Vaduz: a first-timer's guide to Liechtenstein's capital

Getting your bearings

Vaduz stretches along one main axis. The **Städtle** is the car free heart, running from the government building and the parliament past the Kunstmuseum and the Liechtenstein Center, the official visitor centre, to the national museum. **Peter Kaiser Platz** and the cathedral sit at its southern end. Most buses stop at Vaduz Post or Vaduz Städtle, a few minutes' walk from everything.

Above the town, **Vaduz Castle** is the private residence of the Prince and is not open to visitors, except for the grounds on the national holiday, 15 August, when the princely family invites everyone to a reception in the castle meadow. You can still walk up through the woods on a signed path for close views of the walls and a wide panorama over the Rhine to the Swiss mountains.

Museums and culture

The black cube of the **Kunstmuseum Liechtenstein** holds the national collection of modern and contemporary art, and shares a building with the **Hilti Art Foundation**, which shows classic modern works from the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. The **Liechtensteinisches Landesmuseum**, the national museum, tells the country's story from prehistoric finds to the principality's unusual politics, with a natural history wing. The small **Postmuseum** explains why Liechtenstein's stamps are famous among collectors, and the **Treasure Chamber** shows princely and national treasures, including a piece of moon rock.

Look out for the **Rotes Haus**, a red stepped gabled house among the vineyards, and the neo Gothic **Cathedral of St. Florin**. The **Engländerbau** hosts changing art exhibitions.

Wine and food

Vaduz is a wine town. The **Hofkellerei des Fürsten von Liechtenstein**, the prince's own winery, has vineyards right beside the centre and a shop where you can taste Pinot Noir and other wines grown on the Herawingert slope. Several small family winemakers also sell from their cellars.

Local food is hearty Alpine cooking: **Käsknöpfle**, small dumplings baked with strong local cheese and topped with crispy onions and a side of apple sauce, and **Ribel**, a cornmeal dish once eaten for breakfast. Restaurants range from Swiss style inns to refined dining rooms in hotels above the town.

Things to do

• Walk the Städtle, then follow the castle path for the view.
• Collect a souvenir passport stamp at the Liechtenstein Center.
• Cycle or stroll the **Rhine dam path**, flat and traffic free, north to Schaan or south to Balzers.
• Hike to the **Wildschloss** ruin above the town, a quiet forest walk.
• Cross the old wooden **Rhine bridge** to Sevelen in Switzerland on foot.

Events

The national holiday on **15 August** brings speeches, a public reception at the castle, music and fireworks over the town. Summer brings open air cinema and concerts, and in winter a Christmas market and an ice rink, **Vaduz on Ice**, fill the Städtle.

Where to stay

Vaduz has a small choice of hotels, from simple guesthouses to upmarket hotels on the slopes with views over the valley. Rooms can fill quickly during conferences and events, so book early. Triesen and Schaan are close by on the bus if Vaduz is full, and Swiss towns such as Buchs and Sargans offer more choice just across the Rhine.

Getting there and around

From Zurich, take a train to Sargans or Buchs, then a LIEmobil bus into Vaduz. From Austria, buses run from Feldkirch. Within Vaduz you can walk almost everywhere, and buses connect it to every other village in the country. Plan the whole day with our places to visit list or the free trip planner.