Getting to Liechtenstein in the heart of central Europe is easy by road or rail (Swiss or Austrian Railways), while buses provide the best public transportation in Vaduz and the rest of the principality.
The Principality of 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. Trains are the best public transportation option to reach Liechtenstein but it is also possible (but not cheap) to fly most days from Vienna to nearby St Gallen of People’s Airline.
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 St Gallen-Altenrhein (ACH) with usually two daily scheduled flights to Vienna (and charter flights to mostly Mediterranean destinations) on People’s Airline. Flying time is only an hour but tickets are usually not cheap.
For travelers from other destinations, the more realistic options are Bodensee Airport-Friedrichshafen (FDH) in Germany and especially 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.
The closest train stations to Liechtenstein are Feldkirch in Austria or Buchs SG and Sargans in Switzerland. Liechtenstein’s excellent bus service provides transportation to the principality from these towns. The websites of Swiss Railways (SBB), Austrian Railways (ÖBB), and the user-friendly German Railways (Deutsche Bahn) allow bus stops in Liechtenstein as destinations when searching timetables and buying online tickets.
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 Landquart (10 minutes) with an excellent outlet shopping mall, Chur (30 minutes), St Gallen (50 minutes), Zurich (1h10), and Basel (2h40).
Public Transportation in Liechtenstein
Despite Liechtenstein’s population of only 35,000, the country 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 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 greenish-yellow, low-emission buses of Liemobil literally go 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 a two-zone day ticket at CHF 7 is excellent value for money.
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.
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. Customs checks are rare but possible when crossing into Austria.
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 CHF5 each for such stamps – returns on investment seldom come higher.
Once in Liechtenstein, visitors will find the country small – which is one of the major attractions – but with many sights worth exploring. Cheap shopping is possible at the Landquart Designer Outlet Mall with factory stores only a few minutes’ drive (or a fast train ride) to the south of Liechtenstein.
