The Principality of Liechtenstein

Liechtenstein is the country plenty of people drive straight through on the way to Innsbruck or Zurich, and I think that’s a shame. In 24.7 km from end to end it fits a prince living in a castle above the capital, a parliament, its own postage stamps, a princely winery with a tasting every afternoon and a whole mountain half with a ski resort. This page brings together everything I’ve written on the principality, in the order I’d tackle it.

Before you pack, a word on your phone. Liechtenstein belongs to the European Economic Area, so EU roam like at home rules cover it just as they cover Norway or Iceland. Since Brexit, though, a UK contract only gets whatever European deal your network chooses to offer. Switzerland sits outside the EEA as well, and near the Rhine your phone can pick up a Swiss mast. I’d pick the local network by hand, and I explain why in phone and roaming in Liechtenstein.

Between Switzerland and Austria, and neither of them

Liechtenstein meets Switzerland to the west and south, with the Rhine as the border, and Austria along its northern and eastern edges. I pin it down, with a plan of the whole country, in the map of Liechtenstein. At 160 km² it’s the fourth-smallest state in Europe after Vatican City, Monaco and San Marino, and Switzerland is about 260 times larger. The comparisons that make that figure click are on how big Liechtenstein is.

The question people type most is whether it’s really a country, and it is. It became an imperial principality in 1719, when Emperor Charles VI joined the county of Vaduz and the lordship of Schellenberg, and its sovereignty dates from 1806. It shares the franc and a customs union with Switzerland since 1924, yet it has its own constitution, government and UN seat, all covered in is Liechtenstein a country?. Nor is it in the European Union, although it joined the EEA in 1995 and Schengen in December 2011, which has its own page on Liechtenstein, the EU and Schengen.

Eleven municipalities split into two halves

The constitution describes the state as a union of two «Landschaften» made up of eleven municipalities. To the south lies the Oberland of Liechtenstein, the old county of Vaduz, with the capital, Schaan, Triesen, Balzers, Triesenberg and Planken. To the north sits the Unterland of Liechtenstein, the former lordship of Schellenberg, with Eschen, Mauren, Gamprin, Ruggell and Schellenberg. The full list with residents and altitude is under the municipalities of Liechtenstein.

Vaduz is the capital, but Schaan has more people. The largest and highest municipality is Triesenberg, the Walser village that also looks after Malbun and Steg on the far side of the ridge. How many people live here and where they come from is on Liechtenstein’s population.

Where I’d start

My list of things to do in Liechtenstein scores every sight with my reasons. Down in the valley, the first stop is the Städtle, the pedestrian street in Vaduz, where, by the tourist board’s count, six museums sit a few hundred metres apart. The Kunstmuseum Liechtenstein shares a CHF 15 ticket with the Hilti Art Foundation and is free on Wednesdays, and the Liechtenstein Treasure Chamber holds Fabergé eggs and moon rock.

About 120 metres above the town stands Vaduz Castle. The Prince lives there, so the interior is off limits, which is worth knowing before you climb. Further south, in Balzers, Gutenberg Castle does open, by appointment from May to October. And for anyone steady on rock, the Fürstensteig is a path built in 1897-1898 between Gaflei and the Drei Schwestern, with secured rocky sections.

One day, two days or a whole season

According to the Office of Statistics most visitors only come for the day. For them I’ve laid out a one-day Liechtenstein itinerary hour by hour, with Vaduz, the museums and the afternoon tasting. If you can stay, two days in Liechtenstein adds the mountains, which I rate as the best part of the country.

The calendar matters more than it seems. Skiing in Malbun runs from 19 December 2026 to 4 April 2027, and the Sareis chairlift is a summer affair, in 2026 from 13 June to 18 October. To choose dates, start with the best time to visit Liechtenstein.

How do you get to Liechtenstein without an airport?

Fly to Zurich, 115 km away, or to the smaller airports at Altenrhein (50 km) and Friedrichshafen (85 km). There’s no mainline station either, so from Sargans, Buchs or Feldkirch you carry on by LIEmobil bus. Every combination is laid out in getting to Liechtenstein. As for the regional train that crosses the country, I wouldn’t rely on it in 2026 without checking the Austrian railways’ timetable first.

Once you’re in, buses reach all eleven municipalities. They take no cash, only cards or an app, and the fares for each zone are on Liechtenstein’s buses.

Francs, a prince and German with its own accent

You pay in Swiss francs, and what happens with euros and cards is covered in currency and payments in Liechtenstein. The official language is German, but on the street you’ll hear an Alemannic dialect that shifts between the Oberland, the Unterland and Triesenberg, which I go into on the language of Liechtenstein.

It’s a hereditary constitutional monarchy with a strong streak of direct democracy. Hans-Adam II reigns, and his son, Hereditary Prince Alois, has acted as regent since 15 August 2004. How prince, parliament, government and referendums fit together is on Liechtenstein’s political system.

For beds and meals, everything is small scale. The Office of Statistics counted 28 hotels in 2024, and how to pick an area is in where to stay in Liechtenstein. If you try one dish, make it Käsknöpfle, cheesy dumplings eaten with fried onions and apple sauce.