Note: I originally wrote this post in 2016 for my old blog. I have edited and updated it for posting here.
I didn’t know it was possible to set foot in four different countries before lunch, but apparently it is. Let me explain.
When I was living in Austria, a couple friends and I wanted to visit the tiny country of Liechtenstein along with the bordering Austrian province of Vorarlberg, namely its main city, Bregenz. We couldn’t find anywhere to stay in Bregenz, so we stayed just a bit further across the border in the German town of Lindau. After spending a pleasant evening wandering the Christmas market in Lindau, on Saturday morning we got on a train to Feldkirch in Austria where we caught a bus to Vaduz, the capital of Liechtenstein, and while in Vaduz we walked across the bridge over the Rhine to Switzerland. So we really did set foot in all four in one day, even though our time in Austria and Switzerland was minimal.
Because Liechtenstein is so tiny and is bordered by Germany, Austria, and Switzerland, the borders of all four countries are concentrated close enough in one area that it’s possible to visit all four in such a short time. One other place you could do this, and the only quadripoint border on Earth, is between the countries of Botswana, Namibia, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.
If you want to visit Liechtenstein, going about it the way we did isn’t a bad idea. Lindau is on Lake Constance and a popular summer tourist destination. Even though tourism slows down in the colder months here, its Christmas market was bustling and very charming. After arriving in Liechtenstein the next morning, we walked around its capital “city” Vaduz, which has a population of around 6,000 people. Then we walked up to Vaduz Castle, the residence of the Prince, who is still the head of state.
Liechtenstein was part of Austria until the family of Liechtenstein, who are originally from Vienna, basically bought the land and made it their own country, naming it after their family. It is one of the only remaining constitutional monarchies in the world, and despite (or perhaps because of) its small population of around 40,000 people, it is one of the world’s richest countries per capita. The mountainous scenery in Liechtenstein is supposed to be beautiful. Unfortunately during my visit it was foggy and cloudy, so we saw very little of the mountains. If you ever visit Liechtenstein and if you attempt to do what we did, I’d recommend going in the spring or summer.
