Whenever I told someone I was planning on visiting Liechtenstein this year, the tiny little principality - the sixth smallest country in the world - tucked in between Switzerland and Austria in central Europe, most of them would respond with "why?"
Why Liechtenstein?
I don't blame them - before I arrived in Liechtenstein, I admittedly didn't know much about this small country either. It's not part of the EU, it's not featured in "European must-dos" and it's not even a member of UNESCO (because it has not yet ratified the UNESCO Convention against Discrimination in Education). The country is just 25km long, home to fewer than 40,000 inhabitants.
But, it's also the only country in the world that can say it is entirely based in the Alps. The little capital of Vaduz (or, the largest city in the country) is home to about 6000 people and the seat of the Prince of Liechtenstein, Schloss Vaduz, built in the 12th century standing proudly on the hillside overlooking the city. The language officially is German, with the majority of Liechtensteinians also speaking Alemmanic, a dialect of German. And, get this, it also just so happens to be the second-richest country per capita in the entire world, second only to Monaco.
While we're on the topic of Liechtenstein's economy, apparently the nation has almost zero debt and the country's only billionare, a former dental products CEO, makes up a whopping half of Liechtenstein's entire GDP. Most of the fortune made in this country seems to be based manufacturing. They haven't even had an army since the late 80s, although apparently they occasionally get invaded by the Swiss army when they accidentally cross the border during their training exercises in the woods.
All that to say...there's definitely something to be uncovered here. And so, in my mission to see every country in the world, I planned a spring long weekend escape to Liechtenstein to see what exactly there was to be discovered.
Visiting Vaduz, the Capital of Liechtenstein
I was joined by one of my best friends Janna for part of the trip and together we drove out of Salzburg and headed west and into the Alps.
There aren't a lot of border crossings into Liechtenstein, given that much of the country is surrounded by high mountains. We entered from the north, through Feldkirch in Austria. Crossing the border to arriving in Vaduz, the capital city, located about halfway down the country, took us about fifteen minutes (so another fifteen and you'd be about to exit again!).
Vaduz has plenty of parking, with most offering the first hour for free. We parked at Vaduz Zentrum, an underground parking lot in the middle of the old town or "Städtle". Vaduz dates back to 1150, and the region was originally a province under the Romans. In 1719, Emperor Charles VI united Vaduz with other parts of the country, which altogether became the Imperial Principality of Liechtenstein, with its capital at Vaduz. The castle above the city has been the seat of the Prince of Liechtenstein since 1939.
It's a small city, easily seen in a day. There are six major museums to visit, as well as sweet shopping streets to stroll down, the information centre to visit and learn about the country, cafes and ice cream shops to sample and of course, the iconic Red House to walk up to to get the best view of the city and Schloss Vaduz.
If you can time it well, I highly recommend a visit to Vaduz in the springtime as the blossoms will be in abundance all through this fairytale little city.
