Liechtenstein

A tiny monarchy on the Rhine: the whole country can be covered on foot plus bus; Vaduz Castle, the Postage Stamp Museum and the Malbun snow mountains are its entire stock in trade, and prices match Switzerland's.

History: Liechtenstein is a constitutional monarchy principality, raised to principality in 1719 by the merger of the two lordships of Vaduz and Schellenberg, and still ruled by the Liechtenstein family; the official language is German, the currency is the Swiss franc, and it forms a customs union with Switzerland. Vaduz Castle (Schloss Vaduz) is the prince's residence, its interior is not open to the public and can only be viewed from below the hill; postage stamps are the country's famous cultural calling card, and the Postage Stamp Museum is free. The whole country is only about 160 square kilometres with a population of about 40,000, combining Alpine farming and herding with precision industry and financial services. Legend: A legend is told about Vaduz Castle: a castle tunnel leads straight across the Rhine — this is a folk legend, with no public archaeological confirmation, to be verified. Another legend says a woman in white in the mountains guards the Malbun pastures; this too is legend and must not be taken as history.

• Viewing Vaduz Castle from afar (Schloss Vaduz) — the prince's residence on the hillside, its exterior and trails.
• Vaduz pedestrian street and the Postage Stamp Museum (Städtle / Postmuseum) — free stamp displays.
• The Liechtenstein National Museum (Liechtensteinisches Landesmuseum) — national history and nature exhibitions.
• Malbun snow mountains and hiking (Malbun) — winter skiing, summer high-mountain hiking.
• Gutenberg Castle and Balzers (Burg Gutenberg / Balzers) — a medieval castle on the Rhine.

There is no airport inside Liechtenstein; rail is only a short Austria–Switzerland transit stretch stopping at Schaan (Schaan), with limited services, and the main gateways are Buchs (Buchs) and Sargans (Sargans) in Switzerland and Feldkirch (Feldkirch) in Austria, from which buses enter the country. Domestic public transport is only LIEmobil buses, covering all municipalities and Malbun; central Vaduz is walkable. Indicative fares: short city trips about 2–3 Swiss francs single, an all-country day pass about 10–15 Swiss francs (different sources disagree, subject to official announcements), tickets can be bought from the driver on board, and there is also an Adventure Pass including buses and several sights (adult 1-day pass about 25 Swiss francs, subject to official announcements); fines for travelling without a ticket are subject to official announcements. The Rhine cycle path is flat, and bike rental and free-bike points (subject to local announcements) suit short trips; winter mountain driving requires snow tyres, and driving on Swiss motorways requires a Swiss motorway vignette (vignette), subject to official announcements.

• Red Line: Do not climb over the Vaduz Castle fence or intrude on the prince's residence area to take photos; do not intrude on private pastures or closed ski-run areas; do not make a noise during church rituals.
• Taboo: Do not assume everyone speaks English and ignore German signs; do not make a noise late at night in quiet residential areas; do not refer to Liechtenstein as part of Switzerland or Austria.
• Good Manners: Greet on meeting with Grüezi (a Swiss German greeting) or Guten Tag; restaurant tips are not compulsory — rounding up or 5%–10% for good service; when boarding buses, let passengers alight first and queue.
• Pitfalls for visitors: ① Assuming Vaduz Castle can be visited inside, and climbing the hill in vain only to find it can only be viewed from outside; ② Assuming euros can be used 1:1 as Swiss francs and losing out on change at the exchange rate.

The currency is the Swiss franc (CHF); euros are accepted in many places but change is mostly in francs at an unfavourable rate — carrying franc cash is safer; the whole country can be covered in 1–2 days, best combined with Zurich or Innsbruck itineraries; accommodation is expensive — staying in nearby Swiss or Austrian towns can save money; summer hiking requires checking mountain weather, winter skiing requires booking accommodation in advance.