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. 

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.

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.

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.

There’s truly something to do on this picturesque lake all year round. From the start of April to October there are daily trips to the most beautiful destinations on Lake Constance. During the high season there are evening trips with music and dancing, as well as round trips to and from Bregenz. 

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. 

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. 

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.

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. 

The largest waterfall in Europe, the Rhine Falls offer visitors a truly magnificent spectacle. Over a width of 150 metres and a height of 23 metres, 700 cubic metres of concentrated water per second plunge over the rocks here.

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. 

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).

The museum landscape based around the yearly Schubertiade Festival is a delightful mix of small and historically significant spaces. First and foremost are the Franz Schubert Museum and Schubertiade Museum where visitors can get a comprehensive overview of the stories of the great composers. 

Lake Constance and the sunny slopes of the Rhine Valley used to be home to many vineyards. Nowadays just a few wine growers remain; among them is Josef Möth in Bregenz, whose vineyards are located within touching distance of Lake Constance.

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.