Liechtenstein is a small country in Central Europe, situated between Austria and Switzerland. Alpine natural beauty (how could it not have with such a fantastic location!) and rich history make this a fantastic destination to visit. A day in Liechtenstein is enough to get you acquainted with its highlights. Read on for a detailed guide on how to spend the day and the best things to do in Liechtenstein.
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Here's what's in store for you
Overview of Liechtenstein
Liechtenstein is the 6th smallest country in the world, measuring only about 24 km south to north! Another fun fact about this country is that it has more registered companies than it has citizens!
Best time to visit Liechtenstein
Anytime! Liechtenstein is a beautiful ski destination in the Winter and a stunning hiking destination in the Summer.
Getting to Liechtenstein
By air: While Liechtenstein does not have its own airport, there are 3 airports within an hour’s distance: Zurich and St. Gallen in Switzerland and Friedrichshafen in Germany.
By train: Travel to Sargans or Buchs in Switzerland or Feldkirch in Austria and take the Liechtenstein bus (LIEmobil) from there.
By bus: Flixbus runs buses up to Feldkirch in Austria. From there take the Liechtenstein bus (LIEmobil).
By car: From Zurich, the capital city of Vaduz is about 1.5 hr away
See also: The best places to stay in Liechtenstein
Itinerary for things to do in Liechtenstein in one day
Here’s the entire day’s itinerary:
We visited 4 municipalities in Liechtenstein:
- Schaan
- Vaduz
- Triesenberg
- Balzers
This route can be done either by car or by taking the public buses.
At Vaduz, we walked to all the major sights. Here’s our city walk map,
Read on for details on things to do in each location.
Things to do in Liechtenstein
We drove from Zurich and reached Liechtenstein by mid-morning. There is no border control between Switzerland and Liechtenstein and the only way to know you’re in another country is by the flags on the Rhine bridge. Our first stop of the day was Schaan.
Schaan
Schaan is the largest and the northernmost municipality in Liechtenstein. It’s a charming little town where we spent some time strolling along the streets. One of the main attractions of this place is its beautiful church that’s located in the centre of the town, close to the bus station.
For parking, there are multiple parking spots along the street, near shopping centres and there are also large parking garages. Since we went on a Sunday, we didn’t have to pay for parking anywhere in Liechtenstein!
Vaduz
Vaduz is only 5-10 minutes away from Schaan. As we drove into town, we could already see the famous Vaduz Castle perched on a hilltop.
We parked in one of the parking garages on the main street and walked towards the beautiful pedestrian street in Städtle. This street is lined with shops, restaurants and cafes, and beautiful stamps printed on the ground every few minutes!
The tourist information centre is located on this street. This is where you can get maps, information, souvenirs. You can even get your passport stamped – however, at 3 Euro per stamp, I thought it was a bit too steep.
The street was buzzing with activity even on a Sunday – even the shops were open! Such a refreshing change from Switzerland! There was a volleyball match also going on. Funnily enough, it was a Beach Volleyball tournament. Yeah, in a doubly landlocked country. On a rainy day. But hey they had sand on the court so that counts, right?!
Städtle also houses the Liechtenstein National Museum which will take you through the history of Liechtenstein.
As you walk towards the south end of the street you reach the Peter-Kaiser-Platz – the square which houses Liechtenstein’s government. This square has a bright yellow tiled floor which almost makes you reach for your sunglasses, even on a cloudy day!
Next to the Peter-Kaiser-Platz is the St. Florin Cathedral, a beautiful church built in the 19th century.
From the church, we followed the main road on a 15 min walk to the Alte Rheinbrücke (Old Rhine Bridge). This is a covered wooden bridge spanning the river Rhine between Liechtenstein and Switzerland. Built in the early 20th century this is the oldest surviving wooden bridge on the Rhine.
Near the bridge, there are long walkways along the river. We took a short walk here which was quite fun with the river rushing next to us and high mountains visible in the distance.
The walk back to town was very pretty since we could see the valley surrounded by high mountains. The Vaduz Castle is also visible with the backdrop of these mountains.
The Vaduz Castle is a 20 min uphill walk from Städtle or a 5-minute drive. You can guess which one we picked! The views from the top of the hill are beautiful. You can see the whole valley with the Rhine flowing through. Do note that the castle is not open to visitors since the royal family resides there. So if you do take the hike up here it has to be for the views.
Triesenberg
Triesenberg is only a 5-minute drive up from the Vaduz castle. If you’re taking public transportation, head back down to Städtle from the castle and take the bus to Triesenberg.
Triesenberg is a delightful small mountain town. We parked in the town centre and strolled along the streets fascinated by how beautiful everything was. The views from the edge of the town down into the valley were even better than we had seen from the Vaduz castle.
Balzers
From Triesenberg, we drove about 10 minutes to reach the town of Balzers. Told you it’s a small country!
You could also take a bus from Triesenberg to Balzers. As you head down the mountain, the scenery is absolutely incredible.
As soon as you enter the town you will be able to see the Gutenberg Castle situated high up on a hill. This museum is open to the public as a museum. The castle and the hill have a lot of history behind them. The castle hill has been inhabited since the Neolithic period! The castle itself was built in the High Middle Ages.
We had a fantastic day exploring Liechtenstein and reached back home by early evening. What more can you ask from a day trip?!
Other things to do in Liechtenstein
- Liechtenstein has some amazing hiking routes including,
- The Liechtenstein Trail – a route which connects all the municipalities
- Princes’ Way Hike – a high altitude walking adventure
- Princess trail – a round trip hike along a flower-filled mountain ridge
- Mountainbiking & Cycling are also popular activities
Have you been to Liechtenstein? Did you love the castles more or the natural beauty? Let me know in the comments below.
Are you planning a trip to Liechtenstein? Let me know if you have any questions.
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Wow! What a cool place never thought of going but now I’ve put it on my bucket list!
Oh my gosh. I love this place. Your pictures are stunning!! I need to actually plan a trip one day and when I do, I will be using your blog for the itinerary!
Thanks Kay! Hope you are able to plan soon! 🙂
What a breathtaking pictures you have here! I’ve always been a sucker for nature and these pictures are just to die for.
Thank you for sharing.
Thanks! 🙂
Vaduz was definitely lovely! We cycled there while practically everywhere in Liechtenstein but the time we were hiking only two weeks ago. There were so many nice routes, practically we visited everything. I wonder why you didn’t mention the Postal Museum. It’s free and it’s very curious! Tiny countries definitely have something about it, a special vibe, I’d say
Great to hear about your trip! I want to go hiking and cycling soon too! And yes the postal museum was a curious place – we skipped going inside for lack of time.
Liechtenstein sounds like the best place for a quick getaway for me right now! Plus i can do some of my favorite activities there! ?
Yes, it has a ton of activities to suit everyone’s tastes!
Did not know much about this country Liechtenstein. It’s such a cute place and looks so peaceful. Probably I would love to spend more than a day here. The picture are so lovely. And thanks for a great guide for travel.
Thanks, Subhashish! It indeed is a lovely place – one that definitely deserves more than a day.
I don’t think I could choose between the castles or nature! They are both so wonderous! What an awesome blog post, I didn’t realise that Liechtenstein was so small, however, that certainly doesn’t take away from its beauty and how much there is to do there! Great post!
Thanks Lindsay! For us also it took getting there to realize how small it was! But tiny as it is, it packs a punch 🙂
Stunning views and trip! I have been to that area but it was over 25 years ago and it still looks like a fairy-tail today. I went in May and was shocked how cold it got at night. I am saying that since I live in Florida (USA) and it can stay in the 90’s F in May. I love that covered bridge. Have you visited in the winter?
Have a great weekend,
Kippi
Thanks, Kippi! I haven’t visited in winter yet – maybe in the next couple of months. I’m sure it will look fairy-tale like covered in snow.
Lichtenstein seems like an amazing place to visit. The pictures are beautiful. The Vaduz Castle seems very interesting. I was sad that it is not open for visitors as royal family lives theres. I would love to go inside and walk around.
It’s a superb place – so much natural beauty and history packed into a tiny country!
Liechtenstein looks beautiful! So many things to see and do. I like the nature more than the castles.
I agree – love the nature more than the architecture!
Liechtenstein looks fab. I discovered a very cool historical fact about Liechtenstein a while back – some guy in 1930s up and declared himself King – his reign lasted 9 days!
Hahaha really! That’s such a fun fact!
Super cool! I have to admit to not even knowing this country existed. I love your photos, it looks like a lot of beauty is crammed into this tiny country! A cycling tour through the area would be really fun to do!
Hahaha yeah even we got introduced to it recently! And it turned out to be a great recommendation. We want to go back for hiking and cycling.
Your photos are gorgeous. Gutenberg Castle looks amazing. I really would love to travel there sometime. The whole area, Austria, Switzerland and Liechtenstein have always appealed to me. Maybe one day….
Thanks Elizabeth! All these countries in the Alps are really very beautiful, a definite must visit.
I love all your wonderful pictures! We are planning a Europe road trip with our kids and it looks like Liechtenstein is going to be in the list! Thank you – I’m going to bookmark this for the future because it’s beautiful but also really useful. x
Thanks Laura! Liechtenstein is a lovely place and needs very little time to visit.
I had no idea what Liechtenstein was such a small country! I’m seriously amazed that you can visit the entirety of it in just a single day, without skipping over anything important. The views are fabulous too. I’m pretty sure I’d go just for that. Is this a tourist destination? I’m curious because this is the first blog I’ve ever read that covered a visit to Liechtenstein. Now I’m wondering why nobody else is talking about this place! Your writing is giving me the urge to travel now. Like, it’s getting worse. Lol.
It indeed is a tourist destination, not that well known though. Gets overshadowed by its neighbours – Austria and Switzerland. But that just makes it better, fewer tourists!
You’ve organized your post so nicely! This looks like such a beautiful, peaceful place to visit. I hope I get to one day!
Thanks Alyssa! It is a lovely place to visit, and doesn’t take much time!
Great post! Thanks for sharing the hiking links. I love looking for hikes when I’m traveling. Also, Gutenburg Castle!I hope it is as beautiful on the inside as it is on the outside! Super quaint. I can’t choose between the two: castles and natural beauty. I like them both equally!
Thanks! We love hikes too (though we are still novices at it) and Liechtenstein has got some really amazing ones.
Gutenberg castle I think looks nicer from outside framed against the mountain behind it. Gives it a fairy tale vibe!