Zurich to Liechtenstein, A Day Tour
While my stay in Switzerland, I planned a day tour from Zurich to Vaduz City which is the capital city of Liechtenstein. Liechtenstein is a German-speaking principality that shares its borders with Austria and Switzerland. Interesting to know that, it is the 6th smallest country in the world and the 4th smallest in Europe. While it has many medieval castles and alpine landscapes. Moreover, It has many small villages that are linked by a network of trails. Despite the effect of its beauty, very less people plan to visit Liechtenstein.
VAduz, The capital of Liechtenstein
Vaduz is its capital which is a cultural and financial center. Undoubtedly, you can see most of its prominent features in its Capital. While Vaduz is the home to Kunstmuseum Liechtenstein, with galleries of modern and contemporary art. So, most of the time To visit Vaduz means to visit Liechtenstein. As it is very near to Zurich, So, I decided to take it a try on a day tour. In the end, I am happy that my try was good enough to explore and see this micro-state on a single-day tour.
How to Get to Vaduz, from Zurich To Liechtenstein?
We can get to the capital city of Liechtenstein from Zurich by bus, train, car, or a combination of these options. The approximate distance from Zurich to Vaduz is 109km. Apart from going by car, the people do this trip on two legs.
Zurich to Sargans, On the Way To Liechtenstein
Generally, from Zurich Hauptbahnhof, people take a train to Sargans. It takes just I hour and 10 minutes to reach there. Sargans is a border town in Switzerland near Liechtenstein. One way fare is 33CHf. However, it is free on the Swiss Travel Pass.
Sargans to Vaduz, Liechtenstein
From Sargans Bahnhof, we can take the LIEMobil Bus No. 11 or 12E (Green bus) towards Vaduz, the capital of Liechtenstein. It will take around 30 minutes & the journey is very scenic. The one-way ticket costs 8€. You can get the ticket on the bus too. For a safer side, you have to check the timetable or ticket for your return journey from Vaduz to Sargans. For a return trip, it is worth buying a day ticket, which is always cheaper than two single trips. While the price of a day pass is 12€. Whereas you can take as many rides on this day pass for the period of 24 hours on this route.
As an alternative, you can check a Blabla car option which might be a convenient as well as a cheap option of travel to Liechtenstein from Zurich.
How to Get Around Vaduz, Liechtenstein?
Vaduz is a small city and pretty walkable. However, we can use bicycles on the flat western side of the country and especially towards the Rhine River. Moreover, you can take a LIEMobil Bus ride to go to the outskirts of Vaduz and other areas of Liechtenstein.
Where to Stay in Vaduz, Liechtenstein?
For Backpackers, there are very few options to stay in Vaduz. In my initial plan, I want to stay a night in Vaduz. For that purpose, I marked the Schaan-Vaduz Youth Hostel which has a very good review score. However, I changed my plan then and decided to explore Vaduz on a day trip from Zurich to Liechtenstein. In the mid-range, I also saw a hotel right in the Vaduz City Center. That was Hotel Vaduzerhof which was just near the starting point of the hike to Vaduz castle.
How to Explore Liechtenstein on a Day Tour from Zurich?
Hike to Vaduz Castle Liechtenstein
Early in the morning, I reached the city center of Vaduz. At that time the city was still sleeping. So, by considering this extra time as a bonus, I fine-tune my plan and decided to do the hike to Vaduz Castle. I went through the Vaduz City Center and from town hall took a right turn. Soon after I saw an orange sign and an upward series of steps for Vaduz castle. Then you can continue these signs to reach beside the castle. On the way, you can find many informative signposts that depict the history and other information regarding Liechtenstein.
Schloss or Vaduz Castle is the official residence of the Royal Family and they still live there. So, you can visit the outside of the castle only. You can hike from the city center to the Vaduz castle for beautiful scenes. the Vaduz Castle in Liechtenstein is one of the most visited attractions in the country that was built in the 12th century AD. On the way to Vaduz castle, there are many Viewpoints that offer spectacular views of the capital. The higher you go, the more beautiful the scenes become. From the city center, we can reach the castle in 30 minutes. Conclusively, it is the best activity on my visit to Liechtenstein.
Vaduz City Center
After completing the scenic hike to Vaduz Castle, I came to the city center. My next plan was to visit the city center before the tourist rush. The main attractions of Vaduz are concentrated in the city center in one line. We can visit all these attractions within a couple of hours. Although the walk from one end to the other lasts for 15 minutes. However, the time will extend to your choice when you take an inside visit to a museum. In addition, you can see some tourists & street performers roaming around in this area, especially in the evening. It is the same place where you can get the best options for food. Although, I reached there early in the morning. However, many restaurants and cafes were serving their customers to get their breakfast from them.
Kunstmuseum Liechtenstein
There are certain museums in the city center of Liechtenstein. These include Kunstmuseum Liechtenstein, Lichtenstein National Museum, Post Museum, and a few more. Kunstmuseum is the name of the most famous museum in Liechtenstein. It is one of the prominent buildings in the city center of Vaduz. Kunstmuseum Liechtenstein is a 19th-century building and an impressive black-colored art gallery. While it has a huge collection of artifacts from the personal collection of Liechtenstein’s Royal Family. National Museum is a seemingly large place with exhibits on the history, culture, and landscape of the country. There is an entrance fee of 15CHF to visit the Kunstmuseum. While admission to Kunstmuseum Liechtenstein with Hilti Art Foundation is free every Wednesday. Furthermore, participation in public events is also free of charge on Wednesdays.
Get Your Passport Stamp from Liechtenstein Center
After passing by Kunstmuseum and Vaduz Town hall we were headed to the Parliament building of Liechtenstein. However, on the way and beside the Post Museum, there is a must-stop place of Liechtenstein Tourist Center or simply the Liechtenstein Center. Here we stopped to get our passports stamped by Liechtenstein stamp. It is always a good experience to get your passport stamped for a new country. Liechtenstein is a sovereign country but there is no direct way to get a stamp on your passport directly. So, we can head to their tourist information center in Vaduz & get an official stamp of entry for a nominal fee of CHF 4. When I reached to Tourist center than a couple of groups already arrived there So, I have to wait a bit to get my turn for the stamp.
Parliament Building Liechtenstein
This principality building is situated on the main square and is an iconic building in Vaduz city. The building has housed Liechtenstein’s parliament and various government offices. It is a good place to take a picture in front of the Landtag.
The Cathedral of St. Florin Liechtenstein
The Cathedral of St. Florin is an iconic building of Vaduz and one of the best cathedrals in Liechtenstein. Moreover, this Roman Catholic, neo-Gothic cathedral is best known for its stained glass windows and stunning steeple. The cathedral is a beautiful, quiet, and special stop on any Vaduz sightseeing tour. You can start or end your Vaduz tour of this cathedral. While my visit to this cathedral, there was a service time and many people were there to attend religious services.
Old Rhine Bridge, A border Line Between Switzerland to Liechtenstein
Old Rhine Bridge also known as Alte Rheinbrücke is a rustic wooden bridge over the Rhine River that connects Switzerland with Liechtenstein. It is a bit outside the city center on the southern side of Vaduz. Moreover, it took me around 15 minutes to reach there from the city center. It will be a great pleasure to take a picture right at the center of this bridge. Where you can literally be in between the Swiss-Liechenstien borderline. The emerald water of the Rhine River also makes a pleasant impact on us. On the bridge, we saw many cyclists and horse riders that were crossing over it to go on either side.
Gutenberg Palace, A stop from Zurich to Liechtenstein
On our way back to Sargans we can visit this castle. It is about 10km away from Vaduz city on the way to Sargans. It is on our route to Sargans on Bus 11. Likewise the Vaduz Castle, the Gutenberg Castle is also a well-preserved castle in Liechtenstein. The castle houses a museum, two chapels, and a beautiful rose garden.
Is it Worthwhile to Visit Liechtenstein from Zurich?
Definitely, it is worthwhile to visit Liechtenstein from Zurich which is a nearby famous city in Switzerland. While you are already in a close place, why not spend a day visiting another country that needs only a day from your timeframe.
