Liechtenstein on its own?
I will be honest with you.
I would not give it the whole day.
But combine it with Maienfeld, the vineyards of the Rhine Valley and the world of Heidi, and suddenly this becomes one of my favourite easy day trips from Zurich.
You get Switzerland and another country.
Mountains and vineyards.
A little nostalgia.
A little wine.
And one of the smallest capitals in Europe.
That is the way I prefer to do it.
Start in Heidiland
From Zurich, your private driver takes you towards eastern Switzerland.
Before crossing into Liechtenstein, we stop in Maienfeld.
This is Heidi country.
Johanna Spyri’s story has travelled around the world, but the landscape associated with it is right here, among the mountains and vineyards of Graubünden.
At Heididorf, you can visit Heidi’s House and step into the world of the story, with traditional buildings and details showing what life here looked like around the time Heidi was written.
For families, I particularly like this stop.
Children know Heidi.
Parents usually know Heidi.
And even if you have never read the book, the setting is beautiful enough that it still works.
But Maienfeld is not only Heidi
This is where I would give our version a little more personality.
Maienfeld sits in the Bündner Herrschaft, one of Switzerland’s beautiful wine regions.
Vineyards cover the slopes around the town, particularly known for Pinot Noir.
So depending on who I have with me, I can change the experience completely.
With children, we spend more time with Heidi.
With adults interested in wine, a tasting with a local producer is part of the day.
Or we simply drive through the vineyards, stop somewhere with a beautiful view and continue.
I don’t need to make every stop an attraction.
Then cross into Liechtenstein
From Maienfeld, we continue through the Rhine Valley and into Liechtenstein.
No dramatic border crossing.
Suddenly you are simply in another country.
Vaduz is tiny, and that is part of its charm.
Walk through the centre, see the Kunstmuseum and look up towards Vaduz Castle, home of the Princely Family.
And yes, if you want the Liechtenstein souvenir passport stamp, we stop for it.
I would too.
Wine beneath a castle
Liechtenstein also has its own wine culture.
Vineyards climb the slopes beneath Vaduz Castle, and for somebody genuinely interested in wine, we can make this part of the day too.
But I wouldn’t necessarily arrange two tastings just because we can.
Maybe Heidi and Maienfeld in the morning, lunch, then Vaduz and the mountains.
Maybe Maienfeld wine, Vaduz and the castle.
Maybe the entire day is for a family and we forget wine completely.
This is why I don’t like fixed itineraries.
Go above Vaduz
If time and weather are on our side, I don’t want to stop with the capital.
Drive higher.
The road climbs away from the Rhine Valley through the mountains towards Malbun, Liechtenstein’s small Alpine resort.
This is the part of the country many day visitors never see.
In winter, it is skiing.
In summer, walking and mountains.
And throughout the year, it gives you a completely different picture of Liechtenstein from the few streets around the centre of Vaduz.
For me, this is what turns the country from a passport stamp into somewhere you actually visited.
A few places I keep for the right guest
There are viewpoints above the Rhine Valley that I like much more than another formal sightseeing stop.
There are vineyards around Maienfeld where I would happily stop simply for the landscape.
There are small producers I can look at when somebody genuinely loves Swiss wine.
And there are mountain roads where the day becomes less about Heidi or Liechtenstein and more about eastern Switzerland itself.
I choose those according to who is travelling.
From Zurich and back again
Your private driver collects you at your hotel in Zurich, and the entire day is built around you.
Heididorf and Heidi’s House.
Maienfeld and its vineyards.
Vaduz and the castle.
The passport stamp if you want it.
Wine if you enjoy it.
Malbun if you want mountains.
We don’t necessarily do everything.
That is the point.
Liechtenstein alone is small.
Combine it with Heidiland, and it becomes a very good day.
This is one of the private days we arrange from Zurich. Begin the conversation.