Sights in Vorarlberg
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Bodensee
Everybody who arrives in Bregenz is bewitched by the Bodensee, Europe's third largest lake, straddling Austria, Switzerland and Germany. In summer, the lake attracts cycling enthusiasts to the beautiful and blissfully flat trails lining its banks. Other activities on the lake include sailing and diving at Lochau, and swimming. For those that would prefer to kick back and enjoy the view, there are numerous boat companies that ferry passengers across the lake from April to mid-October.
ÖBB-Bodenseeschifffahrt Bregenz (428 68) should be your first port of call for information on timetables and prices.
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Montafon
Silent and unspoilt, the Montafon was apparently Hemingway’s favourite valley and is still a fine spot for a wee adventure. Running south from Bludenz, the vale is quilted green in summer, blanketed white in winter and silhouetted by the glaciated Silvretta range year-round. All that natural splendour doesn’t go to waste: freestyle skiers and families seeking uncrowded pistes and a low-key vibe flock here, as do hikers spellbound by the craggy summits.
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Inatura
Dornbirn’s biggest draw, though, are the creepy-crawlies at Inatura. This hands-on museum is a great place for kids, who can pet (stuffed) foxes and handle (real) spiders, peer into bee and hornet nests, ogle at snakes and fish from behind glass and generally interact with nature. There’s also a climbing wall and 3-D cinema.
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Jüdisches Museum Hohenems
Jüdisches Museum Hohenemsis housed in the Rosenthal villa. The Rosenthals built up a considerable textile business in the town, and part of their wealth – especially gorgeous period furniture – is on show, alongside photos, documents and religious artefacts from the long-defunct Jewish community.
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Vorarlberger Landesmuseum
This museum delves into the region’s history, art and architecture with curiosities from Stone Age artefacts to a model Roman fort and an intricately carved Tragorgel (portable organ). The top floor showcases a superb collection of works by Swiss-born neoclassical artist Angelika Kauffmann (1741–1807).
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Kunsthaus
With its soaring glass-and-steel exterior and concrete interior, this is a cube that would inspire Picasso to paint. Its cutting edge design is supposed to look like a lamp (use your imagination!). Flooded with natural light, the inside is stark, open-plan and perfect for rotating exhibitions of contemporary art.
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Festspielhaus
The lakefront Festspielhaus is the must-see monolith. Blending concrete, tinted glass and clean lines, the striking edifice proves that creativity also comes in boxes. Jutting out onto the lake, the semi-circular Seebühne is where festival performances take place.
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Rheindelta
The Rheindelta is where the River Rhine flows into the Bodensee. Comprising mossy marshes, reeds and mixed woodlands, this nature reserve is an unspoilt wilderness and a haven to more than 300 bird species including curlews, grey herons and rare black-tailed godwits.
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Martinsturm
Martinsturm is topped by the largest onion dome in central Europe. Take a peek at the 14th-century frescoes in the church on the ground floor before climbing up to the small Vorarlberger Militärmuseum (military museum) for fine views over the town.
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Domkirche St Nikolaus
Domkirche St Nikolaus has a large, forbidding interior complemented by late-Gothic features and vibrantly coloured stained glass. The painting on the side altar is by local boy Wolf Huber (1480–1539), a leading member of the Danube school.
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3 Täler Pass
The 3 Täler Pass covers the skiing regions of Bregenzerwald, Grosses Walsertal and Lechtal. After working up an appetite on the slopes, you can dairy-hop your way along the Käsestrasse that winds through the region.
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Rappenlochschlucht
Just 4km southeast of Dornbirn is the Rappenlochschlucht, a dramatic ravine gouged out by the thundering Dornbirner Ache. Wooden walkways lead up to a viewpoint (10 minutes) and the turquoise Staufensee (30 minutes).
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Rolls-Royce Museum
The world’s biggest Rolls-Royce Museumis situated at the bottom of the gorge. The hall of fame showcases royal Rollers that once belonged to the likes of Queen Elizabeth and George V.
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Churertor
The towers surviving from the old fortifications include the step-gabled Churertor, once the gateway to the bridge that was used to transport salt across the Ill River to Switzerland.
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Pipeline
The best place for a quick dip or a barbecue is the Pipeline, a stretch of pebbly beach north of Bregenz so named for the large pipeline running parallel to the Bodensee.
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Heimat Museum
Heimat Museum is a 300-year-old house displays regional arts and crafts and a handful of works by Angelika Kauffmann who had strong ties to the village.
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Rotes Haus
Wandering around Dornbirn's Marktplatz, you'll spot the crooked, 17th-century Rotes Haus, which owes its beautiful blush to an unappetising mix of ox blood and bile.
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Katzenturm
Towers surviving from the old fortifications include the 40m-high Katzenturm, where Vorarlberg’s biggest bell (weighing 7500kg) still tolls.
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Wildpark
The Wildpark, with a woodland trail and animal-friendly enclosures home to alpine fauna such as marmots, ibex and wild boar.
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Pfarrkirche St Martin
Next door to the Rotes Haus in Dornbirn, the slender Doric columns and free-standing Gothic belfry of Pfarrkirche St Martin catch your eye.
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Museum
Once the seat of the counts of Montfort, it now houses a small museum displaying religious art, costumes and weaponry.
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Mühletor
The Mühletoris also known as the Sautor, where the pig market was held in the Middle Ages
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Hard
If you fancy sunbathing and splashing around in the buff, there is a secluded naturist beach at Hard.
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Pfarrkirche
Climb up to the Gothic Pfarrkirche, with beautiful frescoes in good condition considering their age.
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Strandbad
check out the open-air pools and volleyball court at the lakeside Strandbad.
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