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Why Go? ...... 796 makes a fabulous trivia subject – Did you Around Vaduz ...... 797 know it is the sixth smallest country in the world?… That it’s still governed by an iron-willed monarch who lives in a ...... 798 Gothic castle on a hill?… Yes, it really is the world’s largest Understand producer of false teeth. It’s worth visiting this pocket-sized Liechtenstein ...... 798 principality solely for the cocktail-party bragging rights, but Survival Guide ...... 799 keep the operation covert. This theme-park micronation takes its independence seriously and would shudder at the thought of being visited for novelty value alone. Liechtenstein wows with its stunning natural beauty. Best Places Measuring just 25km by 6km, it’s barely larger than Man- » Schloss Vaduz (p 796 ) hattan, doesn’t have an international airport and is reached by public bus from and Austria. Vaduz is not » Fürstensteig, Around the most soulful place on earth, but if you’ve come this far – Vaduz (p 797 ) coachloads of day trippers do, simply for the souvenir pass- » Adler Vaduz (p 796 ) port stamp – venture away from the capital. A riot of hiking » Bergrestaurant Sareiser- and cycling trails off ering spectacular views of craggy cliff s, joch, Malbun (p798 ) quaint villages and lush green forests awaits you.

Best Known For... When to Go Vaduz » Postcards stamped by the °C/°F Te m p Rainfall inches/mm country’s postal service 40/104 6/150 Being Europe’s fourth- » 30/86 smallest nation 4/100 20/68 » Being a producer of false 10/50 teeth 2/50 » Being the only country in 0/32 the world named after the -10/14 0 people who purchased it J FDNOSAJJMAM

Aug Come on Dec–Mar Pum- May–Sep Hike to the 15th and mel down snow- your heart’s con- celebrate the covered pistes tent, up and away country’s national at its singular ski from the busloads holiday. resort. of tourists clutch- ing stamps. cube-shaped concrete buildings dominate 796 0 5 km the small, somewhat bland town centre. 0 3 miles To Friedrichshafen (56km) 1 Sights & Activities Although Schloss Vaduz () is not open to the public, the exterior graces Hinterschellenberg many a photograph and it is worth the climb Feldkirch up the hill. At the top, there’s a magnifi cent Ruggell vista of Vaduz, with a spectacular mountain Mauren Tisis To Vienna backdrop. There’s also a network of walking Haag Eschen (630km) N16 trails along the ridge. For a peek inside the castle grounds, arrive on 15 August, Liech- AUSTRIA A13 Planken tenstein’s National Day, when there are Three Sisters magnifi cent fi reworks and the prince invites Rhine (Drei Schwestern) the entire country over to his place for a Buchs Schaan (2052m) Fürstensteig glass. SYHA Hostel Vaduz The well-designed Liechtensteinisches Landesmuseum (National Museum; %239 Sevelen 68 20; www.landesmuseum.li; Städtle 43; adult/ concession Sfr8/5, combined with Kunstmuseum LIECHTENSTEIN LIECHTENSTEIN Sfr18/8; h10am-5pm Tue & Thu-Sun, to 8pm Wed) Triesen provides an interesting romp through the Malbun Trübbach principality’s history, from medieval witch trials and burnings to the manufacture of Balzers Grauspitz false teeth. To Zürich (2599m) (92km) The mainstay of the Kunstmuseum Sargans Liechtenstein (Art Museum; %235 03 00; VADUZ A3 SWITZERLAND www.kunstmuseum.li; Städtle 32; adult/concession Sfr12/8, combined with Landesmuseum Sfr18/8; h10am-5pm Tue, Wed & Fri-Sun, to 8pm Thu) is Liechtenstein contemporary art, not the prince’s collection Highlights of old masters, which is in the Liechtenstein Museum in Vienna. The 1 Snap a picture of the Schloss Vaduz Post Museum with its stunning mountain backdrop (%236 61 05; 1st fl , Städtle 37; admission free; (p796 ) h10am-noon & 1-5pm) showcases all the na- tional stamps issued since 1912. Get a passport stamp and send a 2 You must be in a group for a tour at the postcard home (p 797 ) Hofkellerei des Fürstens (www.hofkellerei.li), 3 Taste wine at the Hofkellerei des the prince’s vineyard perched north of Va- Fürstens, the prince’s winery (p796 ) duz. Independent travellers can visit and in- 4 Hit the ski slopes at Malbun (p797 ) dulge in a taste when the shop (h8am-noon, 5 Do some tough hiking along the 1.30-6.30pm Mon-Fri, 9am-1pm Sat) is open. legendary Fürstensteig (p797 ) To see how Vaduz once looked, head northeast from the pedestrian zone to Mit- teldorf, a charming quarter of traditional VADUZ houses and verdant gardens.

POP 5160 Sleeping Vaduz is the kind of capital city where the 4 butcher knows the baker; with tidy, quiet Ask the tourist offi ce for a list of private streets, lively patio cafes and a big Gothic- rooms and chalets outside Vaduz.

looking castle on a hill, it feels more like a Camping Mittagspitze CAMPING GROUND € village than anything else. It’s also all most ( %392 36 77, 392 23 11; www.campingtriesen. visitors to Liechtenstein see and at times it li; campsites per adult/car Sfr9/5, tents Sfr6-8; can feel like its soul has been sold to cater to hyear-round; s) A well-equipped ground in the whims of tourist hordes that alight for a leafy spot with a restaurant, TV lounge, 17 minutes from guided bus tours. Souve- playground and kiosk. Find it 3.5km outside nir shops, tax-free luxury-goods stores and Vaduz, south of Triesen.