Liechtenstein has that small town feel: everyone in their twenties has left and it’s completely dead after 6pm. Those remaining all want a chat at the bus stop and the bus driver isn’t content with a mere hello and goodbye - they want to know how your day is going and what you’re up to at the weekend (which really stretched my German).
As a result of being surrounded by all that geniality I caught myself assuming all 38,000 Liechtensteiners must know each other. Which is a wild assumption to make considering I live in a village of 5,000 people myself and know significantly more dogs by name than humans.
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| © Ryan Chapman |
Anyway, I had little time for small talk. I was there to hike the 50-mile Liechtenstein Trail that snakes its way through the tiny Alpine nation from the Swiss border in the south to the Austrian border in the north.
You could walk the entire length of Liechtenstein in less than a few hours - the furthest points are only 15 miles apart, after all - but it’s fair to say the trail takes a more scenic route. In fact it barely leaves any stone unturned as it twists and turns through farms, forests and villages, annoyingly skipping anything else I can think of beginning with f.
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| © Ryan Chapman |
The official guide recommends you take five days. I did it in four. But even three would be doable at a stretch. If you have some unexplained desire, as I did, to visit Liechtenstein and see it literally all in one go, then I would recommend it. Here are five things to consider:
1. Liechtenstein is expensive.
Even more so than the most London-y places in London. One evening I paid £16 for a chicken doner from a kebab van because the only restaurant I could see nearby wanted over thirty quid for some Bolognese. And I have a limit.
To save those precious Swiss francs each morning I smuggled a picnic out of my hotel's breakfast buffet to have later. Fortunately, cheese and tomato rolls washed down with fresh ice-cold Alpine water direct from the source is exactly what I fancied for lunch each day anyway.
2. Stay in one place
Every section of the trail is well connected by bus, so you can easily stay in the same hotel for the whole trip and just bus your way back to where you finished the previous day.
I stayed in Trisenburg, which turned out to be ideal.
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| © Ryan Chapman |
3. Don't be tempted to cut corners
Due to the meandering nature of the trail you will be tempted to cut some corners. And, to be honest, some of the more suburban parts are fairly dull. But the scenery often changes quite abruptly, so you never know what you might miss around the next corner. So don’t!
Plus, if you haven't slogged around every single inch of the trail yourself, how would you ever look at yourself in the mirror ever again?
4. The Liechtenstein Trail is a gateway drug to Alpine hiking
By Alpine standards, the trail sticks to relatively low ground, and below the level of any lingering springtime snow. So it might leave you wanting more. Luckily, Liechtenstein can provide it.
On my last day, with several hours until my flight, I took the bus up the mountain to Malbon and Steg which were absolutely jaw-droppingly stunning, and I had them entirely to myself.
I find it odd that more people don’t come to these places out of skiing season. For one, you don’t have to pretend to enjoy hurtling down a mountainside to your almost certain death. It was just me and a family of marmots frolicking in the spring sunshine.
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| © Ryan Chapman |
5. The end is an anti-climax
On the final day of the trail itself, as a glorious afternoon turned thundery, I entered the final mile with a hint of a skip in my step.
When I approached the Austrian border I looked around for something that marked the end of the trail. I wasn’t expecting a welcome party but at least a fucking plaque. There was nothing. Just a couple of border guards glaring at me suspiciously and a few flags blowing enthusiastically in the increasingly stormy breeze.
I had 6 minutes until the next bus back into Liechtenstein. Just enough time for the anti-climatical feeling to wash away before going to find somewhere to get a celebratory beer or five. Well, actually just the three when I saw the price of them.
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