The alpine cattle drive, when the cows come home wearing crowns

Some traditions need no explaining, and this is one of them. When summer ends, the cows that have spent months on the mountain pastures come down to the valley with headdresses on their heads and bells round their necks, and then the country holds three shows to pick the prettiest. The fact that the title is Miss Liechtenstein strikes me as one of the most endearing things I came across while putting this guide together.

What is the Alpabfahrt?

The Alpabfahrt is the drive down from the summer pastures, which locals call alps. In the tourist board’s view, few Alpine traditions are as lovely. Every autumn the cows and young cattle return to the valley in all their finery, accompanied by the farmers and by plenty of people who turn out to watch, and for locals and visitors alike it’s a treat for the eyes and ears, thanks to the ringing of the bells.

The headdresses are made with great care, and the animals wear bells large and small. There are pastures right across the mountains, from the Steg valley and the Samina valley to the slopes around Malbun, so each drive has its own route and its own village at the end. The Historisches Lexikon lists, for example, the Sücka, Garsälli and Alpelti pastures in the Samina valley, Turna and Bärgi in the Malbun valley, and Guschg, Sass, Stachler and Vordervalors, which belong to Schaan despite lying far from the village, up in the mountains.

When do the cattle come down?

Let’s be clear here, because there’s no timetable you can book around. The tourist board explains that each pasture has its own customs and that the timing depends on how much grass the meadows still offer at the end of summer, and on the weather. An early snowfall can bring the mountain season to a premature close.

So I wouldn’t plan a trip purely to see the drive. What does have fixed dates are the cattle shows that follow, and that’s where I’d put the focus. If you happen to catch a drive, so much the better, and to find out where it’s passing that day I’d ask at the tourist office in the Städtle, the Liechtenstein Center.

Three shows, one Miss

Miss Liechtenstein is chosen over three Prämienmärkte, shows where experts judge and award prizes to the cattle. The first is traditionally that of the Triesenberg farmers, in mid-September, where Miss Steg is crowned. Next comes Vaduz, on the first Saturday of October, with animals from the other Oberland municipalities, which picks Miss Oberland.

The week after comes the show in Eschen, for the farmers of the Unterland. First Miss Unterland is chosen and then, from the three winners, Miss Liechtenstein herself. In other words, if you want to see the final crowning, you need to be in Eschen, where the cows of farmers from all five Unterland municipalities compete.

Show and fair on the same weekend

In Vaduz and Eschen the show coincides with the village fair, and there’s a historical reason. For centuries the autumn fair doubled as the cattle market, and the cash prize the country awarded to the best animals, the tourist board says, often ended up being spent at the fair’s own stalls.

In 2026 the Vaduz fair runs from 2 to 4 October and includes the traditional show in the Aubündt, which by the first-Saturday rule falls on the 3rd. Eschen’s fair runs from 9 to 11 October. Both weekends also bring rides, stalls and music, and you’ll find them alongside everything else in my events calendar.

How I’d see it

If I could only manage one weekend, I’d choose Vaduz, for the setting beneath the castle, the vineyards in autumn colour and the fact that everything is within walking distance. If I wanted to see Miss Liechtenstein crowned, I’d go to Eschen the following week, a short bus ride from the capital. Either way I’d get there early, because farming shows are a morning affair, even if the fair carries on into the night. Carnival, the Funken bonfires and the national day complete the picture, and I’ve gathered them all in Liechtenstein traditions. If autumn is your season, the cattle shows pair nicely with a walk in the hills while the pastures are still green and the first snow hasn’t arrived on the tops.