Excursions

This unique project arose out of a collaboration between the planning of seven international architecture firms on the one hand, and local construction know-how on the other. The result perfectly combines internationally designed architecture with the know-how and skills of regional craftsmen in the Bregenzerwald.

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. 

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 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 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 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. 

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. 

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. 

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. 

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).

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.  

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. 

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.

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.