According to the Nations Encyclopedia, the country of Liechtenstein is about 15.6 miles (25 km) long and 3.75 miles (6 km) wide. Its total area is about 0.9 times the size of Washington, D.C. Based on its size, one might think Liechtenstein isn’t a good place for an ultrarunning destination weekend. But, that’s an assumption I proved wrong with my “cross country” run across Liechtenstein.

Liechtenstein is sandwiched between Switzerland and Austria and can be reached by train in about an hour from Zurich, Switzerland. My trip began with a flight from Berlin, Germany that ended up being delayed by several hours. When I arrived in Zurich, I decided to stay the night since there were no more express trains to Sargans, Switzerland until morning. Since my hotel in Sargans was non-refundable, I still went to the hotel in the morning to have breakfast and get changed for my run. I had to walk back to the train station, though, to get a taxi to the northern part of Liechtenstein. My original plan was to take a bus from Sargans, but since I didn’t get started as early as I planned, I opted to save some time, and get taken directly to a spot where I could run into Austria, then Liechtenstein.

I got dropped off at the Restaurant Löwenburg where there was a small group of road bikers getting breakfast. Given all the trails that intersect in the area, it looks like a popular spot to meet up at on a ride. I spent a few moments getting my pack all straightened out, then took off on Zollstrasse road going east, heading towards Austria and the bridge crossing the Rhein River. On each side of the bridge are small customs pavilions, but there are no restrictions or checks when crossing these borders. Just across the river, I turned right onto the paved path running along the top of the dike. In only about a quarter of a mile, I was in Liechtenstein. There was just a small sign indicating the border, so if you are not looking for it, you’d probably miss it.

I planned on doing the trip in two days with a stop in Vaduz, Liechtenstein since it’s at about the midpoint of the country, but also since it’s the most populous city in the country with the major hotels and restaurants. I could have just run straight to Vaduz, but I wound my way across Liechtenstein and into the mountains on the eastern border. The mountain range looms large the entire time as the peaks are at 6,736 feet (2,053 m), even though on this day the tops were obscured by clouds.

The path along the Rhein River is a mix of pavement and well maintained grass trail. There is then a section that winds through some small towns on the way to the trails on the mountain. Just before the mountain trails, there is a spot where you can fill up your water bottles from a natural spring. The climb into the mountains is a combination of well-maintained gravel roads, then very steep single track. These are some of the most steep hiking trails I’ve ever done. There is a choice to either take the gravel road full of switch backs or stay on the very steep single track. I choose to mostly stay on the road as I felt even with the longer switch backs I was still covering more ground more quickly. The payoff of the climb is getting to the Gafadura Hütte where I ordered a large beer and a large bottle of water. While sitting outside drinking my beer, I considered my options since I was thinking about going farther up to the peaks. However, the clouds were not clearing, and I read one should only attempt the route to Three Sisters if it is dry. So I finished my beer, then headed back down the mountain and on my way to Vaduz. The trails were very well marked, so it was easy to navigate a course. The last several miles were through a suburban area with the last small stretch going down the main street directly to my hotel, Vaduzerhof.

Downtown Vaduz isn’t very lively, but there are some restaurants just a few minutes walk from the hotel. I ate at Löwen and especially enjoyed the locally produced wine, from grapes grown just down the street from the restaurant.

On Day 2, I got up early and had breakfast at the hotel restaurant. I then went out to get some sun cream at the grocery, but also to get my passport stamped at the Liechtenstein Visitor Center. It’s not official, but still a nice memory to have in my passport.

My focus of the day was to get to the Sargans, Switzerland train station on time for my train back to Zurich. I thus plotted a somewhat direct course along the Rhine River, but still hitting some key sights such as Vaduz Castle, St. Florin Cathedral, the Old Rhine Bridge, and Burg Gutenberg. All of these, but especially Burg Gutenberg, were great places for a short break. The run along the river was especially nice since there was an unpaved path along the shore.

Liechtenstein, while small, has an immense amount of variety when it comes to trail running. Paved paths, grass trails, city streets, but also extremely steep single track in the mountains can be experienced in an ultrarunning destination weekend. Just a one hour train ride from Zurich and you can experience all Liechtenstein has to offer on your own ultrarunning destination weekend.

Day 1 - Northern Border to Vaduz

Track

Start: Restaurant Löwenburg (Near northern border of Liechtenstein)
End: Hotel Vaduzerhof
Elevation Gain: 4526 feet (1379m)
Distance : 25 miles (40km)

Gallery

Day 2 - Vaduz to the Southern Border

Track

Start: Hotel Vaduzerhof
End: Sargans Train Station (Past the southern border of Liechtenstein)
Elevation Gain: 854 feet (260m)
Distance : 14 miles (22km)