Side Events

Making clocks, pepper mills and lamps from wood – all of that and much more is possible at the workshops that the Bizau-based Bär company organises in the Bregenzerwald. The idea is right on trend because the more digital the world becomes, the greater the desire is to make something from scratch with your own hands. 

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.

For all those who value self-expression in their team, the Tonhalle has opened a veritable creative paradise. In workshops which are quite literally hands-on, budding ceramic artists can design their own plates, cups, bowls, and figures. Ideas are given free reign, and participants get their hands dirty while crafting their own unique pottery creations. All in all, a wonderful atmosphere for the group to exchange ideas and get to know each other’s creative side.

The Sennerei Hinteregg was established in 1938 and has always been an insider tip where delicious cheese specialities are concerned. Florian Lang is the alpine dairyman who’s today responsible for transforming pasture milk sourced from 11 farms into Vorarlberg alpine cheese. Guided tours of the dairy reveal to visitors how fresh pasture milk is turned into cheese.

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.

The art of archery is underestimated – this sport is a far cry from our childhood games of cowboy and Indians. It demands a high degree of precision and concentration, discipline and inner tranquillity. All these are things which would be useful in daily life, if only we had gotten round to practising them.

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.

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.

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.

A different type of natural museum. The inatura – Erlebnis Naturschau is not something for simply looking at – it has been developed so that it can be explored, felt and discovered. It is a highlight for fans of science and nature and, compared with classic museums, it represents a refreshingly relaxed change.

How does a steam locomotive actually operate? And how far can it go? You can find out all this and much, much more at Rhein-Schauen.

Wenn es um Bier geht, blüht Vorarlberg auf. Seit Generationen und Jahrhunderten wird der hopfige Tropfen in allen erdenklichen Variationen gebraut. In der Hochzeit gab es sogar ganze 74 Brauereien in Vorarlberg. 

Guided e-bike tours greatly enlarge the network of tours that can be taken by groups, the mountains and their nature can be enjoyed in a state of relaxation, and your clothing is not quite as sweaty at the end of the tour. 

How can gin be so subtle? How can kummel liqueur be so sophisticated? And what inspires these combinations of flavours? Participants on a guided tour at MAAN – makers of fine spirits in Alberschwende – will discover the love, patience and quality that goes into every bottle. 

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.