has open farm days. Tasting the extraordinary local Bergkase for free is unmissable.
3. Lech village is one of the most extraordinary skiing destinations in the world. In summer it is quiet and entirely beautiful.
4. The Silvretta road is open June to October only. The extraordinary glacier reservoir at 2,036m is the finest Alpine drive in Austria.
5. Vaduz in Liechtenstein has the finest stamps museum in the world and an extraordinary art collection. Day entry free.
6. Feldkirch's extraordinary medieval old town is the finest and least known in western Austria. Walk at 7am for extraordinary quiet.
Total Budget
90 to 180 euros/day