James Went To Liechtenstein

It was was time for a day trip to Liechtenstein – the smallest country that I have been to.

Just the 6th smallest country in the world.

Let’s see if I can write this in the time it takes to get from Basel to Strasbourg, for the next stage of my adventure.

Doing some research beforehand, a lot of Swiss people seem to think going to Liechtenstein is weird – because there is little there, and what there is there are better versions of in Switzerland (ie mountains, forests, galleries, etc). So I went with the idea that maybe I’d go for a couple of hours and then move on.

I’d booked one of the few bargains to be had in Switzerland, and that is a €59 go anywhere day pass – which includes trains, buses and trams, not that my ticket was even checked on the bus going from Sargans to Vaduz in Liechtenstein.

The views were unsurprisingly stunning – mountains on one side, lakes on the other – the Doncaster to Hull service this wasn’t.

It took 2 hours from Basel, where I was based, to Sargans – where you catch the bus to Vaduz in Switzerland, another 30 minutes. And the bus was pretty much just weirdos ticking another country off the list. Why not?!

What I Did In Liechtenstein

Well, I didn’t do much but I tickled some of my favourite things.

First, a hike partway up the mountain overshadowing Vaduz, through gorgeous forest, past a stunning castle, and to the lookout point:

For some reason I couldn’t persuade my brain to go right to the edge, apparently my brain insists that one step away is totally fine, another step is not. Weird.

I would have hiked longer if I was staying in Liechtenstein – maybe I should have stayed there a night.

And then I had a beer in the sun. OK, I can do that anywhere, but I have had very few days of sunshine in 2024 so far…and this was the first day of this holiday with sunshine.

Wine Tasting

I then went to The Princely Wine Cellars of the Prince of Liechtenstein, which sounds rather glam. It was a little strange – they seated everyone as far apart from each other as possible, as if covid was still a thing. Being a solo wine-r I did get a little bored, and made my excuses before it finished.

We did have a little tour of the grounds and where the wine was made – the Pinot Noir that they grow there was actually really good. As was the Liesecco – you can probably guess what that is.

Also they gave us some old bread with gorgeous cheese. For €19…it wasn’t bad, but perhaps I should have skilled it and gone to spend some time next to the lake on the way back to Zurich/Basel instead.

There was an art gallery in Vaduz too, albeit not open on a Monday when I visited – but also there are plenty of sculptures around town, even more sculptures than there are banks. Yep, Liechtenstein does have a rather moneyed feel to it.

And, yes, I did finish writing this before the train got to Strasbourg, bar adding the images.