Vaduz, Liechtenstein, Welcome

 

One of my lofty travel goals is to visit very country in the world. Do you have a travel goal?

I’ve been doing this at my own pace since 1980 when I visited Martinique as a French exchange student. This was country number 1. Vaduz, Liechtenstein is number 124, 39 years later.

Come with me while I explore the city and tell you the one of many reasons to visit this quietly beautiful city. And yes, there is a Castle in Vaduz, Liechtenstein…

 

 

 

 

Where is Vaduz, Liechtenstein?

 

Vaduz,Liechtenstein is land locked between Switzerland to the west and south and Austria to the east. It’s small at 61.78 square miles (160 square kilometers) with a population of 37,810 in the 2017 Eurostat census. Language is German and it has a monarchy who actually still live in Vaduz, Castle which is why you can’t visit inside the Castle, but must be invited. They use the Swiss Franc, however, Euros are also accepted.

 

 

 

 

 

How To Get Here

 

Vaduz, Liechtenstein is not the easiest of places to visit, but its worthwhile visiting.

1. I took a flight from London-Gatwick (LGW) on easyJet (U2) to Friedrichshafen, Germany (FDH), then

 

 

2. I took the train from the station literally right across the street to Friedrichshafen City Center; The direction of the train is from left to right when standing in front of the airport with your back to the airport. You can use Euros or a credit card at the machine. There is an ATM inside that will give you Euros. Then,

 

 

3. I took another train from Friedrichshafen Hafen station one stop to the Ferry terminal; you can walk, but I had a time constraint. It runs every hour. Then,

 

 

 

4. I took the Ferry across the Lake to my first stop in Switzerland, Romanshorn. This after buying a ticket from the ticket office to Buchs, Switzerland. They don’t sell the local bus tickets here so had to buy that in Buchs. The ladies were very nice and printed me an itinerary and even gave me change for the 50 Euros the ATM gave me. This made it easier to take the bus later. Then,

 

 

 

 

5. I took the train from Ramshorn to Rorschach and then to Buchs where I changed to the Liechtenstein local bus, Liemobil.

 

 

 

 

6. I took the #12 bus to Schaan station, then

 

 

 

 

7. I took the #11 bus to the stop for Vaduz Castle just a few stops away from the City Center. You can also walk up to the Castle from the City Centre.

 

 

 

 

I used http://maps.google.com which gave me proper directions.

 

Total cost is 30 EUR (including 2.20 for the ride from the airport to the ferry station) and this is definitely the most scenic route and took about 4 hours. You were moving all the time so it did not seem like a long time.

 

Let’s take a look:

 

By Air

 

I flew into the Bodensee Airport Friedrichshafen in Germany (FDH) on easyjet (U2) from London-Gatwick as I wanted to log a new airport and I found a good fare on their twice weekly service.  The airport is served by following airlines: British Airways (BA), EasyJet Airlines (U2), Lufthansa German Airlines (LH), Twin Jet (T7), Turkish Airlines (TK), and Wizz Air (W6).

 

You would then take the train from the airport into the city; beautiful city by the way, I need to return for a visit. Then the ferry to Switzerland across the huge Lake. Then take two trains to Buch, Switzerland and from here take two buses or one bus to Vaduz.

 

 

Another airport in the region is the Zurich International Airport (ZRH). The airport is served by many major and smaller European and airlines worldwide. You would then take the train from the airport to Buchs, Switzerland with bus connections to Vaduz.

 

By Car

 

Vaduz, Liechtenstein is easily accessible by car. Use a mapping software such as Google Maps for directions.

 

 

 

 

By Train

 

There is no train station in Vaduz, but there is one in Schaan which is close by. I could not find any trains to this station though. You can take a train to Buchs, Switzerland and then take a local bus to the city center. You may also take the train to Sargans station and then take the local bus to Vaduz. I took the Buchs to Zurich train which was 41 CHF. It made two stops and took just over an hour.

 

 

 

 

By Bus

 

Local buses will take you all around the city. I could not find a major bus company with routes from European cities to Vaduz.

 

 

 

 

Things To Do

 

I always recommend stopping at the Tourist Information Center and this one has a treasure trove of information. The one here is located in the center of the city so either get off the bus there or walk to it. Just use Google Maps to locate it. Here you will find out about everything there is to do in Vaduz, Liechtenstein.

 

 

 

 

The biggest attraction here is Vaduz Castle. You cannot visit the Castle as its a residence of the Prince of Liechtenstein. It is however, not the only thing to see or do here, not even the one reason to visit here. The one reason to visit here is because of its location. It’s housed between two countries, its very scenic, quiet, has wine, picturesque and a Castle. Oh, that’s more than one huh? oops….

 

Let me highlight a few, here we go:

 

 

Vaduz Castle (Schloss Castle)

As you enter Vaduz, you can’t miss this Castle on the mountain on the left. It is the home of the Prince of Liechtenstein, so you cannot visit unless you’re invited to do so. But, you can walk up to the Castle and visit outside the Castle though.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Vaduz Cathedral

This is a Gothic Cathedral with a really high steeple located at the end of the central part of town at St. Florinsgasse 15, 9490 Vaduz, Liechtenstein. It dates back to 1874.

 

 

 

 

 

Liechtenstein Art Museum

 

This museum has modern and contemporary art. It’s also an amazingly architected building as you can see form the photo below. And the Hilti Art Foundation is right next door too.

 

 

 

 

Parliament Building

 

I’m a huge architecture fan and this building does it for me. Check it out.

 

 

 

 

Government Building

 

The architecture of this building is pretty amazing. They are located at St. Florinsgasse 7, 9490 Vaduz, Liechtenstein.

 

 

 

 

Alte Rheinbrücke

This is my favorite place in Vaduz. It’s a wooden covered foot bridge that spans the Rhine river and houses the border between Liechtenstein and Switzerland. No border guards or anything. A must see when you visit. The city on the Swiss side is called Svelen.  The address is Rheinstrasse, 9475 Sevelen, Switzerland. But once you visit the Cathedral, just walk down the street that is to the right of the Cathedral and when you get to the end, make a left and then you will see it on the right at the next intersection.

 

 

 

 

Where To Stay

 

I did not overnight in Vaduz was it was just a day trip. There are a few places to stay here and they are all local brands.

 

 

You may also check the search box below to determine.

 

Where To Eat

 

There are a some restaurants around the main part of the city. Honestly, just walk and find a place that tickles your fancy. It’s not a city where you see lots of restaurants. Although this may be the case in the old part of the city which I did not have a chance to visit. I was walking around too much, I did not even any anything. I did walk past Torkel Restaurant which sits with an amazing view of the vineyards and the mountains on the Swiss side.

 

 

 

 

Have you been to Vaduz, Liechtenstein or Liechtenstein at all? Please leave a comment below if you have or if you have any comments.