Liechtenstein, all 62 square miles of it, sits entirely in the Alps nestled between Switzerland and Austria. We stopped for a visit in Liechtenstein’s capital, Vaduz, which its residents fondly refer to as “Staedtle” (Little Town).
It was a Monday, and unfortunately literally nothing but the tourist information office was open. But Vaduz was still worthy of a stroll around town. The Art Museum (Kunstmuseum) of Liechtenstein houses one of Europe’s oldest private collections in a modern, prize-winning museum building. While it wasn’t open, we did enjoy the outdoor art and sculptures all around the square housing the museum.
Vaduz Castle stands prominently above the town center on a cliff and is the home to the Prince of Liechtenstein. When the red and blue flag flies above the castle as it was on our visit, the Prince is in residence and the castle is closed to visitors.
Vaduz Cathedral is striking. It’s imposing door opens into a high-vaulted space filled with more light than most neo-gothic churches I’ve been in around Europe. The beautiful stained glass above the alter bounded prisms of color off the walls.
Driving through Liechtenstein, we realized it is a hiker and biker’s playground with trails and bike paths everywhere. We hope to be back soon to explore more of this tiny country.
Jennifer Dombrowski
Jennifer Dombrowski is a location independent globe trotter and bases herself in Prata di Pordenone, Italy. She works as a social media and innovation strategist in higher education and is a regular contributor on johnnyjet.com. Her website, jdombstravels.com, is the 2012 Destinology Travel Bloggy Best Newcomer award winner. Google+
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We’re Jennifer and Tim and we love traveling! We are just one ordinary couple who have found that travel brought us closer together, taught us patience, the art of compromise, and how to truly appreciate the diversity of this extraordinary world. So far, we've visited 37 countries, lived in the United States and Italy, and Tim has lived in Korea. And we do it all while both holding down full time jobs. 
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3 comments
Ali
June 16, 2012 at 5:26 pm (UTC 2) Link to this comment
Andy and I took a quick trip to Liechtenstein last summer and really liked it. We spent a few hours walking around Vaduz but since we knew it would be pretty touristy, we booked a hotel in a village further up the mountains. We’re so glad we did because it was gorgeous up there, tucked away from everything, and had great views. I liked it so much more than I expected to.
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Jennifer Dombrowski Reply:
June 17th, 2012 at 9:47 am
That sounds like a great idea, Ali! I think we will go back for some hiking. We spotted tons of trails and the snow capped mountains were so beautiful.
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Andrew
June 25, 2012 at 8:46 am (UTC 2) Link to this comment
As Ali said we went last summer. I was not so impressed with Vaduz. Especially as I think I read that the castle is closed to visitors even if the prince is not there (but I don’t remember 100%). We enjoyed being up on the valley side and having such a great view of literally the entire country.
The place we missed and kind of regret is Balzers. It is a town near the south with a castle on top of a hill. I know nothing about it other than seeing it from the bus, yet it looks cool.
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