Side Events

Feel that grass beneath your feet, and breathe in the freshest mountain air. Countless edible wild herbs grow in our meadows, from dandelions to yarrow. But how to distinguish the beneficial herbs from the weeds? Luckily, there are various hiking excursions available where you can learn exactly that.

As the peak gets nearer and stress reduces with each passing second, the Pfänder mountain reveals the impact of having this nature paradise a stone’s throw from the city centre.

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 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. An hour-long guided tour on the theme of architecture affords attendees a look behind the scenes of the multi-award-winning building by architect Peter Zumthor.

Seeing what goes on behind the scenes at a schnapps tasting or chatting on a stroll through an orchard. A guided tour at the local producer Dietrichs Vorarlberg Kostbarkeiten creates a casual and entertaining setting for meetings, workshops and conferences. 

Hochjoch Totale – that is the name of the sunrise special on the Alpila ridge with a ski run covering 1,700 metres. At this time of day, the piste is as virginal as the day itself, watching the sun rise above the ridge is breathtakingly beautiful, and breakfast awaits you in the chapel restaurant at the end of the run. 

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.

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.

Some call it Kässpätzle, others Käsknöpfle: the main thing is lots of melted cheese. Whatever the weather, this attracts connoisseurs to one of the Alpine huts and restaurants where the secret national dish is served.

For those who simply can’t get enough of it, head to the Alpenkäse Bregenzerwald Sennerei on a journey of discovery. There you can learn how cheese is still produced in the time-honoured way.

The Inuits’ traditional construction methods are being increasingly cultivated in the mountains around here, especially since team building presents an essential factor for success when it comes to constructing an igloo. As well as a shovel and saw, you need a portion of stamina to build a viable igloo residence.

The best thing about cooking is that it brings people together. So any opportunity to create a stir in the kitchen should be seized. All of which is possible at Verner’s in a relaxed living-room atmosphere and at four different cooking classes.

Wild and romantic gorges, paradises for waterfowl, steep waterfalls and deep diving basins – up to and including the serious whitewater, rafting in the loveliest mountain rivers in Europe has everything that nerves of steel and sharp eyes could possibly want. Appreciation for the beauty of Mother Nature and respect for her emerge as a matter of course.

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.

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.