Feldkirch to Vaduz, Liechtenstein's Austrian gateway

Feldkirch is the Austrian town just across Liechtenstein’s northern border, 15 km from Vaduz. If you’re arriving from Austria or southern Germany, it’s the obvious way in. The bus ride takes longer than the distance suggests, and to my mind that’s more of a perk than a flaw. Going the other way, Feldkirch makes a fine half day out for its Schattenburg castle, one of the day trips from Liechtenstein I’d put near the top.

Route 11, direct and with Unterland views

Route 11 leaves Feldkirch station and runs without a change to Vaduz, Post in about 45 minutes. The route explains the time. It heads out through Tisis, crosses the border at the Schaanwald customs post and works its way through Mauren, Eschen and Gamprin-Bendern before dropping to Schaan and entering the capital. It’s the same route 11 that continues south to Balzers and Sargans, running the length of the country.

During the day it leaves every half hour, and according to its 2026 annual timetable departures from Feldkirch continue until close to midnight. If you’d like to stop on the way, Schaanwald, the first hamlet after the border, has its own guide in Schaanwald.

Route 14, via Nendeln to Schaan

The other route from Feldkirch station is the 14. It also passes Tisis and Schaanwald, but then takes the valley-floor road through Nendeln to Schaan station. Only some departures, mostly at rush hour, carry on to Vaduz. It runs every half hour on weekdays and hourly on Saturdays.

I’d use it if I were heading for Schaan or Nendeln. For Vaduz I’d rather wait for the 11 than keep an eye on a connection at Schaan with a suitcase in tow.

What about the Feldkirch to Buchs railway?

An Austrian railway line nine kilometres long runs through Liechtenstein, with stops at Nendeln, Forst Hilti and Schaan-Vaduz. On paper it would get you from Feldkirch to Schaan by train. In practice, the open timetable shows no trains at those stops between September and November 2026, and no official notice I’ve seen accounts for it. Until you’ve confirmed it on oebb.at, I’d make this leg by bus. What’s known about the line is in Liechtenstein by train.

Tickets and the border

The good news is you don’t need to switch ticketing systems. LIEmobil says its singles, day tickets and passes are also valid into Feldkirch’s old town, and can be bought from the driver on its own buses and on those of Vmobil, the Vorarlberg operator. LIEmobil buses don’t take cash, so keep your card handy.

The Schaanwald crossing isn’t like the Swiss one. Liechtenstein and Austria are both in Schengen, with no fixed passport control, but it’s a real customs post, because Liechtenstein is part of the Swiss customs territory while Austria is in the EU. What you can and can’t bring through is covered in Liechtenstein borders and customs.

The border post has another life too. The fifth and last stage of the Liechtenstein Trail, the waymarked walk through the whole country, finishes right at the Schaanwald customs post after crossing the Ruggeller Riet and the Schellenberg ruins. If you’re walking it north, the 11 or the 14 from the Zollamt stop gets you back to Feldkirch station or down to Vaduz without a wait for a special connection. The stage is described in Liechtenstein Trail stage 5.

Driving the Austrian A14

The LandesMuseum points you to exit 41 of the A14, Feldkirch-Frastanz, and from there the road through Schaanwald to Vaduz. Arriving on the Austrian motorway means buying its vignette. In 2026 ASFINAG sells a one-day vignette for €9.60 (digital only), ten days for €12.80, two months for €32 and a year for €106.80.

Watch the dates. Buy the two-month or annual version online and Austrian consumer law holds back its validity until 18 days after you pay. To set off straight away, the one-day or ten-day versions work from the moment you buy them. And 2026 is the final year of the sticker, as from 2027 the vignette will be digital only. The remaining rules, and the Swiss vignette, are in driving in Liechtenstein.

At night, and heading north

On weekend nights the N1 night bus links Feldkirch with Bendern, Schaan, Vaduz and Balzers, while the N2 takes the long way to Sargans via Mauren and Nendeln. And if you’re bound for the far north of the country, LIEmobil publishes the timetable for Vmobil route 414, which runs from Feldkirch to Ruggell via Tosters and Nofels without touching the centre.