Basic information
Summer in Vorarlberg
Fancy new sound experiences, architectural tours, time out in nature or the finest culinary delights? In the very west of Austria, in Vorarlberg, there’s plenty to discover and do. What’s more, all destinations are easily accessible by public transport.
The best connections
Visitors to Vorarlberg don’t need a car. The region is well connected by train and bus. The timetables are coordinated. With the regional Inclusive Card, holidaymakers can even travel for free. You can take your bike with you on most trains. There are also a number of treats for public transport travellers. Some event and museum tickets include travel to and from the venue within Vorarlberg. This advantage also applies to those who book a round trip, special trip or event trip with the ships of Vorarlberg Lines and with the historic ships, the MS OESTERREICH and the DS Hohentwiel. Many other events and destinations are easily accessible by train and bus. The whole of Vorarlberg can be explored and travelled around using the hop-on hop-off principle.
Moving experiences
The diverse valley and mountain landscapes are ideal for hiking and cycling excursions. In some places, cable cars shorten the ascent or descent. Numerous hiking trails tell stories or are artistically designed. Along the route, for example, you will be amazed by leaning sculptures such as those on the Georunde Rindberg in the Bregenzerwald or installations such as those on the Gauertaler AlpkulTour in the Montafon. The newly revised Natursprünge trail in Brandnertal with 11 interactive stations is ideal for an educational experience of nature. One of the most popular cycle paths is the Lake Constance cycle path. The 100-kilometre audio cycle path “Over the border” tells stories of flight from 1938 to 1945. In the Bregenzerwald, “culinary cycling” combines enjoyment and architectural exploration. Mountain bikers and e-bikers can hire bikes in many places and take part in guided tours. Downhill bikers can ride downhill on trails, for example in the large Brandnertal bike park or in the trail park on the Hochjoch in Montafon. In Kleinwalsertal, the nature explorer adventure expands the interactive offer for nature lovers. “Respect your limits” is the motto in terms of nature and animal protection.
New impressions
The towns and villages show that Vorarlberg builds and designs differently. Architects and craftsmen go about their work in a modern, bold, straightforward manner and with a sense of sustainability. Wood is their favourite building material. If you want to go on an ArchitekTour, you can choose from seven routes that are also easily accessible by public transport. The ArchitekTours lead to remarkable buildings and showcase Vorarlberg’s innovative craftsmanship and design. The twelve “Umgang Bregenzerwald” trails, all village tours, and the Walser culture trails in Kleinwalsertal also provide insights. Long-established craftsmanship demonstrates consistency. The Bezau craft guild can look back on 150 years of history in 2024 and is looking forward to two major events in its anniversary year. Art also amazes in public spaces, from sculptures on the Lake Constance promenade in Bregenz to the “Skyspace Lech” created by US artist James Turrell. Speaking of Lake Constance, Lake Constance shipping is celebrating its 200th anniversary with a fleet rally on 27 April 2024. The first passenger steamship, “Wilhelm”, offered space for 124 passengers and went into service on 10 November 1824. The “MS Austria”, the largest passenger ship on Lake Constance this year, can accommodate up to 1,200 people.
Great culinary delights
Vorarlberg spoils its visitors with culinary delights of the highest calibre in down-to-earth inns, mountain inns, alpine huts and in the many excellent restaurants that are renowned for their creative cuisine. Wherever possible, the chefs use regional ingredients. The cheese that flavours the Kässpätzle, for example, comes from the Alps and alpine dairies. Fish comes from Lake Constance or from sustainable fish farms. Fruit and vegetables thrive in the gardens near Lake Constance. Fine products, from chocolate to spirits, are produced in gourmet manufactories. Specialities of all kinds are also available in farm shops and at the weekly markets in the towns and some villages.
Cultivated art of living
Opera on Lake Constance, pop music in Feldkirch, jazz concerts in Montafon: there is plenty to see and hear for culture vultures in 2024. The biggest event is the Bregenz Festival, which performs opera in the open air on the spectacular lakeside stage. From 17 July to 18 August, Carl Maria von Weber’s opera “Der Freischütz” is on the programme this year for the first time in the festival’s history. Gioachino Rossini’s opera “Tancredi” will open the festival in the Festspielhaus. With events in the open air and in Feldkirch’s old indoor swimming pool, the pop culture festival poolbar is a hotspot for cultural debates, design and live music, taking place this year from 10 July to 9 August.
Classical music and lieder can be heard at the Schubertiade in Hohenems (April/May, July and October) and Schwarzenberg in the Bregenzerwald (June and August/September). Music, from folk music to jazz, will be performed by the Montafon Resonanzen from 1 August to 16 September. Jazz and classical music can be heard in Lech Zürs am Arlberg. The Literaricum Lech takes you into the world of literature from 18 to 21 July. FAQ Bregenzerwald, the forum with a festival character and culinary claim, raises questions of time from 12 to 15 September. Many other larger and smaller events round off the festival summer in Vorarlberg.
Inspiring exhibitions
The museums and exhibition centres bring different worlds to life. With changing exhibitions, the Kunsthaus Bregenz impresses all those who appreciate contemporary art. In summer, “Anne Imhof” (8 June to 1 September) and “Tarek Atoui” (14 September to 3 November) are on the programme. The vorarlberg museum in Bregenz also shows several permanent exhibitions as well as changing special exhibitions.
The interactive nature show inatura in Dornbirn is a popular destination for families and those keen to experiment. Until 13 October, the special exhibition “For everything in the world. On the trail of my everyday life” can be experienced until 13 October. Until 25 August, the Jewish Museum Hohenems is showing “A Place of Our Own. Four young Palestinian women in Tel Aviv”. The Hittisau Women’s Museum is showing “Cleaning. An exhibition about an extra-clean world” until 27 October. A few villages away, the Baroque Master Builders Museum in Au tells the fascinating story of the masters from the village and the region who built around 800 Baroque buildings in southern Germany, Switzerland and Alsace in the 17th and 18th centuries.
Warm hospitality
Vorarlberg is known for its well-kept, mostly family-run hotels and for hosts who are highly committed to their work. Many hotels and holiday accommodations also stand out structurally. Conversions and new builds are largely in the style of contemporary Vorarlberg (timber) architecture. Wooden furniture, woollen fabrics, felt and other natural materials, designed by innovative craftspeople, create a stylish and extremely pleasant atmosphere. Whether remodelling or new build: sustainability and energy efficiency take centre stage.
