Last Updated on 13th September 2020 by Sarah and Justin
Taking the train from Zurich to Liechtenstein for a Vaduz day trip is a fun and unique experience. You’ll visit one of the smallest countries in the world and see some stunning scenery along the way.
Read on for how to take this self-organized day trip from Zurich, helpful information about the Zurich to Liechtenstein train, and 10 things to do in Vaduz when you get there.
Our Zurich to Liechtenstein day trip
We are suckers for visiting new countries. If a new or different country is within reach of an already planned destination, we jump on the opportunity to go visit it.
Liechtenstein had long been a place we wanted to visit. It called to us with its tiny size (it’s the sixth smallest country in the world and the fourth smallest country in Europe) and lovely looking scenery. But it’s not the easiest place to get to. So on a trip to Switzerland, when we would be visiting Zurich for the second time, we knew we wanted to make a dash for it.
We realized we could easily do it in a day, and on the same day we actually landed in Zurich no less. Public transportation in Switzerland is unparalleled) and (we would find out) it’s pretty great in Liechtenstein as well.
Zurich to Vaduz by train and bus
Taking public transportation from Zurich to Liechtenstein, and ultimately Vaduz, is pretty easy. One train and one bus will get you there in around an hour and a half.
Zurich to Liechtenstein train and bus tips
Trains depart Zurich HB every half hour. The train ride lasts about an hour and is a treat. Swiss trains are very clean, quiet, and comfortable. And the scenery is beautiful.
Going to Liechtenstein, we recommend sitting on the left side of the train, which is the side that runs along the water. But there are some pretty nice sweeping views of the Swiss countryside and mountains on the right side as well. The train’s final stop is your stop as well: Sargans.
From Sargans, you’ll make an easy transfer to bus 11 or 12E going in the direction of Vaduz, Post. Depending on what bus you’re on, the ride will take 16-22 minutes. To get off in the center of the city, you’ll want to get off at the last stop on the bus as well: Vaduz, Post.
All of the timetables for this journey are available on the SBB website or their app. You can buy tickets online or at the station. We bought day passes since we were using a whole lot of Swiss transportation that day (we flew into EuroAirport in Basel, took the train to Zurich, dropped our stuff off at our hotel, and only then proceeded onto our day trip to Liechtenstein!).
The day pass covered all our transportation, including the bus to Vaduz. If you get a day pass, we recommend buying their “saver” pass as early as possible to get the best deal.
At the time of writing, the train trip from Zurich to Sargans is not one of SBB’s “barrier-free” routes. Therefore, we recommend that wheelchair users call ahead to arrange any necessary assistance. You can get more information about this here. The bus from Sargans to Vaduz was wheelchair-accessible.
<< Read next: Accessible travel guide to Bern, Switzerland >>
10 things to do in Vaduz
We spent a few hours in Liechtenstein’s capital, Vaduz. Usually we like to take a night to really get to know a place, but we had friends to meet back in Zurich and so needed to do this one a bit quicker.
Luckily, one day in Vaduz is enough that you won’t feel like you missed anything while still feeling like the trip was worth it.
Celebrate your Liechtenstein visit
The first thing we recommend doing when you get to Vaduz is celebrate that you’re in a new country! Woohoo! Liechtenstein was the 52nd country we’ve visited together and seeing new places never gets old.
After you celebrate head onward to these other fun things to do in Vaduz.
Walk around the city
Vaduz is small and you can walk the whole thing in about 20 minutes. Do it! When you get off the bus, we recommend turning right immediately. This will take you up to the main drag of the city. It’s where the tourist office and the main sights are. The city center is flat and wheelchair-friendly (when we saw stairs, we also saw an elevator).
See Vaduz Castle
You can see Vaduz Castle, perched above the city, from pretty much anywhere in the city center. The castle serves as the Prince of Liechtenstein’s current residence, so no tours or visits inside are offered. You can walk up to the castle to see it up close, but we only made it half way before we were awed by one of the nicest views we’d ever seen.
Get a nice view of the Swiss Alps
We started walking up the hill that leads you to Vaduz Castle just as the sun was starting to set. The hill was pretty steep and Justin had to give Sarah a few gentle, helpful pushes but once we saw the view we were so happy we’d headed this way.
The streets you should take to get this view are the aptly-named Schloss-Stieg and Schlossweg (for those not familiar with the German language, “Schloss” means “castle”). We stopped once we reached a clearing from where we could admire the views, but you can definitely continue walking to reach the castle grounds.
You’ll also notice an interesting building below. This is the Centre for Art, which was built in the 1970s and can only be viewed from outside.
See the Landtag Building
One of the coolest buildings in Vaduz is the Liechtenstein Parliament building (Landtag des Fürstentums Liechtenstein). It’s a relatively recent addition to the city, having been completed in 2008. It is a striking brick building complex that also includes a public plaza. It’s a lovely place to walk and have a sit.
We recommend reading this article about the architecture of the Landtag building if you’re interested in learning more.
Admire the Vaduz Cathedral
Every European city needs an impressive cathedral and Vaduz is no different, no matter how small it is. The Vaduz Cathedral was built in the late 19th century in the neo-Gothic style. For some lovely views of the church, head up to the small pedestrian bridge that goes above the main road in Vaduz.
Visit museums in Vaduz
There are a few key museums in the small city of Vaduz.
With more time, Sarah would have visited the country’s major art museum, Kunstmuseum Liechtenstein. As it was, we were content to look at it from the outside: a big black box of a building.
The Liechtenstein National Museum is a seemingly large place with exhibits on history, culture, and landscape of the country. There’s also the Postage Stamp Museum (for those who like that sort of thing). Last, if you’re looking for a little glitz and glamor, you may want to visit the Schatzkammer, the treasure chamber of the Principality.
Note: the National Museum and Kunstmuseum are are closed on Mondays.
Go ice skating (in winter)
We visited Vaduz at the very end of November, so its super small ice skating rink and mini-Christmas Market were open for business. Kids were enjoying skating around and their parents were enjoying their Glühwein. It was adorably festive, so if you’re in town when it’s open, check it out.
Take a peek at the Rathaus
Another nice building to take a look at is the Vaduz town hall (Rathaus). It’s an interesting place with arches, frescoes, and horse sculptures outside. The aforementioned skating rink is set up next door.
Eat lunch
If you’re spending one day in Vaduz, chances are you’ll want to eat lunch. We found food and drinks there to be just as expensive there as they are in Switzerland. We spent some time looking for a place we could grab a meal without bankrupting ourselves and read great things about Brasserie Burg.
It’s located right in the city center, across from the skating rink (if you’re visiting during winter). We had tasty burgers and big Liechtensteinian (yes, that’s a word) beers to celebrate our visit to this country.
They’re also known for their pizza, which looked and smelled yummy, albeit small. We were also pleasantly surprised to find that the entire restaurant was wheelchair-accessible.
Liechtenstein currency and language
Though Liechtenstein is its own country, the national language is German. We speak a little German ourselves, so didn’t have to test their English, but we’re pretty sure it’s commonly known.
The restaurant we ate lunch in listed everything in CHF, but also took Euros.
Closing thoughts on our one day in Vaduz
We have great memories of our day trip from Zurich to Vaduz and are absolutely glad we did it. The trip on public transport was easy and quite beautiful. Vaduz itself is a charming city and we enjoyed wandering around it like the tourists we are.
We would love to return to Liechtenstein to see more of the country because we know there is more to experience than just its capital city.
This is super.. very detailed !
Thanks so much!
Gosh, the architecture and surrounding landscape look amazing! Switzerland is perfectly located to take day trips to nearby places – Vaduz will be on my list for next time.
Yes totally agree
Such a great informational post! Your pictures are beautiful
Thank you!
What a great day trip from Zurich! I love how walkable the city is, as that is my fav thing to do in a new place. And that view of the Alps… breathtaking!!
Us too. We end up clocking a lot of steps on our travels!
The photos of the cathedral with the mountains behind are so beautiful! It’s so helpful to know that you can easily get there on public transport too. Will have to add this to my list 🙂
Thank you! We thought the whole city was quite photogenic and easy to get to. Highly recommend a visit.
Thanks for the info. We are staying at the holiday inn express near Zurich airport.. The local train station is around the corner .(Rumlang station ) take train S9 or S15 towards Zurich Central.We do have a Swiss rail pass and plan on visiting Liechtenstein . Thanks to your detailed blog.
Glad you found it helpful!
Visited on a day trip from Zurich, your pictures are perfect, I would also like to mention how tranquil and relaxed it was,there aren’t many capital cities in the world where you can say that on a Saturday afternoon.
Thank you for the kind compliment! Glad you enjoyed it. And yes, it was a very relaxed place.
thanks so much for this rec. traveling alone from Zurich to Liechtenstein and appreciated the details .
Ah you’re welcome. Hope you have a great time!
This is an incredible article and trip, you have created a very detailed and good guide, I am waiting for your travels and articles to continue.