Vaduz

The pedestrian Städtle gathers almost everything a short visit needs: the Kunstmuseum Liechtenstein — a black cube opened in 2000 — and the Hilti Art Foundation side by side, the TreasureChamber, the NationalMuseum with its natural-history rooms, the PostMuseum on the stamps the country has issued since 1912, the Engländerbau art space for contemporary work from the region, and the tourist office that stamps passports as a souvenir. Distances are a few hundred metres, so the museums combine easily in one day, and the cafés and wine bars along the street pour the Prince's own wines.

In the old village core, the Red House is one of the best-known sights in the capital, and the Prince's vineyards spread across the slope below the castle. Above them, the path below the castle walls gives the classic view across the Rhine Valley to the Swiss mountains — the castle itself, the princely family's home, stays closed. The Court Winery offers tastings of its Pinot Noir and Chardonnay in Vaduz, usually by appointment. Further out, the chapel of St. Joseph in the Ebaholz quarter is a quiet stop on a longer loop.

The Old Rhine Bridge is a covered wooden bridge between Vaduz and Sevelen on the Swiss bank — closed to cars, open to walkers and cyclists, and the easiest way to stand on the river that forms the whole western border. It joins the Rhine dike path, so a walk or ride along the river can start or end here. For a climb instead, the ruin of Schalun castle, also called Wildschloss, sits on an exposed rocky ridge between Vaduz and Schaan, reached by forest paths with wide views over the valley.