Liechtenstein – The Micro Country with Mighty Big Views

Looking for somewhere close to travel by car, but also somewhere that neither of us had been to, my boyfriend and I decided to visit the micro Country of Liechtenstein. As the currency in Liechtenstein is the Swiss Franks, we opted to stay in the nearby town of Feldkirch, Austria. This meant that accommodation and restaurant prices were a lot cheaper and it was only a 25 minute drive to Liechtenstein's capital city, Vaduz.

Day 1 - A Quick stop in Vaduz and then Hiking in Malbun

Waking up to a beautiful blue sky, we had our buffet breakfast at the hotel (is it just me, or does everyone over eat at buffets, like seriously, why do I feel like I need all 3 of my daily meals in one sitting?), and then set off to Liechtenstein. After just 10 minutes in the car, we drove smoothly through the unpatrolled Austrian/Liechtenstein boarder. The countryside was very pretty and as we drove through the very small capital city of Vaduz, we were met with the Rhine River to our right and then the Vaduz Castle high on a hilltop to our left.

We stopped in Vaduz to walk along the Alte Rheinbrücke, a wooden bridge that passes over the Rhine from Liechtenstein to Switzerland. I wanted to go here because, in the middle of the bridge you can stand each of your feet in a different country. Or, as I did, jump from on country to the other! After a short walk along the 135m bridge and taking some great snaps of the Rhine, we then set off again.

As we drove up the hillside, we passed the Vaduz castle. A few 100m further up is a parking spot, where we took the opportunity to park and then walk back down to check out the castle. The castle, built in the 12th century, is the offical residence of the Prince of Liechtenstein, so you are not able to go inside. From the opposite side of the road, you can however, get great photos of the castle with the stunning snow capped mountains as your backdrop.

Leaving Vaduz behind us, we quickly learnt not to follow the instructions of our GPS after being led up a steep winding road to a small village where they where in the middle of road works and no way around! Going back the way we came, we then just followed the road signs to Malbun, one of Liechtenstein's ski resort villages.

As it is October and not much snow around we decided to take advantage of the beautiful sunny day Mother Nature had given us and hike one of the trails at Malbun. This little village is really sweet and there are plenty of hikes to be done here. We chose the 'Fürstin Gina Weg', we had looked it up prior and it seemed achievable. We would walk up one side of the mountain and down the other, should only take about 6 hours.

The beginning of the hike is a steady incline, on a wide track and many others were also making their way up this path. Once we got up this part we were rewarded with stunning 360 degree views. Were we took advantage of the park bench and ate some snacks, rehydrated and took in the view.

We then ventured on and after about 2.5 hours, the path started to get narrower and for me, a bit nerve racking. The amount of people on this part of the hike also became sparse. After navigating our way around a big boulder on a narrow, snow covered pathway, we found somewhere safe to stop and let a group pass us by. From here we couldn't really see where the path went, did it start going down after that next peak or did we have to go up to the summit which had a decent layer of snow? We decided to watch the group that had passed us and as they appeared again after the peak, they then proceeded to climb (they were definitely using their hands and feet!) up the thick snow covered steep mountain side...I looked at my boyfriend and he obviously saw the look on my face and said, 'how about we go back the way we came'?

He didn't have to ask me twice, I was already making my way back around the terrifying boulder! Once on a wider path again, we stopped and got some great snaps. The view, paired with the wonderful weather was just gorgeous.

For this trip, I had splurged and bought myself a pair of Timberlands because they are waterproof and good for keeping your feet warm. I obviously hadn't worn them in enough and my feet were aching about 10 mins into our 5 hour return hike. But, I sucked it up and kept going...until we started to make our way down. I think my toes had blisters and the decline was pushing my feet up against the top of the shoes. It hurt so much and I have to admit, I complained quite a lot.

Then I thought I came up with a clever idea! Next to the path was a cement gutter with long flat steps. I decided that this might be easier on my feet then them being continuously on a decline. So, I decided to walk in the gutter, it was a bit wet from previous snow melting down it, but overall it was a lot less painful. BUT THEN...I slipped on a bit of the melted snow/mud slush and fell right on my bum! Credit to him, the first thing my boyfriend did, was ask if I was ok. In that kind of situation I usually laugh first and then ask if the person is alright. It did hurt and I scrapped my hand, but the worst part was my pants were soaked, my leggings under my pants were soaked and so were my underwear!!! Yet, I still cracked up laughing!

My 'alternate' route down now ruined, I continued the rest of the way on the normal path, my feet killing me in my death trap Timberlands. Once at the bottom of the hill, we got back in the car and it was a relaxing return trip with my feet out of my shoes and my underwear being dried out with the heated seat. Until that day, I didn't even know heated seats existed! Not a standard extra in cars in Australia.

We returned to our hotel in Feldkirch, were we had stayed the previous night, Hotel-Gasthof Löwen. The room we were in was quite large and had a very comfortable bed. The bathroom was neat and tidy and the water in the shower was lovely and hot! The Hotel itself gave off a real ski chalet vibe, with a bar downstairs and even a games room with miniature bowling alley in the basement. Parking is free but limited, however, we were fortunate to get the last parking spot each time we returned. All in all a nice little place to stay when visiting Liechtenstein. We even drove into the town center on our first night, it is quaint and worth a look around if you are overnighting there.

Day 2 - Vaduz - A micro Capital for a Micro Country

Today we decided we should head back into Vaduz and check out the center of town before making our way back to Munich. As it was a Sunday, most things were closed and apart for a bus load of tourists, we seemed to be the only people out and about. After a nice short stroll around the main shopping street, we visited the St Florin Cathedral and then to the Postal Museum.

So, if you didn't get it from the name, a postal museum is a museum about the postal history of Liechtenstein. Sounds boring, but I was surprise by how much history can be covered by stamps! Opened since 1930, the Liechtenstein Postal Museum has stamps dating back to 1912. Covering the World Wars, the first moon landing, different Olympic games, royal weddings and much more. It is only a tiny museum, but it is free and who knows, you might be just as surprised with its contents as I was. Plus, I was able to buy a cool pack of stamps for my 'adopted' Grandma who is an avid stamp collector. She was stoked and they were the first stamps she had from Liechtenstein, and she has a massive stamp collection.

Satisfied with our wonder around this tiny capital city, we hit the road and headed back to Munich. It look us about 4 hours to drive back due to traffic, but it was still a lovely drive as the weather stayed beautiful and sunny the whole way.

Would I recommend going to this Micro Country?

All in all, Liechtenstein is a very picturesque country. It is, however, very similar to the Austrian and Switzerland countryside and alps. So if you only have time to visit the Alps in one country, give it a miss.

I would however recommend, if you are travelling in Europe and have time, doing a day trip to Vaduz and Malbun. Just so you can add this micro country to your 'countries visited' list or scratch it off your scratch map, if you can find it! You can easily do both Vaduz and Malbun in one day, granted you don't hike for hours in Malbun and that you wear comfortable footwear.