Excursions

These twin gorges are two of the largest in Central Europe and have been slowly carved out of the rugged limestone by the flowing waters of the River Dornbirner Ach over hundreds of thousands of years. Today a series of adventurous walkways lead through these wonders of nature, passing extraordinary rock formations. These safe and well-signed walking trails are an ideal excursion destination for World Gymnaestrada participants.

www.rappenloch.at

Image: © Dornbirn Tourismus

The KUB, a building with an unmistakeable architecture for exhibitions of international contemporary art, opened in 1997.

www.kunsthaus-bregenz.at

Image: © Matthias Weissengruber | Kunsthaus Bregenz

Get to know the world’s largest stage on a lake. In 2019, Giuseppe Verdi’s opera »Rigoletto« is on the programme and with the romantic setting of the sun on the lake, this will surely enchant the spectators. The Bregenz Festival is only a five minute walk from the Casino Stadium where the Large Group Performances will be held.

www.festspielhausbregenz.at

Image: © Karl Forster | Bregenzer Festspiele

The Jewish Museum documents the history of Jews who lived in Hohenems, their religious and daily life in a mainly Catholic region.

www.jm-hohenems.at

Image: © Dietmar Walser | Juedisches Museum Hohenems

The Cheese house that opened in May 2001 is the place where you can experience shopping and local cuisine at the same time. It is a very interesting and eventful way from milk to the »birth of a cheese«, when the cheese-maker lifts the cheese in the cloth out of the cheese vat. You will enjoy the delicious flavour of these famous Alpine and mountain cheeses even more once you have seen how they are made.

For groups from 20 to 55 persons

www.kaesehaus.at

Image: © Das Bregenzerwälder Käsehaus Spezialitäten GmbH

Home in the mountainous region and always keeping the tradition in view. We are happy to welcome you in our mountain distillery, built in 1886, in the rear Bregenzerwald. Take a look over the shoulder of our master distiller in his daily work and see how the fragrant mountain herbs give rise to noble spirits, fine liqueurs and spicy herbal specialties. Be advised in the adjacent "Lädele" in detail about the natural specialties of the mountain distillery and taste whatever you like.

www.bergbrennerei-loewen.at

Explore the capital of Liechtenstein. The city train takes you on a ride through Vaduz. You will see the most important sights. After that you will learn more about the 300 year old history of the Principality of Liechtenstein at the Liechtenstein National Museum.

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Enjoy the bustling life of Liechtensteins capital Vaduz and the beautiful mountainscape the alpine village Malbun. Explore the capital of Liechtenstein. The city train takes you on a ride through Vaduz. After that you will learn more about the 300 year old history of the Principality at the Liechtenstein National Museum. At the mountain village of Malbun you will take the chairlift up to the mountain hut Sareis where you’ll have a breath taking view to the alps. After a walk to the village of Malbun you will take part at famous birds of prey show.

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The Silvretta Hochalpen Strasse (Silvretta High Alpine road) – is not just world famous because of its numerous breathtaking curves: It is one of the destinations of this most varied and interesting bus journey that takes us almost through the whole Province of Vorarlberg. But first the journey leads us via Feldkirch and Bludenz to Schruns in the Montafon Valley, where in 1925 and 1926 the famous American writer and Nobel Prize winner Ernest Hemingway enjoyed his ski holidays with his friends. Schruns is also the place, where he wrote »Fiesta«, his first successful novel. Only a few kilometres to the south lies Partenen – and here the famous Hochalpenstraße begins, only 18 kilometres long we »climb« up in our bus an incredible 1,000 metres to the final altitude of 2,000 metres to the so called »Bielerhöhe« with its magnificent view of the major peaks and glaciers of the Silvretta mountain range – and here you can see Vorarlberg’s highest mountain the Piz Buin. (3,312 m).

The Silvretta is an extraordinary mountain range – it has in fact two faces. The larger part of the massif is on the Swiss side. But for mountaineers and tourists the Austrian part is the more popular and well-known. The highest peak of the Silvretta is Piz Linard, which is also in Switzerland and can only be climbed from there. From the mountaineers point of view the Austrian part with its very large glaciers is much more attractive and most of the Alpine huts providing catering and accommodation are also on the Austrian side. Some parts of the Swiss side seem to be very far away and difficult to reach.

It’s difficult to believe but it is true: On the Silvretta reservoir there is a motor boat and you can enjoy a boat trip at an altitude of 2,000 metres and that is an absolute record in Europe. If you wish you can book a round-trip on the boat (optional) – and from this lake the view of the peaks surrounding the lake is even more impressive.

The journey afterwards down through the Tyrolean Paznaun valley is as beautiful as the journey up to the Vorarlberg mountains. The Paznaun valley became tragically famous a few years ago because of the many massive snow avalanches – but today there is nothing to remind us of this natural disaster: the beautiful villages of Galtür and Ischgl are flourishing as never before. The return journey is over the Arlberg Pass, one of the most important alpine passes which have been used by the Romans and many crowned heads of state to go from east to west and from west to east.

Prices
Full-day bus reservation: € 850,–
Silvretta road toll: € 4,– (p.p.)

Image: © Achim Mende | Silvretta-Hochalpenstraße

Wattens is a small town in Tyrol, where the world-famous crystal-glass manufacturer Swarovski and the unique Crystal Worlds are situated. To mark the 100th ­anniversary of the founding of the Austrian Swarovski Crystal Company in 1995, the famous Austrian artist ­André Heller was commissioned to design a virtual museum around the theme crystal at the company headquarters in Wattens. Together with renown artistes like Brian Eno, Susanne Schmögner, Paul Seide and others, André Heller created a kaleidoscope of magic with nine inspirational chambers of wonder inside an artificially built water-spouting giant. Since then the Swarovski Crystal Worlds has become one of the biggest attractions in Austria and with approximately 500,000 visitors per year it is now the number two museum after the Schönbrunn Palace in Vienna. This outstanding success led to the creation of another seven Chambers of Wonders in 2003. We return­ to Vorarlberg via Inntal, Landeck and Klostertal.

Prices
Full-day bus reservation: € 1,200,–
+ entrance fee: € 17,– (p. p.)

Image: © Swarovski Kristallwelten

The Zeppelin Museum in Friedrichshafen has the world’s greatest collection of objects concerning the history and technology of airships, from its beginning up to the new Zeppelin NT. The museum’s main attraction is the reconstruction of a 33 metre long section of the LZ 129 Hindenburg where visitors can actually walk through.

Prices
Bus reservation to max. six hours: € 595,–
Full-day bus reservation: € 800,–
+ entrance fee: € 8,– (p. p.)

Image: © Michael Fischer | Zeppelin Museum

King Ludwig II – he was a great romantic but also an important and committed reviver who was always misjudged during his lifetime. Only in the last few years historians have become aware of the true significance of this monarch. Like no other monarch he was filled with ambition and did not hesitate to put the bulk of his private wealth towards the building of Königsschlösser in Füssen, which are now world famous.

The journey itself from Vorarlberg via the German Quer­alpenstraße (a well-known alpine road), past Oberstaufen, a famous spa, along the big Alpine lake, the Alpsee to Immenstadt, Wertach, Nesselwang and Pfronten, it’s a wonderful and romantic experience. After a bus journey of about two hours we arrive in Füssen at the foot of the King’s palace »Neuschwanstein«, which attracts millions of people from all over the world each year.

According to a letter to Richard Wagner dated 15th May 1868, King Ludwig II wanted to have the castle ruins »Vorderhohenschwangau«, rebuilt »in the true style of the ancient German knight’s castle«. Ludwig II was motivated to build this castle by early plans of his father and especially after his journey in 1867 to Eisenach where he visited the Wartburg together with his brother Otto I, King of Bavaria. The Knights’ Baths and the Minstrels Hall of the Wartburg were used as leitmotifs. It was not only the architecture and art of the German Middle Ages that inspired Ludwig II, but also the Moorish culture that had developed in Spain as well Richard Wagner’s world of old German sagas. The architect Eduard Riedel also had to process ideas based on stage sets designed by the Munich scene painter Christian Jank.

The huge building site »fed« a whole region for two decades: Virtually every day at least 200 masons, bricklayers and other labourers and craftsmen worked on the site – this figure does not include all the suppliers, shops, etc. Official statistics of the years 1879/1880 prove that an enormous amount of building material was used: 465 tons of Salzburg marble, 1,550 tons of sandstone, 400,000 bricks and 2,050 cubic metres of timber for the scaffolding.

The Neuschwanstein castle can only be visited by participating in a guided tour (languages German or English) – it takes about 35 minutes (165 steps up and 181 steps down). In addition to that you can also visit the castle using an Audio-Guide. This also takes 35 minutes and the languages available are Japanese, French, Spanish, Italian, Czech, Slovenian , Russian, Polish, Chinese, Portuguese and Hungarian.

After a lunch in Füssen we travel back to Vorarlberg via Kempten, Isny and Lindau.

Prices
Full-day bus reservation: € 995,–
+ entrance fee: € 12,90 (p. p.)

Image: © Thomas Wolf

The largest waterfall in Europe, offers a spectacular natural showpiece to visitors and is worth a visit at all times of the year. You can combine watching the Rhine falls with a boat trip or you can observe this attraction from a footpath which goes around. The Rhine Falls in Schaffhausen is open all year around and there is no admission fee.

Prices
Full-day bus reservation: € 950,–

Image: © Rheinfall

Travel through the majestic high Swiss Alps from Chur to Zermatt in the slowest »express« train. The train will take you in an unhurried fashion from highlight to highlight with a splendid view of crystal clear mountain lakes and majestic glaciers to Zermatt, where you can admire the incredible Matterhorn mountain (4,478 m) with your own eyes, after a journey of almost six hours. Travelling over the Oberalpaß 2,033 m and 291 bridges. Enjoy a night in Zermatt and return the following day to Chur (good choice of over-night stays in Zermatt).

Prices
Journey to Chur and return:€ 850,–
+ ticket from: € 188,– (p. p.)

Image: © glacierexpress.ch

Enjoy the unforgettable experience of a steamboat trip on Lake Constance in the classic style of the 1900s. This package includes lunch, adventure and gourmet trips with live music. Enjoy the idyllic scenery of Lake Constance and the fabulous ambience on the ship.

Prices
Bus reservation to max. four hours: € 450,–
+ boat rent

Image: © Petra Rainer | Bodensee-Vorarlberg Tourismus GmbH