Liechtenstein

Vaduz — a capital city of 5,800 people (the smallest capital in Europe by population after Vatican City and San Marino) — has the Vaduz Castle (the residence of the Prince of Liechtenstein, perched above the Rhine Valley on a steep forested hillside, not open to the public except on the national holiday 15 August), the Kunstmuseum Liechtenstein (a contemporary art museum with one of the finest private collections in Europe — the Princely Collections include Rubens, Rembrandt and van Dyck).

💡 The Princely Collections of Liechtenstein — assembled by the Princes of Liechtenstein from the 17th century onward — are one of the largest and finest private art collections in the world. Stored partly in the Vienna Palais Liechtenstein and partly in Vaduz, they include 1,700+ paintings, 560+ sculptures, several Old Master masterpieces, and an armoury of 2,500 objects. They are privately owned and rotate in public exhibition.

The National Museum of Liechtenstein (the history of the tiny principality — Liechtenstein was the last country in Western Europe to give women the vote, in 1984 — and the natural history of the Rhine Valley), the Tourist Office passport stamp (the only place in the world where you can have your passport stamped as a souvenir without entering or leaving a country — a unique Liechtenstein tradition, CHF 3) and the Rhine cycle and walking path.

💡 Liechtenstein introduced women’s suffrage in a 1984 referendum — the last Western European country to do so. Women had been granted the right to vote in local elections in some municipalities earlier; the national vote passed with 51.3% support. The 1971 Swiss vote on women’s suffrage had passed with 65% support — the first in Europe to hold such a referendum.

13km from Vaduz. Malbun (1,600m, the only ski resort in Liechtenstein and one of the smallest ski resorts in the Alps) — 23km of piste, a ski school with a distinguished history (it trained Prince Charles in the 1960s), and the highest point in Liechtenstein accessible by lift (Sareiserjoch, 2,000m, with views over the Rhine Valley, Austria and Switzerland simultaneously).

💡 Malbun was where Prince Charles (then Prince of Wales) learned to ski in 1961 — his instructor Hans Näscher taught the future King of England at what was then an obscure Alpine village. The connection gave Malbun a brief moment of international attention; it has remained a quiet, family-oriented resort that happens to be an entire country’s only ski area.

A full day walking above Malbun — the Augstenberg peak (2,359m, the highest point in Liechtenstein, 3h return hike from Malbun, with a 360-degree view taking in Switzerland, Austria, Germany and the Rhine Valley below) and the Pfälzerhütte mountain hut (2,108m, open in summer with cheese, soup and schnapps — the highest restaurant in Liechtenstein).

💡 Liechtenstein is one of only two doubly landlocked countries in the world — countries landlocked by countries that are themselves landlocked. The other is Uzbekistan. Liechtenstein is bordered by Switzerland (landlocked) and Austria (landlocked). The principality itself has no lake or sea access, though the Rhine forms its western border.

8km from Vaduz. Balzers — the southernmost municipality of Liechtenstein, with Gutenberg Castle (a 12th-century fortress on a volcanic plug rising from the Rhine plain, one of the best-preserved medieval castles in the Alpine region, privately owned by the Princely family, closed to the public but dramatically visible from the road) and the finest views of the Rhine flood plain between Liechtenstein and Switzerland.

💡 Gutenberg Castle at Balzers has been continuously owned by the Liechtenstein Princely family since 1824 — they have not opened it to the public in 200 years. It is used for ceremonial purposes and private meetings. The volcanic plug on which it stands is a phonolite intrusion through the surrounding sedimentary rock — the same geological feature that creates the dramatic castle hills of Germany’s Rhine Gorge.

Liechtenstein is a surprisingly serious wine producer — the Prince’s estate produces Vaduz wines (Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and Riesling from the steep Rhine Valley slopes) and the Hofkellerei des Fürstentums Liechtenstein is the only winery in the world owned by a reigning prince. The wine trail (Weinlehrpfad) passes through the Vaduz vineyard terrace with views over the Rhine to Switzerland.

💡 The Liechtenstein Hofkellerei produces approximately 25,000 litres of wine per year — almost all consumed within the principality or given as diplomatic gifts by the Prince. The Vaduz Pinot Noir (light, elegant, from steep slate-soil terraces) is the most celebrated variety; it appears on the prince’s dining table and is available at the castle shop. International wine critics who have tried it report it is seriously good.

The Liechtenstein Trail (a 75km marked trail that crosses the entire country from south to north in 5–6 days, opened 2019) — a single day’s section connects Vaduz to Planken (the smallest municipality in Liechtenstein by population, 435 people) through forest and meadow with constant views across the Rhine Valley into Switzerland. Depart from Feldkirch (Austria) or Buchs (Switzerland) by bus or train.

💡 The Liechtenstein Trail opened on the centenary of the principality’s independence from German customs union (1919) — it was designed to cross every one of the country’s 11 municipalities. At 75km total, it can theoretically be run in a single ultra-marathon; the record crossing is under 12 hours.