Bludenz

Bludenz (Alemannic: Bludaz) is a town in the westernmost Austrian state of Vorarlberg. Bludenz is a popular starting point for hiking and mountain-biking in spring, summer, and autumn. It is located not far from many skiing resorts (e.g., Brand and Lech).

Understand
Bludenz has 15,000 inhabitants (2023) and was first mentioned in 830 CE. It is the administrative seat of the Bludenz District, which encompasses about half of Vorarlberg's territory.

The town is located on the Ill River, a direct tributary of the Rhine. It is surrounded by the ranges of the Bregenz Forest Mountains in the north, and by the Rätikon and Silvretta ranges in the south. Bludenz lies at the meeting point of five valleys: Walgau and Montafon (Ill), Brandnertal, Klostertal up to Arlberg Pass, and Großes Walsertal.

By plane

 * Zurich Airport (ZRH): 150 km from Bludenz


 * Friedrichshafen (FDH): 90 km from Bludenz, but poor public transport connection


 * Munich (MUC):= 260 km away, poor public transport connection


 * St. Gallen - Altenrhein (ACH): 60 km away

By train
Bludenz has a train station. Check your route on ÖBB The sooner you book in advance the cheaper tickets are.

By car
From Vienna via A1, 6 hr 40 min. In order to drive on Austrian motorways you need to purchase a Vignette.

From Zurich via A3 it's about 1 hr 50 min

From Munich Via A96: about 1 hr 30 min

From Bregenz: 30 min

Austria requires autobahn drivers to pay a fee and purchase a Vignette (Austrian: Pickerl), a sticker which must be affixed to the windshield. Vignettes are available for €9.99 (10 days), €29 (2 months), and €96.40 (1 year); prices for motocycles are approximately 55% less. Careful: the Vignette is only valid 18 days after the purchase. The fine for not having a vignette is €120, payable on the spot (if you can't pay on the spot it goes up to €300). The well-known tactic of affixing vignettes with Vaseline (so that they can be easily removed and re-used) earns a fine of €240. The vignette must be pasted on the windshield; they are considered invalid if kept in the glovebox, which also earns a fine. The vignettes are available for sale at ADAC, ÖAMTC and TCS motor club offices (in Germany, Austria and Switzerland respectively; membership is not required), as well as at almost all petrol stations before the Austrian border. You can purchase them here.

By bus
There are no bus services to Bludenz.

Get around
The best way to get around town is by foot or bicycle.





See












Outdoor activities


You can find many more hiking trails around Bludenz on this link. There are also many options to go mountain biking or e-biking.

Examples:



In the winter there is plenty to do: snowshoeing, tobogganing, cross-country skiing, and, of course, skiing. Check out all your options here and here for skiing.