Excursions

The Bregenzerwald railway line, affectionately known locally as the Wälderbähnle, used to link Bregenz to the mountain village of Bezau. This 35-kilometre stretch was covered by a narrow-gauge track just 760 millimetres wide. 

The cityscape of Bregenz is strongly defined by this iconic museum, which draws crowds as much for its architecture as its exhibitions.

The little sister of the elegant Hohentwiel steam ship has been back gracing the waters of Lake Constance since May 2019. The MS Oesterreich is a motor ship first launched during the 1920s golden age, and was considered a luxury liner at the time. 

It is claimed the monastery of St. Gerold dates back to the 11th century. Today, the priory, which belongs to the Benedictine monastery of Einsiedeln in Switzerland, is considered the spiritual and cultural centre of the Great Walser Valley.

This interactive centre is the region’s most visited museum and one of the most high-tech nature museums in Europe, with underwater cinema, avalanche simulator, science centre, and more. 

This 8km-long hiking trail takes visitors all the way along the Pfänder ridge, from the cable car station to Eichenberg and Möggers, with various culinary stop-off points. Twelve boards along the way present hikers with interesting facts about the production of Vorarlberg cheese. 

The only Women’s Museum in Austria plays host to varying exhibitions on women past and present, from a regional or supra-regional perspective. Frauenmuseum Hittisau aims to make clear the cultural contributions of women throughout history and in present day, and as such has hosted over 30 exhibitions to date on various topics. 

Werkraum is home to various forward-thinking and traditionally-rooted craftspeople from the Bregenzerwald area. The visionary building was designed by world-famous architect Peter Zumthor but built and fitted out by the collective might of the local craftsmen themselves.

This historic steamship first graced the Lake Constance waters back in 1913 and in the 21st century it retains a timeless charm and elegance. The flair of its decks, the chic salons, and the mighty steam engine whisk visitors back in time to days gone by.

The Juppen is the traditional costume of the Bregenzerwald. At this extraordinary production site, visitors can discover five centuries of craftsmanship and how this international-renowned Wälderjuppe is made. 

Michelehof is a farm that’s been run by the Büchele family from Hard for generations. Processing their own fruit has always been part of the daily routine here, and now in recent years Albert Büchele has made this his passion and has brought the distillation of fine spirits to perfection with traditional methods. 

Vorarlberg has a long tradition of small-scale agriculture. Most farmers here live from dairy farming. The milk is used in numerous alpine dairies and in summer months in the Alps to make its Bergkäse, a tangy hard cheese. 

Angelika Kauffmann was a sophisticated artist of international renown and a pioneer of her time. Her home village of Schwarzenberg boasts not only the Angelika Kauffmann Hall and a baroque parish church but also a museum dedicated to the life and works of its most famous daughter.

The history of silver mining at Kristberg stretches back over 1000 years. For more than half this time, a little church in honour of St. Agatha has perched high up overlooking Silbertal, the “Silver Valley”. 

The Bregenz Festival is a must for any culture vulture, with a varied programme of opera performances, orchestral concerts, music and poetry presentations at its outdoor stage, the Festspielhaus (festival hall) and the Lake Studio.