Liechtenstein Day Trip From Zurich
Is It Worth It?
September 2026
Please Note: This post may contain affiliate links, meaning if you book through them I may earn a small commission, at no extra cost to you.
A day trip to Liechtenstein allows you to see a lot of this small country in only a few hours.
Liechtenstein is one of the smallest countries in the world, landlocked between Switzerland and Austria. It's tiny capital, Vaduz, has a population of c.6,000. German is the main language, and the country shares a customs union with Switzerland, using the Swiss Franc (CHF) as its currency. It has the world's highest GDP per capita, consistently ranks as one of the safest countries in the world, and has no military.
Liechtenstein has no airport or train station of its own, making it one of the least visited countries in Europe.
So How Do You Get To Liechtenstein?
In order to reach the country, you need to first go to either Switzerland or Austria. Therefore, depending on your starting destination, it may be easiest to hire a car if you want to travel to Liechtenstein.
However, if you are in Zurich, it is relatively straightforward to reach Liechtenstein by public transport. First, catch a train from Zurich HB to Sargans (this journey takes about 1 hour), before taking a bus across the border into Liechtenstein. The bus journey to the capital, Vaduz, takes approx. 30 minutes, so the total journey time is less than 2 hours.
The bus stop in Sargans is across the road from the train station, and the buses are operated by LIEmobil. Tickets are available to purchase from the driver on the bus and can be paid for with debit/credit card. The best value ticket option, is to buy a one day ticket for all zones: this lets you hop-on and hop-off buses anywhere in the country during the day.
What To Do In Vaduz, Liechtenstein?
The capital, Vaduz, is a compact city that can easily be explored in a short amount of time; how much time exactly, depends on personal travel style and whether you want to stop for lunch or snacks, visit the museum etc. On my trip, I explored the city in less than 2 hours, including stopping for an ice cream break.
The main sights to see in Vaduz are:
Städtle: the main pedestrian street through the centre, home to most of the city's cafés and the modern Kunstmuseum Liechtenstein (art museum).
Vaduz Castle: the official residence of Liechtenstein's royal family, sitting on the hillside above the town (see picture above). You can't go inside the castle, but if you choose to walk up (around 20 minute walk from the centre) you will be rewarded with sweeping views over the Rhine Valley and the surrounding mountains.
Vaduz Cathedral and Parliament: the neo-Gothic cathedral and the parliament building sit close together at one end of Städtle, providing a stark contrast between old and new architecture.
What To Do In Liechtenstein Beyond Vaduz?
If you want to explore Liechtenstein beyond Vaduz, head up into the mountains to the village of Steg. Just a short walk outside the village is, Stausee Steg, a reservoir lake tucked into the Alps at around 1,300 metres. It sits right next to its smaller neighbour, Gänglesee, and together they make one of the prettiest, quietest corners of the whole country.
A path circles Stausee Steg and it is a short, scenic walk worth doing if you made it this far. There are longer marked trails that head further into the Valüna valley towards Sücka or the Pfälzerhütte if you fancy a proper hike.
If you want to swim, Gänglesee is the one to swim in, while Stausee Steg is popular for fishing.
How To Get There?
From Vaduz, take bus 21 towards Malbun Zentrum, getting off at stop 'Steg FL, Hotel'. The journey takes around 20 - 25 minutes and the time will pass quickly if you take in the views out the window as the bus climbs through some seriously scenic switchbacks on the way up.
On my trip, I accidentally missed the bus stop for Steg and ended up continuing on up the mountain to the last stop on the route, Malbun. Thankfully, given the small size of the country this wasn't too much of a detour. While waiting on the next bus back down towards Steg (in 10 minutes), I wandered around the resort of Malbun: but Malbun is a small ski resort town and I was there in April so since it was out of ski season, the places were closed.
When I mention the villages of Steg and Malbun above, it is worth caveating that depending on where you are from and what a 'village' is in your country, these may not be what you expect: they are really tiny villages and while there was a café/bar in Steg, everywhere in Malbun appeared shut when I was there in April, and I didn't see a convenience store at all in Steg!
Is It Worth Visiting Liechtenstein?
So, to finally answer the question, is it worth visiting Liechtenstein? I'm going to say it honestly depends on what you want to get out of your trip and what you are expecting: read on for my honest views.
If you enjoy visiting places that are quiet and less visited, then yes, consider visiting Liechtenstein: when I was at Stausee Steg and Gänglesee, I didn't meet one other tourist, only locals.
Liechtenstein is located right in the middle of Switzerland and Austria, so the scenery and Alpine landscape are very similar to those countries. Yes, the scenery in Liechtenstein is beautiful in its own right, especially as you head into the Alps towards Steg, but if you are expecting anything wildly different to its neighbours, I don't think you'll find it here. The main difference is the lack of crowds here compared to many areas in Switzerland and Austria.
In terms of visiting the capital, Vaduz, honestly I wouldn't recommend visiting for the capital alone if you have to go out of your way to do so. I found the city rather underwhelming, for me it just didn't have the charm that many other small European cities I've visited have. The countryside around Steg was definitely the highlight of the day trip for me.
If you are driving and will be passing nearby, then yes absolutely stop off and explore Liechtenstein. But if you're travelling by public transport, it's a bigger commitment (from Zurich it's close to a 4 hour round trip), so it's worth weighing that against how much you want to see the quieter, less touristy side of the Alps that Liechtenstein offers.
If you are still on the fence, or you will be based in Zurich and only have time for one day trip, I would personally recommend visiting Rhine Falls (Europe's largest waterfall) over Liechtenstein. I have a separate blog post on visiting Rhine Falls here.
If you are looking to extend your time in Switzerland, and beyond, see my other blog posts: Switzerland’s Most Scenic Train Journeys; and 6 Must Visit Villages in Switzerland
Practical Tip:
The currency in Switzerland and Liechtenstein is the Swiss Franc (CHF) but card is widely accepted and I didn’t come across anywhere on my travels that specifically required cash.