If you’re all about hiking, mountain biking, or simply looking at cool architecture; you’re going to love what Vorarlberg has to offer as a summer destination. Located at the westernmost point of Austria, the region of Vorarlberg borders the countries of Germany, Switzerland, and Liechtenstein. It also shares a border with the Austrian state of Tirol.
Vorarlberg has a very different vibe to other parts of Austria. For example, Vorarlberg is unique in that it’s the only state in Austria where the dialect is not German; with locals instead opting to use an Alemannic dialect. Vorarlberg is Austria’s second smallest region by size, but what it lacks in square kilometre quantity it more than makes up for with the sheer amount of adventure on offer here.
Why Go?
Right, first and foremost. Vorarlberg is almost completely mountainous. Why is this a good reason to go? Well, we love mountains. You love mountains. Everyone loves mountains. Mountains are fun. Mountains are awesome. Mountains. Mountains. Mountains. More nice mountains here than you’ll know what to do with. Mountains. Fans of epic scenery and getting active in the upper echelons of big Alpine hills will lap up every second of their time spent in this beautiful Austrian region. Oh, and we’d be remiss if we failed to mention the brilliant and beautifully blue Bodensee (aka Lake Constance).
Whether you’re hitting Lech Zürs am Arlberg, Brandnertal, Bregenzerwald or some other nice corner of Vorarlberg; this rad little pocket of the world is bound to steal your heart with its jaw-dropping nature and postcard-perfect layout.
Take the tucked away magnificence of the Kesselfall waterfall near Brandnertal, for example. It’s hidden in the woods like some sort of HQ for Robin Hood and is so pretty, when you find it, that you’ll end up pinching yourself just to make sure you haven’t drifted off into a Disney Pixar style dreamworld.
“There’s trails aplenty here for beginner, expert, and advanced mountain bikers…”
If looking at idyllic waterfalls sounds a bit too much like peace and quiet for you’re liking, you could always head to the Bikepark Brandnertal and really get your gnar on. There’s trails aplenty here for beginner, expert, and advanced mountain bikers and a wealthy reserve of adrenaline-injecting turns, jumps, and wooden wallrides primed and ready to be tapped.
Alternatively, why not check out the eye-popping bus stops on show in village Krumbach in the Bregenzerwald? Yes, we said bus stops. Bus. Stops. It’ll sound like a weird thing to get excited about but these bus stops are like no other bus stop you’ve seen before. Trust us. Designed by some world class architects from across the globe, including countries as far away as Japan, China, and Chile, these small artistic masterpieces will get you hyped on bus stops to an extent you didn’t think was possible. Our personal favourite is the bizarre Bränden bus stop by Sou Fujimoto.
Visitors to Bregenzerwald, and Vorarlberg in general, should make walking around the Baumgarten Panorama Trail an essential part of their travel itinerary. On a clear day up here, you can see for miles.
