Excursions

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. 

Karren is Dornbirn’s emblematic local mountain, towering over the city and offering panoramic views of the Swiss mountains, the Rhine Valley, and over to Lake Constance. It can be reached on foot in around an hour, or by a few minutes’ cable car ride lifting passengers up to a height of 976 metres.

This charming steam train began life as a genuine service railway, but today is used solely for visitor trips. The track runs along the Rhine embankment from the Rhein-Schauen Museum in Lustenau and through the nature reserve to the mouth of the Rhine at Lake Constance. 

This palace is regarded as one of the most important Renaissance buildings in western Austria. Its construction dates back to Cardinal Markus Sitticus III of Hohenems. The palace is now owned and lived in by the Waldburg-Zeil family: Countess Stephanie Waldburg-Zeil can even give a personal tour of the palace on request.

With around 5,000 m² of exhibition space, a visit to the FFA Museum is an experience with numerous highlights such as the flight or car simulator, on-site maintenance of aircraft and vehicles and exhibits from the Swiss Army and the British Rolls-Royce production.

This fascinating exhibition on the history of aerospace at Lake Constance is dedicated to the aviation pioneer Claude Dornier. The museum houses over 400 exhibits and original aircraft and the building’s architecture is a marvel in itself, corresponding to the layout of a hangar. 

The Waldwelt Skywalk Allgäu allows visitors to wander around the treetops and canopies at 25 to 40 metres above the ground. The barrier-free structure takes people through the greenery and serves up fantastic views across the region where the borders of four countries meet all the way to Lake Constance.

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. 

Austria Guides offer a magical walking tour to the most beautiful and distinctive points of the city, such as the lakeside promenade, the harbour and the cultural mile.

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.

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. 

The Mohren Brewery in Dornbirn has been shaping beer culture in Vorarlberg since 1834. How is their beer produced? How did the Mohren Brewery get its name? What varieties do they brew here? These questions and more are answered over four storeys and 700 m², including exhibits from the collection of the Huber family, which owns the brewery.

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.

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. 

Hohenems is a small city with grand stories. Testament to this are sites such as the stately Palace of the Counts of Ems who founded an Israelite community.