Liechtenstein Trail stage 1, from Gutenberg Castle to the Walser village

The first stage of the Liechtenstein Trail is a bit of a mission statement. It starts on the Swiss border beneath a medieval castle and finishes halfway up a mountainside in a village founded by settlers from the Valais. In between sits an old industrial village. If you want to know what the whole route is about, day one sums it up nicely.

Getting to the start

The trail doesn’t begin in the middle of Balzers but at an old boundary stone on the way to Luzisteig. For anyone staying in Vaduz, the tourist board puts it simply, bus 11 or 13 from Vaduz, Post to Balzers, Höfle, then about 20 minutes on foot. From Haus Gutenberg in Balzers it’s about 25 minutes’ walk.

I’d catch one of the early buses. The stage isn’t long in kilometres, but it saves the climb for the end, and it’s worth reaching Triesenberg with time to look around properly.

Gutenberg and the Roman road

Within minutes you’re standing below Gutenberg Castle on its hill in Balzers. Manage your expectations here, as it isn’t a turn-up-and-go castle. Visits inside need booking and only run in the May-to-October season, although on Sundays in those months the chapel and rose garden are open to anyone, free of charge. The outer bailey is open to wander all year round, also free. If you happen to pass on a summer Sunday, I’d stop.

From there the trail heads north along the old Roman road. It’s the gentlest part of the day, flat and with the Swiss mountains facing you across the Rhine.

What’s worth a look in Triesen?

Triesen is the stage’s pleasant surprise. The tourist board calls it historic Triesen, and the path crosses the site of the old Jenny, Spörry & Cie. cotton mill. That’s where you’ll find the Gasometer, now an arts centre with exhibitions and events. Industrial heritage like this interests me as much as any castle, because it shows how people in the valley made a living long before the banks arrived.

A little higher up, in the upper village, comes St Mamertus’s chapel, one of the oldest in the country and, to my mind, the loveliest spot of the day. It’s a good place for a breather before what’s coming.

The climb to Triesenberg

This is where the stage gets serious. Most of the day’s 535 m of climbing is packed in between Triesen and Triesenberg. The high point is 905 m and the low point, near the start, 466 m. There are no technical sections or exposed bits, just gradient, so it comes down to pace and plenty of water.

The reward is arriving in the Walser village, which the tourist board sells on its sweeping views of the valley. The Walser were settlers from the Swiss Valais who made the hillside their home in the 13th century, and the village has kept its own identity, dialect included.

What to do once you arrive

My first stop would be the Walser Museum, which tells the story of those settlers and their way of life. It opens weekday mornings and afternoons plus Saturday mornings (full times in the table), and adult entry is 5 francs. On Sundays it only takes booked groups, so if your first stage lands on a Sunday I’d reshuffle the days.

The other stop the tourist board flags is the farm shop at the local llama and alpaca farm, selling regional produce. It’s hardly a sight, but it’s a better place for a souvenir than anything in the Städtle.

To get back, route 21 links Triesenberg with Vaduz. Pay by card or with the app, as LIEmobil buses don’t take cash. And if you’re carrying on tomorrow, stage 2 down to Vaduz starts right here and is the most beautiful of the lot.

Is it worth doing on its own?

Yes, especially if you’re curious about the less obvious side of the country. It has a castle, industrial heritage, a very old chapel and a mountain village with a culture of its own. What it lacks is the view of Vaduz Castle and the Städtle, which come the next day. If I could only walk one day I’d choose the second, but this is the right way to begin the full Liechtenstein Trail.