Excursions

Bludenz is surrounded by an amphitheatre of mountains whose peaks reach well over 2,000 metres. Affectionately known by locals as the "Städtle", it is a springboard for five Alpine valleys and a centre of alpine sport.  

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. 

Milk and dairy products have been produced on this farm for four generations, but in recent years it has developed into a company of considerable size, specialising in goat's milk products. Whey is a healthy by-product of cheese production which Metzler use to produce natural cosmetics. 

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.

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. 

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.

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.

Vorarlberg is blessed by an abundance of water. From glacial ice to the shores of Lake Constance, the crystal-clear wet stuff seeks its way, is collected, filtered, drunk and – increasingly – is converted into electricity.

The Stoffels Sawmill Museum is an open-air museum in Hohenems with a unique cultural-historical documentation of 2000 years of mill technology. On display here is the historical and technical development of saws and mills from their origins to modern times.

The quaint market town of Rankweil is dominated by this fairytale-esque basilica perched on a hill at its centre. This formidable building on the Liebfrauenberg is a landmark in the truest sense, visible from all over the valley. 

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. 

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. 

Messe Dornbirn is an ideal option for when the weather leads your group to consider indoor activities. Covering an area of over 1,236,544 m², this exhibition centre bears testament to Vorarlberg's vibrant society and economy. 

Vorarlberg has a long and proud history of beer brewing. In fact, in years gone by almost every inn brewed its own beer. A number of these traditional breweries are still active today, such as the Fohrenburger brewery in Bludenz, the Mohren brewery in Dornbirn, the Egg brewery and the Frastanz brewery cooperative.

Bregenz's local mountain towers over the city at 1,064 metres, offering panoramas of three countries across the lake in one direction and the Bregenzerwald in the other.