Side Events

Start your day on the top of a mountain, watch the sun rise and remind yourself of the scale of things – this brings you back down to earth for the tasks to be faced. However, night owls can take a sigh of relief: observing the sunset from the stop of a mountain has the same, salutary effect.

Die Destillerie möchte die Destillerie erklären. Obwohl so gut wie jeder hin und wieder ein Schnäpschen trinkt, gibt’s viele Unklarheiten über die Herstellung. Bei einer Verkostung erklären die Spezialistinnen und Spezialisten, woran man gerade nippt und wie es entsteht. 

The ice-skating rink in Bludenz is one option that turns up when an alternative to the classic day of skiing is being sought. There is also a spectacular ice run there where visitors can test their skills on a Vutschko (bobsleigh) at speeds of up to 100 kph.

This bridge is high, fair enough. One hundred and six metres should suffice for a gentle fall on an elastic rope, as well as for a good adrenaline cocktail in your body. This jump is considered seriously cool – the extremely tough safety standards have been proving themselves accident-free since 1997. This is the perfect place for anybody bravely looking for the next adventure.

The Kunsthaus Bregenz is one of the most important museum buildings in the world when it comes to contemporary architecture. It has been attracting art enthusiasts as well as fans of architecture ever since its inauguration in 1997. 

Canyoning involves walking from the top to bottom of Vorarlberg’s most beautiful gorges using a wide variety of different types of movement: from simple walking and easy climbing to abseiling, sliding and jumping, everything is included. Admittedly, it sounds a bit intimidating at first, but the tours are accompanied by guides and the level of difficulty and the choice of gorge is always tailored to the group. 

The Bregenzerwald wouldn’t be what it is today without the famous Wälderbähnle. The original steam engine still services a stretch of the line – a cosy journey through time, whatever your age.

A natural, pure and characterful beer, visitors can now get step-by-step insights into the brewing process. Of course, such a tour also includes tasting sessions of everything from pale ale to wheet beer. 

A very special natural monument takes you right down to the depths of the Cave Schneckenloch in Bizau. The biggest cave in Vorarlberg requires a certain degree of stamina and sure-footedness, yet once the visitors get back to terra firma they are usually lost for words, overcome by images of subterranean halls, stalactites and natural tunnels, some of which you have to crawl through.

Once upon a time, you had to travel to the far north to take a dog-pulled sleigh ride, to experience up close the life of a musher in the wilderness. These days, however, a lovely team of dogs awaits guests in the Kleinwalsertal and in the Brandnertal.

The historic old town of Feldkirch at the foot of Schattenburg Castle and protected by a Buddhist monastery is home to many historical nooks and crannies, inns, taverns and markets and the legacy of the humanists who made history there long ago.

Two architectural worlds combine at Museum Bezau – a typical Bregenzerwald farmhouse from the 18th century, a listed building, and a modern addition built mostly using local handworkers. 

Doing something as a group can be not only a nice experience, but a delicious one too. At Sabine + Xaver’s Gourmet Manufactory that is certainly the case – here you can try out their whole range of cookies and cheesy snacks. Or even whack on an apron yourself and get your hand doughy in one of their bespoke tart workshops. 

Fantastic opportunities to escape the hustle and bustle of the city exist in and around Dornbirn. For example, the guided tours through the Rappenloch and Alploch gorges. But it never is actually completely quiet in the cool gorges because the gurgling and rushing of the Dornbirner Ach remain constant companions.

The secret behind cheese-making is much less complicated than you’d think. All you need to make your own cream cheese is half a day’s time, a few litres of milk, the right recipe and ingredients – and an introduction into cheese-making at one of the region’s professional alpine dairies.