Liechtenstein is a tiny, land-locked principality nestled in the Alps between Switzerland and Austria. Given its location, it comes as no surprise that it offers visitors breathtaking beauty and charming villages. The principality is a constitutional monarchy, with its royal family playing a significant role in the country’s government and cultural life. Despite its small size, Liechtenstein has a rich cultural heritage, is exceptionally peaceful, is a nature-lovers paradise, and offers a mix of modern and historical architecture.
Spending the day in Liechtenstein
My Swiss grandparents would visit for a day trip and let me tag along as a kid. We would admire the castle, get some coffee and cake, stroll the main drag in town, and maybe visit a museum. I was mostly impressed by the fact that it had a royal family, and they resided there! I used to have a postcard of the royal family that I hung on my wall for many years that would spur my imagination with tales of castles and princesses. So I was excited to see that a recent road trip my family was taking would bring us right by this tiny country that I had thought so much about. And my kids were excited to check off one more “country” from their list.
We decided to start our visit in Vaduz, Liechtenstein’s capital, as that is where the action is. We had no trouble finding parking and while there were some other people around, you can see from the photos that Liechtenstein was a lot less busy than many other places we went. In fact, I don’t think I see anyone else in any of the photos I took!
We made our way through the heart of Vaduz on foot. The country is small, the capital is small, and the Vaduz walking tour only takes about 30 minutes. You pass by the city hall, the Liechtenstein Art Museum, the Liechtenstein National Museum, the Parliament Building, the Rheinberger House, St. Florin Church, and the Princely Graves. Of course, visiting any of these sights will add time to your walk.
Getting aquainted with Liechtenstein royalty
Overlooking the town is Liechtenstein’s landmark, the Vaduz Castle. The castle is closed to visitors except one day a year. On August 15, Liechtenstein’s national Day, the castle gardens are open to the public in celebration. So if you happen to visit that day (lucky you), you will be one of the few tourists to get so close to the castle. Just be sure to get your free ticket in advance. You can always see the castle from the distance, from the town, and from viewpoints (which also offer great views down to the town below). Fortunately, the castle exterior is itself worth a visit.
The name Liechtenstein was first recorded in 1136, and the Vaduz Castle was mentioned as early as 1322. The noble Liechtenstein family first lived here in 1712 until it fell into disrepair due to neighboring wars. Prince Franz Joseph II restored it and returned the family here in 1939. As a principality, Liechtenstein does not have a king. Instead, it is ruled by a prince. The reigning prince is Prince Hans-Adam II (since 1989). He is son of Prince Franz Joseph II. In 2004, Prince Hans-Adam II transferred his day-to-day duties to his own son, Prince Alois. To learn more about how Liechtenstein became an independent state and about the many Princes, consider joining the 1-2 hour City Backstage Tour “Monarchy and Democracy.”
Sometimes it's the little things that stand out
While there are a number of sights to see in Vaduz, I think our kids favorite one was hanging out at the “Summertraeff Vadoz” in front of the city hall. There was lots to explore in this small space and we seemed to have it all to ourselves. Sometimes it is the little things that make the biggest impression. And this wasn’t even on our itinerary!
This landlocked principality had a beach-front oasis, complete with lots of sand and sandboxes for playing. If my kids had been younger, it probably would have been a fight to get them to leave.
Our favorite part was probably the throwback to the waterbeds of the 80’s. These faux-grass covered squares were filled with water. My kids, who had never been on a waterbed before (or even heard of the concept), enjoyed napping on these grass beds and feeling the water with them.
We also found a community strawberry patch and there was a large open area that maintained a beach theme but looked like it served food and drink at events.
The string lights, umbrellas, and shading helped carry the theme across the square. I would love to see my town back home do something like this in the summer in one of our public squares.
Stopping by the cathedral
This Roman-Catholic cathedral of St. Florin (Vaduz Cathedral) is on the walking route and makes for a nice stop. Definitely worth looking inside to see its stained glass windows. And Prince Franz Joseph II and his wife are buried next to the cathedral in the royal family’s burial place. This was one of the few places we wanted to visit on our walk.
We thought we were done, but nope
After getting the kids’ passports stamped at a local shop (costs 3 CHF), having a meal, and a coffee and cake at the local bakery, we had had our fill of sights and food. We continued our journey onward to Switzerland. As we were leaving the area, another castle in Liechtenstein caught my eye from the main road. This was not on our itinerary, but it beckoned us, nonetheless. I turned our van around, to get a closer look!
Gutenberg Castle in Balzers
The photo above shows the front of Gutenberg Castle as you drive towards it.
Here you can see its backside, which is the view as you walk up to it through the vineyard.
I had stumbled upon, Gutenberg Castle in Balzers. We found a parking lot for the castle. It was pretty hot out that day, and the journey was of course uphill. Most of us walked up to see it up close, but two of my girls found a shaded bench overlooking the vineyards and decided to wait there. The rest of us were rewarded for the effort, as the castle did not disappoint.
Exploring the castle
Unfortunately, this is another castle we couldn’t go inside of. But we were the only people there when we visited, so we got to check things out at our own pace. You can explore the inner courtyard for free. The castle chapel and rose garden are open to the public May through October from 10am to 5pm on Sundays. And if you plan your visit in advance, unlike us, you might be able to get a tour. Guided tours are available by appointment and require a minimum 2-week notice.
The views from up here were also awesome. The backside of the castle, where you walk up, looks down over the town’s church below. In general, Liechtenstein offers beautiful countryside and you get these views from every angle of this castle.
One last hoorah before we blink and are no longer in Liechtenstein
This castle was definitely worth the stop. I thought the one hour or so that we spent here, really added a lot to our experience in Liechtenstein. It is not every day your family gets to run around a medieval castle with no one watching. And that is exactly what we could do here. We loved every minute!
