Excursions

What does it mean to be a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve? Who is Burmenta? And how is mountain cheese actually made? The guided tour of the biosphärenpark.haus does not only provide the answers to these questions, it also offers rare insights into the history of the Grosses Walsertal (Great Walser Valley).

Largely underground and barely noticeable from the outside, Skyspace Lech is nestled snugly amidst the high alpine landscape of the Lechquelle Mountains. In 2018, the contemporary American artist James Turrell created a work of installation art at 1,780 metres above sea level, part of a series of over 60 fascinating light space creations worldwide. 

Affectionately known as the KUB, this architecturally unmistakable art centre was opened in 1997 and has since hosted some of the biggest names in international contemporary art. The building is an artwork in itself, designed by the renowned architect Peter Zumthor, and a significant contribution to the Bregenz skyline.

Cobbled streets and romantic arcades lead visitors through the Feldkirch’s old town. The Schattenburg castle towers mightily above it, regaling with stories of times gone by. 

Formerly a humble stable, this building now houses one of the world’s foremost collection of cribs. The exhibition presents an astonishing variety of widely differing specimens from places as diverse as Austria, Italy, Spain, Lapland, Africa and China. 

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. 

This hilltop fort is the undisputed landmark of Feldkirch, originally built in around 1260 to protect the town and its residents. It’s also the ancestral seat of the Counts of Montfort who rose in the Middle Ages to become the reigning aristocratic family in the region known today as Vorarlberg.

The Silvretta High Alpine Road is a unique experience for groups, and is rightly known as the "Dream Road of the Alps". The 22.3 km alpine route connects the Montafon region in Vorarlberg with Paznaun in Tyrol.

Situated just outside the city of Dornbirn this is one of the largest gorges in central Europe. A signposted trail and spectacular wooden footpaths lead past breathtaking views sculpted by prehistorical geological process – as the Mesozoic sea retreated and formed the mountains of the Alps. 

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.

A UNESCO World Heritage Site, Pfahlbauten tells the story of life in the Stone and Bronze Ages. You start your visit with a virtual 360° dive in the Archeorama. Here, the life and building structures under water are made visible.

Only 20 minutes from the centre of Dornbirn lies a unique playground in the midst of a magnificent mountain paradise. The Ebnit sports club has a variety of activities on offer, overseen by outdoor specialists. 

The Jewish Museum Hohenems, located in the former Heimann-Rosenthal Villa, commemorates the rural Jewish community of Hohenems and its contributions to the development of Vorarlberg and surrounding regions. 

The truly picturesquely Lünersee (“Lunar Lake”) at an altitude of 1,970m sits at the foot of the Schesaplana mountain and is surrounded by various peaks. There’s a wonderful circuit along the lake’s shore that takes about three hours and is relatively flat.

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