If you find yourself in Switzerland in a day or so, you will be happy to know that you can kill two birds, visiting a new country and leaving Zurich for the day, with one stone: the small sovereign state of Liechtenstein.
That said, while the country of Liechtenstein is less than an hour’s drive from Switzerland’s largest city, meaning it has the potential to be one of the highlights of a trip to Switzerland, reality could not living up to your expectations unless you calibrate them correctly. Liechtenstein is far from interesting, but certainly strange.
Things to do in Liechtenstein
Considering the size of Liechtenstein (less than 62 square miles), the 10-minute drive to Vaduz Castle is very long, not to mention the additional 10 minutes it takes to walk to the castle from the parking area. In fact, 20 minutes is not a lot of time to spend, but it is a lot of time to waste – make sure you schedule your visit correctly, or you may not be able to enter Vaduz Castle.
Seeing sights in the rest of the city / state / country exposes you to similar opportunities for disappointment, from a tourist perspective anyway, with little more to offer than a small collection of museums (including the Liechtenstein National Museum and the Liechtenstein Museum of Modern Art among a few others), a church, and a pedestrian street where certain cars seem to drive as they please, be careful.
As for nature, there is not much in the small territory of the country of Liechtenstein that is not populated, although the view from Vaduz Castle is quite picturesque. If you have mountaineering gear (or more importantly skills), you could technically climb some of the peaks that rise behind Vaduz city center, although the alpine scenery and activities within Switzerland are superior no matter the way I look at it.
Why does Liechtenstein exist, anyway?
Being in Liechtenstein can be disappointing or even boring, but the country seems a little more interesting (or at least strange) when you understand a few things.
On the one hand, it is not strange that there is no political boundary between Switzerland and Liechtenstein, both are part of the Schengen Area without a passport, which has existed on the European continent for as long as I have been traveling. However, there is no obvious geographical boundary, which together with the easy-to-miss road sign announcing your arrival in the country of Liechtenstein, makes you question the need for your own existence.
The answer, or at least one of them, seems ironic when you consider Switzerland’s reputation as a tax haven for the rich. Tax rates are even lower in Liechtenstein, while the income is higher and the public services are more extensive and more expensive. “You could say,” Swiss businessmen avoiding tax have been known to say to each other in hushed conversation, “it’s Switzerland for the Swiss.”
In addition, there are historical reasons for Liechtenstein’s existence, although the weight of history could escape you as you try to drive away sleep during your walk through the city center of Vaduz. Perhaps dreaming of stays in other small European countries, such as San Marino, Andorra or Vatican City?
How to get to Liechtenstein
Disclaimer: There are dozens of other (better) day trips to do if you find yourself in Zurich with nothing else to do, from the medieval citadel in Baden, Aargau, to the majestic Rheinfall waterfall, to the picturesque city of Lucerne, located in the foothills of the Alps, a city that is dynamic and beautiful at the same time.
If you still want to go to Liechtenstein, hey, it’s another country to add to your list, it’s pretty simple. The easiest way to go is by car: it is about an hour from Zurich via the A3; You can also get there from Munich or from various cities in western Austria, although it is definitely not worth going that far out of your way. Alternatively, take a train from Zurich Hauptbahnhof to the towns of Buchs or Sargans, and connect from there by bus.
(If you have to try harder to visit Liechtenstein, it’s probably not worth it.)
