Liechtenstein is a small sovereign country nestled between Switzerland and Austria in the heart of the European Alps. The excellent transportation networks of its larger neighbors ensure that Liechtenstein and its capital Vaduz can be reached easily on both public and private transportation.
Currency and Customs in Liechtenstein
Liechtenstein has been in a customs union with Switzerland since 1924. As a result, the Swiss Franc (CHF) is the official currency and no border controls exist with Switzerland. Once Switzerland joins the Schengen Agreement (expected during 2008), there will be no further (Swiss) border controls with Austria either.
- The Swiss Franc (CHF) and US dollar (USD) are currently on par, i.e. CHF1 = $1. One Swiss Franc is 65 European cent.
As Liechtenstein has no immigration controls, travelers can only get an official Liechtenstein stamp in passports by visiting any local Liechtenstein tourist information office. Liechtenstein’s investment in this souvenir service was absolutely brilliant. Annually more than 40,000 visitors fork over CHF3 each for such stamps – returns on investment seldom come higher.
Traveling to Liechtenstein by Road
Liechtenstein can be reached by road via fast highways in Switzerland and Austria – note that both countries require a valid highway vignette to use autobahns.
Driving times from major nearby cities are as follows:
- Bregenz / Lindau – 30 minutes
- St Gallen – 45 minutes
- Zurich (Zürich) – an hour
- Innsbruck – 2.5 hours
- Munich (München) – 3 hours
- Milan – 3 hours
Flying to Liechtenstein
There are no cheap flights to Liechtenstein and only partly because the principality has no airport. The closest airport is at St Gallen-Altenrhein (ACH) with four daily scheduled flights to Vienna (and charter flights especially in winter). More realistic options are Bodensee Airport-Friedrichshafen (FDH) in Germany or Zurich International (ZRH) in Switzerland.
Traveling by Train to Liechtenstein
Rail travel to Liechtenstein is via the excellent Swiss and Austrian railway networks. Liechtenstein has only a small railway line – without a stop in Vaduz itself.
- When searching for train times and tickets use Feldkirch in Austria or Buchs SG and Sargans in Switzerland as destinations – Liechtenstein’s excellent bus service takes over from these towns.
Regular direct trains are available from Feldkirch to Bregenz (26 or 45 minutes), Lindau (54 minutes), and Innsbruck (2 hours). Direct trains are also available to Vienna, Graz, Stuttgart, Heidelberg, Mainz, Bonn, Cologne (Köln), Düsseldorf, Münster, and Dortmund.
From Buchs SG and Sargans direct trains are available to Chur (30 minutes), St Gallen (50 minutes), Zurich (1h10), and Basel (2h40).
Transportation in Liechtenstein
Despite the country’s small population of only 35,000 it sports an excellent public bus service with an extensive network and pleasantly low prices. More than a third of the citizens have an annual bus pass (it is only CHF160) while around a third of the population uses the bus each day. On major national vacation days up to 35,000 people use the bus.
The yellow, low-emission buses of the Liechtenstein Bus Anstalt (LBA) literally goes everywhere a tourist would want to go including Feldkirch, Sarganz, and Buchs to connect with trains in Austria and Switzerland. Ticket prices start at CHF 2 while the day ticket at CHF 7 is excellent value for money. Even cheaper are week tickets at CHF 18 and month tickets at CHF 40.
Liechtenstein has a minor railway line connection Buchs in Switzerland with Feldkirch in Austria via a loop through Liechtenstein. The capital Vaduz is not directly on this link – use the stop Schaan-Vaduz. The bus system is generally much more convenient.
- Car hire should be low on the priority list but Avis, Europcar, and Sixt have car rental offices in different towns in Liechtenstein.
Once in Liechtenstein, visitors will find the country small – which is one of the major attractions – but with many sights worth exploring.
Henk Bekker - Henk Bekker is a freelance travel writer currently living on the shores of Lake Geneva in Switzerland.
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