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. 

If in doubt, the viability of a team can be ultimately tested by means of the communal building of a boat on the water. Combining skill and teamwork, the floating boards can either advance into a successful project – or the whole team comes a cropper. 

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.

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.

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.

Can a walk in the forest really serve as therapy and promote health & recovery? Yes indeed: when done correctly so called “forest bathing” can be all of this and more, lifting team spirit and serving as a setting for a memorable event. 

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 Austria Guides have developed guided and themed tours of the city that present a wide variety of places, people and cultures and prove that it is the mix that makes Dornbirn the exciting city that it is.

The newly constructed cooperative cheese cellar in Lingenau is home to 32,000 cheeses. A visit to the cheese – which matures for between four and 18 months – constitutes an impressive walk through the storeroom at 10.5°C.

The name says it all: fun is the name of the game at Funworld Hard. There’s something for everyone here – whether it’s 10-pin bowling on one of the 10 state-of-the-art Brunswick bowling alleys or exciting laser tagging. 

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.

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.

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.

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. 

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.