VORARLBERG
Austrian Four Corners at Lake Constance
The Vorarlberg is the western district of Austria which borders the shore of Lake Constance (Bodensee) tucked in the corner between Germany, Switzerland and the little Principality of Lichtenstein. It’s a beautiful land of wide valleys, glorious mountain peaks and lush alpine vistas, looking down on the blue water of the lake and offering a range of recreation and vibrant culture called the “four-corner country” of Europe. The cities of Bregenz and nearby Feldkirch are important rail junctions if traveling across Europe by train, making the surrounding areas of Switzerland and the Germany an easy reach for day trips and exploring, and perfect for exploring by car. The Friedrichshafen Airport is a short distance to pick up a rental car or Europcar has an office in Dornbirn for rental or drop-off.
The Altenrhein airport in Switzerland just across the border has connections to and from Vienna and is less than a 2 hour drive from the international airports of Zurich or Munich, The principal cities of the Bodensee-Vorarlberg region include Bregenz, Dornbirn, Hohenems and Feldkirch, with Bregenz best known for its annual Bregenz Festival with its Opera performances on the water of the lake, while other annual festivals are the Bregenz Spring Dance, the Schubertiade Hohenems and the Feldkirch Festival with theater, music and cabaret all year on the stage as well as intimate venues.
The area offers unique museums from the modern art at the Kunsthaus Bregenz to the classic car collection at the Rolls-Royce Museum (see Rolls-Royce Dorbirn) and next to it the Christmas Nativity exhibit at Dornbirn (see Nativity Museum), or the interactive Nature Museum and Science Center, as well as the Jewish Museum, or across the border, the classic airplane museum at the Altenrhein Airport (see Altenrhein Flight Museum), or the Prince of Liechtensteins Vineyards in Vaduz (see Prince Liechtenstein's Wine). The area surrounding Bregenz has become a center for architecture innovation where the melding of old and new style of building has become a defining identity. In the cities as well as the towns and villages, new architecture brings to light and style to enliven the environment, with new architects rising to prominence.
The backdrop vista of shimmering Lake Constance comes into full view from the cable car from Bregenz to the mountain tops (see Pfander Cable Car). The cruise boats of the Bodensee Fleet depart from the modern harbor in Bregenz for destinations around the lake, stopping at the major harbors in the shores of three countries, operating between April and mid-October (Lake Constance Cruises).
Stop of the island town of Lindau or Friedrichshafen with its famed Zeppelin Museum where you can climb aboard the ill-fated Hindenburg from history (see Zeppelin Museum), or ride an actual modern dirigible from it launch site at Freidrichshafen Airpark for a scenic airship ride over the lake. Visit the wine town of Meersburg, or take the Thurbo Train line along the East Switzerland shore of Lake Constance to Arbon with its castle museum, the great waterfalls of Schaffhausen (see Rhinefalls), or the Cathedral and Library of St Gallen (see Baroque Library St Gallen).
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Bodensee-Vorarlsberg
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SEE ALSO:
GEBHARDSBERG CASTLE RESTAURANT
NATIVITY SCENE KRIPPENMUSEUM - DORNBIRN
