The Adventure

Liechtenstein is a very small country. A lot of you probably haven’t even heard of it. Cramped between Switzerland and Austria, Liechtenstein is a country surrounded by mountains. Its capital is Vaduz, with a population of less than 6,000. The country as a whole has a population of less than 40,000, and is easy to miss. However, being in the area, I jumped on the opportunity to visit and I do not regret it.

I arrived in Liechtenstein through the train station in Schaan, then walked down from there until eventually reaching Vaduz. I arrived quite early in the morning and there was still a fog in the air. As I walked, the distant mountains became more and more clear. My walk brought me past several churches, halls, shops, and museums. Something that I found interesting about walking through the streets of Liechtenstein was the amount of religious imagery. This was likely only amplified by the upcoming Christmas holidays, but still I felt that the churches in Vaduz had more real connection with Christianity than many of the others I had seen, which capitalized heavily on their tourist attractiveness. Above all, I enjoyed the mountainous backdrop, and sometimes the older buildings placed in front of the mountains created quite a striking scene. Trains don’t come by too often, so I did a loop and caught an early afternoon train off to my next destination.

Highlight

At the midpoint of my journey before looping back, I picked up a souvenir flag. This is a bit of an odder highlight, but I really enjoyed collecting that flag. Firstly, I really enjoy the Liechtenstein flag. It’s simple but more intricate than many others; a yellow crown in the corner on a blue and red background. The main reason I enjoyed this, though, is that to me, it feels like a rare collectible. The whole country of Liechtenstein has only an average of 200 overnight visitors each day (1000 if you include day visitors, mostly from neighbouring countries), so it feels like I’ve experienced something that the average tourist has not. It’s an honour to have a piece of my journey there in my souvenir collection.

Cost

The flag was the only money I spent in Liechtenstein. They use the Swiss Franc in Liechtenstein, which is a pretty valuable currency. The flag cost 7.50 CHF, which is about $12.04 CAD.

Concluding Thoughts

In my opinion, I think Liechtenstein is a very underrated country. I feel like I’ve barely scratched the surface of this hidden gem. Being a mountainous country, I imagine there are great hiking trails and ski hills that I just didn’t have the time, budget, or energy to explore during my short trip. I would highly recommend a visit!